Senior Geospatial Data Architect- Earth Observation & Climate Services

Job Title:  Senior Geospatial Data Architect- Earth Observation & Climate Services   
Reports to/team: Earth Observation and Climate Services Team/Climate Neutral and Resilient Regions Cluster  
Contract:   Fixed term for 12 months with possibility to prolong/convert into indefinite over time 
Level: Intermediate/Advanced- Please refer to our Capability Framework 

Salary:  Competitive for Not-for-Profit Organisation  
Location: Remote-based in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Slovenia, Poland
Start Date:  Climate KIC is currently in contract negotiation; the position will open as soon as the contract is signed, expected to be January 2026 

Apply By:  The application process will close once we have received a sufficient number of submissions (often within a few days). 

ABOUT US  

At Climate KIC, we are wholeheartedly committed to building a diverse and representative team and an inclusive workplace that values different life experiences and perspectives, and we encourage personal development, learning and growth.   

When recruiting, we look to achieve diversity in the candidate pool. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to consider reasonable adjustments that will foster success in potential colleagues from diverse backgrounds and life situations. And because our team has differing needs and personal circumstances, we offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate working patterns. We’re happy to discuss your situation during the interview and see how best we can support you. Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from applying!   

Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative. We understand that global temperature rise is exceeding 1.5C and this demands unprecedented change. It requires new social dynamics, ways of doing business, capital flows, policymaking, economic models, and new ways of living. That is why our mission is to leverage the power of systems innovation to transform whole places, industries and value chains by 2030, working across sectors to develop and scale ambitious programmes. Climate KIC’s strategy 2024-2030, Transformation, with Urgency, is available here.    

Climate KIC operates as a not-for-profit foundation working through public-private partnership, wielding both public and private funding. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Amsterdam, we orchestrate a community of more than 150 organisations including large corporations and SMEs, municipal and regional governments, universities and research institutes, as well as non-governmental organisations and civil society actors.     

Climate KIC leads the implementation of the European Union’s Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and the launch pilot of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, both with the objective of catalysing rapid and deep transformation on a large scale, creating the precedent and economic transition conditions for demonstration, learning, capacity building, fast followership and investment. Achieving the EU Cities Mission will mean avoided scope 1 and 2 emissions alone of an estimated 0.7GT CO2e between now and 2040.    

Climate KIC has a Remote-First approach, where colleagues work remotely from home based in one of the countries where we have a branch or employing entity (and can work out of local offices or co-working seats, where they exist). We meet at our local offices to exchange and connect and use online collaboration tools to work with each other and with our community. On occasion, we meet in person as teams, and once per year as an organisation.    

As a mission-driven organisation dedicated to climate transformation, we consider the climate impact of our own actions, for example travel, catering, or IT equipment.   

About the Resilient and Climate Neutral Regions Cluster 

The Resilient and Climate Neutral Regions (RCNR) cluster was founded in 2023 and has since grown to a size of ~37 persons spread over Europe. The cluster supports regions to become resilient and climate neutral by applying place-based systems transformation and providing a platform for collaboration.  Our goal is to empower local stakeholders to proactively embrace transformational change towards climate resilience, foster shared learning and encourage partnerships, and develop customised strategies. This commitment unfolds through a strategic roadmap designed to strengthen our European-level role further, develop interventions in engaged regions, deepen efforts in selected regions. The cluster focusses on 4 thematical areas: 1) Climate Smart Food Systems, 2) Earth Observation for climate services, 3) Climate Smart Forestry & Bio economy and 4) Climate Resilient Regions.  

Nested within the RCNR cluster, the Earth Observation and Climate Services Team is focused on supporting the uptake of Copernicus and other relevant data, while promoting their use in climate mitigation and adaptation actions. Our team collaborates with a range of stakeholders, including public authorities, to demonstrate the value of Earth Observation and other data in enhancing their climate readiness. We provide tools that enable evidence-based decision-making and monitoring. This work supports CKIC’s efforts to implement a systemic approach to tackling climate change and advocating for this approach into the broader community.  

Our project portfolio includes VALORADA, Climateurope2, PCP WISE, and service contracts with ECMWF and EU agencies, with further expansion planned.  

Currently we are working on: 

• Capacity building around identifying and addressing data and climate needs. 

• Integration of EO data into policymaking and policy monitoring. 

• Integration of EO data into AI, digital twins and similar decision-supporting tools. 

• Support the broad uptake of project results (making sure that what is developed in the projects will be used by external stakeholders and be built on for future applications and/or will reach the market). 

ABOUT YOU  

The successful candidate would be passionate about, and committed to, supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, as well as using geo-information as an effective tool to tackle its effects. You will be involved in supporting the delivery of the current projects and the further development of the team and would have the ambition to learn, grow, and develop within and with the team.  

More specifically, you will be involved in projects involving expanding some of the team’s work to SE Asia - notably the Philippines and would be expected to have experience working independently and being a good (remote) team member. You will support and guide the technical architecture for complex Earth Observation and data systems, guiding external partners on the implementation.  This will also include expanding Climate KIC's portfolio into more technical and data-driven applications. 

Key Working Relationships  

The successful candidate will work with the rest of CKIC’s Earth Observation and Climate Services team to deliver on projects and contribute to achieving the team’s objectives within the Climate Neutral and Resilient Regions cluster. Furthermore, the candidate will collaborate closely with the Digital Enabling team, external technical partners (particularly for initiatives in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines), and institutional clients to guide technical implementation of a data lake and ensure quality delivery. 

Key Responsibilities  

• Advise and guide the AI-ready data architecture and service definition of data spaces for institutional clients, who will be doing the data-space-development in-house. 

• Guide and execute needs and gap assessment among all the relevant stakeholders, providers and users on data needs  

• Design and define the overall system architecture and technology approach based on client requirements and constraints, including the harmonisation of heterogeneous data  

• Create detailed technical specifications for external partners that clearly define what to build and quality standards 

• Review partner deliverables to ensure they meet specifications and align with project goals 

• Identify technical risks early and make trade-off recommendations between scope, budget and timeline 

Others 

• Support the delivery of existing contracts/projects by writing deliverables, executing tasks, participating in project meetings both online and in-person, including proposing and creating content and managing your own workload. 

• Representing the team and the organisation in online and in-person meetings. 

• Supporting the team’s business development through, e.g. proposal writing. 

• Supporting the identification, definition and development of new services and products. 

What You Bring 

• More than five years of experience working with data and geospatial analysis, ideally in climate, environmental, or sustainability-focused projects. 

• Experience in designing technical solutions for government or institutional clients, understanding their constraints and decision-making processes 

• Experience managing external teams or contractors and coordinating complex technical work 

• Deep understanding of data architecture: databases, APIs, data pipelines and how components connect together 

• Practical geospatial data engineering experience across the full stack: working with satellite imagery and geospatial data formats (GeoTIFF, COG, NetCDF), spatial databases like PostGIS, building data pipelines, and deploying solutions with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure, Docker). Experience with APIs (REST, OGC standards) and version control/CI-CD practices is valuable. 

• Strong background in data science and GIS, with hands-on experience managing, analysing, and visualising spatial data (ArcGIS or QGIS). 

• Skilled in Python or R, translating complex datasets into insights that support climate action and systems innovation. 

• Experience designing and managing data workflows and pipelines, from service definition to delivery. 

• Good understanding of Earth Observation (EO) data—its sources, formats, and applications—and the ability to assess technical input in light of climate resilience needs. 

• Confident communicator who can lead collaborative projects, work across teams, and engage diverse (including non-technical) partners in international and cross-cultural settings. 

• Experience documenting workflows and supporting others in the use of GIS, data, and AI tools. 

• Comfortable with digital collaboration platforms such as Office365, Teams, SharePoint, Salesforce, Miro, and Canva. 

Who You Are 

• Deeply motivated by climate impact and the transition to resilient, sustainable regions. 

• Passionate about the role of (GIS) data in this transition. 

• Curious, proactive, and solution-oriented, with a learning mindset and enthusiasm for innovation. 

• Able to work independently and remotely, managing time and priorities effectively while staying connected to a distributed team. 

• A strategic and systems-thinker: able to connect technical components and see their value in broader concepts and solutions. 

• Comfortable with ambiguity and incomplete information early in projects; able to ask hard questions and explore options 

• Exceptionally able to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences (this communication skill is as critical as technical expertise) 

• A collaborative team player who values openness, trust, and co-creation. 

• Fluent in English, with excellent communication skills. 

• Availability and willingness to travel (approximately 6–8 times per year, including outside Europe). 

• Interest in AI/ML applications for geospatial data, and familiarity with climate services, Copernicus data, or systems thinking approaches. 

• Experience with EU-funded projects or international collaboration, especially in Southeast Asia or the Philippines, is a strong plus. 

• Proficiency in additional European language(s) or Filipino are an advantage. 

Location  

Candidates must have the right to work in the location they’re applying for (I.e. not require visa sponsorship) prior to applying for the position. Ideally, the successful candidate will be based close to a Climate KIC office, but we support fully remote or hybrid forms of working and offer a high degree of flexibility.  

To ensure that we can respond to every single applicant, we will close the role once we receive a reasonable pool of candidates to assess.