Geospatial Data Architect - Earth Observation & Climate Services

Climate KIC

8h • Remote

About The Position

Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is seeking a Geospatial Data Architect to join their Earth Observation and Climate Services team. This role is crucial for supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts by leveraging geoinformation. The successful candidate will be involved in delivering current projects, expanding the team's work into Southeast Asia (specifically the Philippines), and guiding the technical architecture for complex Earth Observation and data systems. This position offers an opportunity to expand Climate KIC's portfolio into more technical and data-driven applications, working with institutional clients, external partners, and the Digital Enabling team to guide the implementation of a data lakehouse and geospatial AI services.

Requirements

• 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 and understanding their constraints and decision-making processes.
• Experience managing external teams or contractors and coordinating complex technical work.
• Deep understanding of data architecture.
• 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, 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.
• Deeply motivated by climate impact and the transition to resilient, sustainable regions.
• Passionate about the role of geospatial 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.
• 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).
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

Responsibilities

• Advise and guide the AI-ready data architecture and geospatial AI service definition for institutional clients.
• 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.
• Support the development of guidelines for data governance and the ethical use of AI services, and where appropriate conduct capacity development activities for the successful uptake of services.
• Support the delivery of existing 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.
• Represent the team and the organisation in online and in-person meetings.
• Support the team’s business development through, e.g. proposal writing.
• Support the identification, definition and development of new services and products.

Benefits

• Fair and consistent compensation for all employees, with most salaries falling between 80% and 120% of the midpoint of the range outlined at the end of this job posting.
• Remote-First approach
• Flexibility to work remotely from home
• Opportunity to work from local offices or co-working seats where they exist
• Opportunity to meet in person as teams and once per year as an organisation
• Consideration of climate impact in own actions (e.g., travel, catering, IT equipment)
• High degree of flexibility to accommodate working patterns
• Support for personal development, learning and growth
• Encouragement of diversity in the candidate pool and workplace

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed