Roadmapping Scientist, Natural Systems Response

About Spark Climate Solutions

Spark Climate Solutions is accelerating progress in emerging climate fields, towards repairing the climate. Spark focuses on high-leverage, under-resourced solution areas and takes a systems approach, collaboratively working with experts and other stakeholders, to accelerate these fields by building strategic roadmaps, providing research funding, seeding new organizations, and communicating with the public. Spark’s first focus area is accelerating solutions for near-term warming management, starting with enteric fermentation mitigation and methane removal. Our team has deep expertise in science, engineering, and climate-focused philanthropy. Spark’s funders include the Grantham Foundation, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Astera Institute, Climate Pathfinders Foundation, and Additional Ventures.

Position Summary

Spark Climate Solutions seeks a Natural Systems Response Scientific Roadmapper to develop a scientific roadmap of climate and environmental system responses to climate change—including natural feedbacks, tipping elements, ecological responses, and climate risk monitoring. Engaging with the scientific community and existing research, you will create a landscape of current scientific understanding (including areas of consensus, and diving into the fundamental questions behind any lack of consensus), and modeling and monitoring capabilities in these areas and identify the highest priority research questions that need to be answered and programs to be built in these areas to help improve our understanding of natural systems responses, in turn driving both mitigation and adaptation plans and ambition.

Areas you will focus on:

Natural system feedbacks, climate tipping elements, and their resulting greenhouse gas emissions and other ecological and human impacts
Changes to natural systems in response to climate change, including changes to weather patterns, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem stability

Responsibilities

Author a scientific roadmap within the areas of climate and natural system response including natural system feedbacks, climate tipping elements, and changes in natural systems in response to climate change
Design research programs to accelerate scientific understanding, and improve our monitoring and modeling abilities, and explore potential mitigation
Evaluate science and engineering funding proposals based on their scientific merit, impact-alignment, and contribution to the broader field of climate and environmental system response
Serve as a subject matter expert and area advocate to other organizations, funders, and policymakers in this space, as needed.
Build relationships with science partners to collaborate on roadmaps and research agendas.

Experience

7+ years of combined professional and research experience, inclusive of any graduate work
The ideal candidate has a Ph.D. in climate science, biogeochemistry, paleoclimatology, ecology, or similar
Have a deep understanding of earth system science
Experience independently running projects and complex work tracks in research-heavy areas, in academia, consulting, or business environments
Preferably, experience doing road mapping or agenda-setting in an academic, business, or non-profit context
Excellent written, speaking/presentation, and interpersonal communication skills to engage effectively within the organization and with external collaborators/stakeholders
Insatiable drive towards climate action
Ability to move between the fundamental science, technological limits, and broader social and policy implications.
Flexibility, creativity, and tenacity.
Fluency in English.

Eligibility

Able to work as a W2 employee for a US non-profit.
At least 4 overlapping work hours with US Pacific time work day (9a-5pm PT).

Location

As with all positions at Spark Climate Solutions, this will be 100% remote. Employees can work anywhere within the United States, or internationally with approval. Our center of gravity is in the SF Bay Area, with a possible option (not requirement) of some in-person work.

Compensation

This is a full-time position with benefits. The salary range is $90,000-$160,000 / year. In addition, Spark Climate Solutions provides exceptional benefits including flexible PTO, sick time, holidays, generous health insurance coverage, and full-covered dental/vision/life insurance, and parental leave.