VN 26/01 Remote Sensing Scientist โ Optical Cloud Imaging
The Remote Sensing and Products (RSP) Division is tasked with providing the scientific expertise required to develop, implement, validate, maintain and evolve the operational observational products for all EUMETSAT satellites and agreed third party missions, as well as establishing the user requirements for future EUMETSAT satellite programmes.
With the recent launches of the EPS-Second Generation (EPS-SG) and Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites, EUMETSAT has a new generation of space capabilities to observe the Earth-Atmosphere system able to observe the cloud optical properties and use them to retrieve a suite of cloud products and cloud properties. Other space missions also operated by EUMETSAT, such as the Copernicus missions, will contribute to this network of cloud observations.
Within the Clouds and Aerosols Competence Area (ClA-CA) of the Remote Sensing and Products Division (RSP), the Remote Sensing Scientist โ Optical Cloud Imaging will be responsible for product development in the area of cloud and lightning detection, cloud microphysical properties, cloud analysis and other atmospheric products derived from visible and infrared imagery (e.g. water vapour and precipitation), focusing EUMETSATโs next generation Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and EPS-Second Generation (EPS-SG) satellite systems.
Duties
The main duties will be as follows:
- Acquire and maintain an in depth understanding of the cloud and other atmospheric products derived from satellite optical imagery, such as water vapour and precipitation products;
- Support through in-house and external activities the definition, development, prototyping and validation of new or enhanced cloud products from satellite optical imagers including in a synergistic approach with other sensors. This includes interaction with the industry and supervision of external scientific studies;
- Provide scientific and technical expertise on the processing and analysis of inversion of atmospheric physical parameters in support of environment monitoring, forecasting applications, and climate applications;
- Contribute to calibration, validation, and monitoring of cloud and related products in an operational environment, and in collaboration with mission partners and the scientific as well as user communities;
- Based on interactions with the scientific and user communities, contribute to the advancement of the understanding of innovative measurements of cloud properties and related products and to the preparation and development of their applications. Contribute to the formulation of detailed specifications for future satellite products and services;
- Support interactions with mission and international partners. Support Satellite Application Facilities (SAF) related activities.
LOCATION Darmstadt, Germany
QUALIFICATIONS
Advanced university degree or equivalent in remote sensing of atmospheric composition parameters, meteorology, physics or another relevant discipline.
LANGUAGES
The official languages of EUMETSAT are English and French. Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and have some knowledge of French.
DEADLINE
2 March 2026
Duties
The main duties will be as follows:
- Acquire and maintain an in depth understanding of the cloud and other atmospheric products derived from satellite optical imagery, such as water vapour and precipitation products;
- Support through in-house and external activities the definition, development, prototyping and validation of new or enhanced cloud products from satellite optical imagers including in a synergistic approach with other sensors. This includes interaction with the industry and supervision of external scientific studies;
- Provide scientific and technical expertise on the processing and analysis of inversion of atmospheric physical parameters in support of environment monitoring, forecasting applications, and climate applications;
- Contribute to calibration, validation, and monitoring of cloud and related products in an operational environment, and in collaboration with mission partners and the scientific as well as user communities;
- Based on interactions with the scientific and user communities, contribute to the advancement of the understanding of innovative measurements of cloud properties and related products and to the preparation and development of their applications. Contribute to the formulation of detailed specifications for future satellite products and services;
- Support interactions with mission and international partners. Support Satellite Application Facilities (SAF) related activities.
Skills and Experience
- Knowledge of the most relevant imagery missions related to cloud properties and other atmospheric parameters, their products, applications and user communities;
- Demonstrated expertise in the physics of optical remote sensing of cloud properties and their validation;
- Understanding of the functioning, operation, and data processing of products derived from optical imager missions. Experience in Level-2 retrieval would be an asset;
- Experience in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning in the field of geophysical remote sensing would be an advantage;
- Demonstrable experience in developing scientific applications software in Python, IDL and/or MATLAB, including software development and management tools (e.g. GitLab). Experience with operational data processing software (e.g. Java, C++, Fortran) would be an advantage;
- Demonstrable experience with scientific development projects and working with user communities and researchers;
- Strengths in analysis, synthesis and presentation;
- Good interpersonal skills with a proven ability to apply these to the interactions within a team and between teams.
Employment Conditions
The initial contract will be of 4 yearsโ duration, with subsequent 5 year contracts being awarded thereafter, subject to individual performance and organisation requirements. There is no limit to the amount of follow-up contracts a staff member can receive up to the EUMETSAT retirement age of 63 and there are certainly opportunities to establish a long career perspective at EUMETSAT.
This post is graded A2/A4 on the EUMETSAT salary scales. The minimum basic salary for this post is EURO 7553.5 per month (net of internal tax but excluding pension contribution and insurances) which may be negotiable on the basis of skills and experience. The salary scale provides for increments on the anniversary of taking up employment, and scales are reviewed by the EUMETSAT Council with effect from 1 January each year. In addition to basic salary, EUMETSAT offers attractive benefits. Further information, including salary details, is available on the EUMETSAT web site.
EUMETSAT is committed to providing an equal opportunities work environment for men and women.
Please note that only nationals of EUMETSAT Member States may apply. The EUMETSAT Convention requires that Staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, account being taken of the international character of EUMETSAT.About EUMETSAT
EUMETSAT is Europeโs meteorological satellite agency. Its role is to establish and operate meteorological satellites to monitor the weather and climate from space - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This information is supplied to the National Meteorological Services of the organisation's Member States in Europe, as well as other users worldwide.
EUMETSAT also operates several Copernicus missions on behalf of the European Union and provide data services to the Copernicus marine and atmospheric services and their users.
As an intergovernmental European Organisation, EUMETSAT has 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.)