[ES_JOBS_NET] Applied climate scientist job

[Erika Marín-Spiotta]

Applied Climate Scientist

The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (www.ciat.cgiar.org)
works to reduce hunger and poverty, and improve human nutrition in the
tropics through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of
agriculture. CIAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium (www.cgiar.org),
a global research partnership working many partners for a food secure
future.  The Center’s research focuses on increasing productivity of
key crops (cassava, common bean, rice, and tropical forages);
reversing soil and land degradation; and using information to foster
better decisions about issues such as climate change and environmental
management. Headquartered near Cali, Colombia, CIAT has regional
offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanoi, Vietnam, with staff posted in
other developing countries as well.

The DAPA group is a growing research area of CIAT that works towards
CIAT’s mission of eco-efficient agriculture for the tropics by
ensuring improved decision making by a range of stakeholders on the
themes of climate change, linking farmers to markets and ecosystem
services. See https://ciat.cgiar.org/dapa for more details on DAPA.

We are looking for a climate scientist with special emphasis on
seasonal climate forecasting for agricultural applications.  This
person will lead research and operational activities related to
seasonal agro-climatic forecasting in Colombia and other Central and
South American countries at the International Center for Tropical
Agriculture (CIAT), Decision and Policy Analysis division. Specific
projects where substantial contribution is expected include the CGIAR
Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
(CCAFS) funded “Tailored agro-climatic services for decision making”,
any activities related to the Partnership between CIAT and the
Ministry of Agriculture of Colombia, as well as the USAID-funded
Climate Services project in Colombia.

Responsibilities

   - Provide intellectual leadership in the area of seasonal climate
forecasting for Colombia and other Latin American countries, with the
specific tasks to improve their performance for agricultural
applications, and clearly evaluate and communicate that performance to
end-users.  Incorporate enhanced physical understanding of regional
climate dynamics into the models. Investigate how to appropriately
translate forecast information into useful products for agricultural
applications. Publish results in peer-reviewed literature.
  - Identify current limitations and knowledge gaps in ongoing
climate forecasting projects for the areas under study, and develop
and implement methods to address these.
  - Coordinate research activities of about 5-7 researchers working
with weather data, climate model output, and seasonal climate
forecasting tools and models.
  - Ensure that the automation of operational processes is in place
to update weather data, generate forecasts, and update evaluation
metrics on a monthly basis.  Help communicate evaluation metrics,
methodological limitations and research needs to internal and external
users of the information in an understandable manner.
  - Interface with meteorological agencies in Colombia and other
partner countries in Latin America to share best practices, and
maintain and develop relationships with other research institutions
working on seasonal climate forecasting in the region (e.g. Columbia
University International Research Institute for Climate & Society and
climate modeling institutions, e.g. NOAA-GFDL).  Help to strengthen
CIAT’s connection with the *Observatorio Latinoamericano de Eventos
Extraordinarios* (OLE2).
  - Build strong links with other CIAT and CIAT-DAPA research teams
to enhance the potential for the use of forecasts in a variety of
contexts and agricultural production systems.
  - Write and/or participate in fund-raising activities to develop a
funding stream at CIAT for basic and applied science research in
seasonal climate forecasting in the Andean region.

Technical Competencies

   - Ph.D. in climate science (atmospheric science, oceanography,
meteorology or related fields), focusing on atmosphere-ocean
circulation dynamics and sources of inter-annual and decadal climate
variability.
  - Minimum 2-3 years of experience with seasonal climate
forecasting, global and/ or regional climate models and the El
Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon
  - Experience in the practical applications of forecasts is desirable
  - Demonstrated knowledge of statistical methods in atmospheric sciences
  - Some experience managing research teams
  - *Desirable:* particular knowledge of climate dynamics in the
Andean region of South America
  - *Desirable:*  experience in or exposure to agricultural
meteorology and climate impacts modeling (agriculture, hydrology);
familiarity with agricultural sciences
  - *Desirable:*  familiarity with climate model downscaling and
bias-correction methodologies
  - *Desirable:* written and verbal communication skills in Spanish

Role Competencies

   - Dealing with ambiguity/ complexity
  - Ability to motivate others
  - Scientific communication skills: ability to break down complex
scientific subjects
  - Process Management

Terms of employment

The position is internationally recruited. The contract in the
Scientist category will be for two (2) years subject to a probation
period of six (6) months, and is renewable depending on performance
and availability of resources. This person will report directly to the
DAPA Research Area Director and to the Modeling Scientists in the
projects in question. CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research
environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits; we believe
that the diversity of our staff contributes to excellence. CIAT is an
equal opportunity employer, and strives for staff diversity in gender
and nationality.

Applications

Applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their
suitability for the above position against the listed qualifications,
competencies, skills together with a detailed curriculum vitae,
including names and addresses of three referees knowledgeable about
the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. All
correspondence should be addressed to the CIAT Human Resources Office
to Ms. Andrea Linares (z.a.linares at cgiar.org) and should clearly
indicate “Applied Climate Scientist”.

Closing date for applications: July 29th, 2016



We invite you to learn more about us at: http://www.ciat.cgiar.org
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