Scientist I - Remote Sensing for Climate Finance

The Organization:

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a CGIAR Research Centre and provides water solutions for sustainable, climate-resilient development. IWMI is a research-for-development (R4D) organization, with offices in 14 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 30 countries. For over three decades, IWMI’s research results have led to changes in water management that have contributed to social and economic development.

https://www.iwmi.org/

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) deliver research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national, and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis.

The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

https://alliancebioversityciat.org/                     www.cgiar.org

About the position:

This position will be hosted by The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT & based at the Alliance Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Scientist I, Remote Sensing for Climate Finance will assess investments from climate finance mechanisms in agriculture on its impacts on sustainable water resources management. This will be achieved by utilizing a combination of remote sensing datasets, field measurements, and modelling tools to derive assessment-specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for water resources. Furthermore, for crop and water productivity-based indicators, the incumbent will use remote sensing modelling tools currently in operation in IWMI in combination with new data-driven approaches and will collaborate with the CGIAR sustainable finance team to coordinate the entire investment assessment cycle. 

Responsibilities:

• Undertake a literature review to explicitly develop investment-specific KPIs cross-cutting water and climate to assess investments in water, land, energy and food systems on climate bankability, its relevance to national sustainable strategies, and investor’s climate goal. 
• Applying earth observation-based models to derive productivity (land and water) indicators at different spatial scales across multiple cropping systems for both pre-investment and post-investment portfolio assessment. 
• Conduct high-quality research on the role of climate finance in enhancing sustainable water resource management.
• Analyze the effectiveness of various climate finance mechanisms in supporting water projects, including public-private partnerships, green bonds, carbon credits and blended finance.
• Develop case studies and policy briefs highlighting successful models and best practices.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to develop, integrate, and implement innovative approaches for mainstreaming water in the climate finance portfolio in the regions where IWMI operates.
• Collaborate with team members to design and implement research projects on climate finance and water.
• Contribute to the scientific advancement and methodological developments of IWMI's digital water innovation toolsets.
• Develop technical guidance and training materials for custom geospatial applications.
• Prepare high-quality research reports and journal articles.
• Provide technical support to researchers for complex geospatial analysis in various research and management projects at IWMI headquarters.
• Assist in training and capacity-building activities related to the tools developed within the Water Productivity/Water Accounting group.
• Perform other related assignments as required.

Requirements

Essential Requirements:

• PhD in Water Resources Management, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, hydro-informatics or a related discipline.
• At least three years of demonstrated experience in conducting interdisciplinary research, preferably at the intersection of climate and water resources, using earth observation data and modeling tools.
• Evidence of scientific publishing, demonstrated by a very good publication record in peer review journals (minimum of 5 articles).
• Experience in calculations of water footprint measures across the value chain preferably in the Global South.
• Experience in use of soil sensors data/validation/ground-truthing.
• Prior experience in using supervised and unsupervised algorithms, including machine learning methods on large spatial datasets in Python, R, or any other programming language.
• Experience in using Amazon Web Services, Google Earth Engine or other cloud-based earth observation data processing environments for geospatial tool developments.
• Experience designing and implementing approaches for data-scarce environments.
• Strong understanding of deriving biophysical indicators on different types of crop systems from remote sensing and model-based approaches. 
• Strong data assimilation and image fusion skills to integrate existing and upcoming satellite datasets and their processing methods for crop water use mapping.
• Strong understanding of impact assessment frameworks using earth observation data especially when dealing with small land sizes (<1 ha).
• Proficiency in Python, R, or other programming languages with experience in numeric and geospatial Python packages like Numpy, Scikit-learn, GDAL, or similar packages.
• Familiarity with climate finance mechanisms and their application in water resource projects.
• Strong analytical, numerical, and data visualization skills, with the ability to process large temporal and spatial datasets in Python.
• Ability to use advanced spatial analysis and geospatial tools for multi-scale assessments of agricultural water use.
• Positive attitude, solid work ethic, and a demonstrated capacity and interest in learning new technologies.
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and able to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent oral and written language skills in English.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Desirable Requirements:

• Experience in soil moisture downscaling approaches. 
• Experience in model ensembles geared toward ET estimation.
• Fluency in French or Arabic would be an asset.

Benefits

Terms of employment:

This is a locally recruited position based in Rome, Italy at the Alliance Headquarters. All benefits are denominated and paid in Euro. The salary is level 9, on a scale of 14 levels, with level 14 being the highest. The salary range starts from Euro 52,564 per annum. The Alliance offers an attractive remuneration package that includes a competitive salary, leave provisions, medical and life insurance, and non-contributory retirement plan. The contract will be for a period of 2 years, subject to a probationary period of 6 months, and is renewable based on performance and availability of funds.

Please note that eligible applicants must have the legal status to live and work in Italy:

• Be Italian nationals holding a valid passport or identity card.
• Or be EU citizens holding a valid passport or identity card and confirmation of registration from the Registrar’s Office (Anagrafe)
• Or non–EU citizens holding a valid Italian work permit (permesso di soggiorno per lavoro subordinato)

How to apply:

Apply for the position by following the application instructions at www.iwmi.org/jobs no later than 20 October 2024, attaching a curriculum vitae, motivation letter (illustrating your suitability for the above mentioned position against the listed qualifications, competencies, skills), both in English, and contact information (e.g. names, email address) of at least three references (knowledgeable about your professional qualifications and work experience). Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.