Geospatial expert, Data Analysis Associate

About us: The Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA) is a non-profit organisation founded by prosecutors and law enforcement professionals. We combine the power of law and data science to support allies fighting for climate justice and human rights, enable compliance with climate commitments, and hold accountable those causing the climate crisis.

CCCA works with and strategically supports NGOs, expert organisations and private citizens fighting climate change or human rights violations in their efforts to generate, preserve and collect high quality information. CCCA also conducts legal and forensic analyses of information and prepares concrete case files. These are shared with the competent law enforcement or regulatory authorities, with civil society organisations, and with private corporations. Our work thus has a force multiplier effect: enhancing the impact of investigations by our partners; and enabling more effective implementation of the enforcement, litigation and advocacy mandates of others. Our current programs focus on combatting illegal deforestation in the Amazon and addressing methane emissions to drive rapid reductions in near-term warming.

About the position: CCCA is looking for a geospatial expert to join its Methane Program as a Data Analysis Associate. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, responsible for approximately 30% of global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution. Rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions are essential to limit near-term global warming and improve air quality. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the availability of satellite data on methane emissions, and this program seeks to maximise its impact. CCCA will use this data to put pressure on emitters and their enablers (regulators, financiers, customers…) through legal action and advocacy. The ideal candidate has substantial expertise in geospatial data analysis, experience with remote sensing data and excellent communication skills that allow them to contribute to the legal and advocacy strategies at the core of the program by working with technical and non-technical colleagues to understand the questions to be answered and propose solutions.

The Data Analysis Associate will report to the Methane Program Director to develop and implement methodologies and solutions for analysis within the scope of CCCA’s Methane Program. The associate will collaborate with the Climate Intelligence Unit and associates in other CCCA programs to ensure lessons are transferred across teams and analysis capacity across the organisation can be improved.

Key responsibilities

Develop methodologies and solutions for analysis within the scope of CCCA’s methane program:

• Stay current with satellite-based methane detection advancements and develop strong understanding of technical methodologies and uncertainties to identify the technical aspects behind the legal needs/questions of the program and translate technical insights for the team and CCCA’s partners.
• Develop geospatial data analyses tailored to legal and advocacy needs -for example, attributing detected methane plumes to the emitting facility, including assessing data quality and potential biases.
• Develop data analysis activities, including the combination of multiple databases and sources to draw insights across those sources.
• Developing and implementing ETL pipelines to gather, clean, and validate data from diverse sources (remote sensing data, government sources, NGO databases, big data, bottom-up emissions estimates, company reports, news articles, and other sources) to contribute to legal analysis.
• Building strong relationships with technical partners (civil society, research institutions, commercial entities).

Facilitate the incorporation of data analysis into legal and advocacy work:

• Present technical information and analysis results to both technical and non-technical audiences (e.g., legal or communications staff, civil society partners) in meetings and written reports (including detailing methodology).
• Prepare visual products to incorporate analysis and results into written documents and presentations.
• Educate other CCCA members in data science and analysis to enhance interdisciplinary work and cross-pollination between programs.

Skills and Experience

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in an area compatible with the role that will be performed.
• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience, including conducting analysis that incorporates geo-information – strong preference for experience with atmospheric research and analysis.
• Fluent in English (other languages highly valued).

Experience or familiarity with the following will be considered an asset:

• Proficiency in Python, or willingness and ability to learn it quickly. JavaScript and other programming languages are also considered assets. Hands-on experience in coding for large-scale data processing and analysis is appreciated.
• Experience with remote sensing methods and data, experience working specifically with atmospheric spectroscopy and gas measurements is a strong plus.
• Experience with data engineering, including building and maintaining ETL pipelines, handling large datasets, and integrating data from diverse sources, and working with cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure.
• Experience with GIS software to produce clear, visually compelling maps.
• Familiarity with the coal, gas and oil or waste management industries is valued.
• Familiarity with mathematical models (e.g., emissions modelling).
• Familiarity with graph databases (e.g., Neo4J).
• Experience working in remote teams.

Skills:

• Flexibility to adapt analysis and methodologies as needs of the program evolve.
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Strong research skills, including attention to detail, process documentation, and thinking creatively about potential sources of information.
• Good data analytics skills and data visualisation (e.g., elaboration of thematic maps, Power BI, Tableau).
• Strong organisation and communication skills.

We are also looking for a colleague who:

• is a creative problem solver;
• is strongly committed to CCCA’s mandate;
• is an empathetic team player and takes pride in enabling others to succeed, both internal colleagues and external partners;
• shows curiosity and a learning and growth mindset;
• demonstrates personal integrity and sound judgment.

CCCA is committed to diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of every culture and background, and we strongly encourage women and individuals from the global south to apply.

As a geographically dispersed organisation, our team members work and collaborate remotely. CCCA is therefore open to considering applicants based in any country. However, given that the majority of our personnel are currently based in the Americas and Europe, any applicant must be willing to schedule their work to accommodate these time zones.

CCCA offers flexible arrangements and anticipates that this position will require a commitment of 35-40 hours per week. Remuneration will be competitive, based on the successful applicant’s experience. Candidates are encouraged to apply even if they do not meet all skills and experience if they believe they can perform the key responsibilities.

For any queries, please contact jobs@climatecrimeanalysis.org with: Methane Data Analysis Associate and your name in the subject line. We will review applications on a rolling basis.