Head of Science Team in the IPCC WGI Technical Support Unit — IPCC

Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is filling the position of

Head of Science Team in the Technical Support Unit

The position is located
in the Paris area, at Gif-sur-Yvette (France).

The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The
IPCC was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN
Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide
policymakers with rigorous, transparent, and objective scientific assessments
on climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to
put forward adaptation and mitigation options. The IPCC is now undertaking its
Seventh Assessment (AR7) cycle. The IPCC Working Group I (WGI) assesses the
physical science underpinning past, present, and future climate change. The WGI
Technical Support Unit (TSU) provides scientific, technical, operational and
communications support that underpin and implement the WGI assessment.

The
Technical Support Unit (TSU)

The
TSU works at the unique IPCC interface between science and policy in the
provision of the climate knowledge and information that is relevant for policy
needs and decision making. The team is responsible for facilitating and
implementing the assessment process undertaken by the author teams and overseen
by the WGI Bureau. We are seeking someone who is highly motivated to join a
team that spans different areas of expertise including climate sciences
(observations, climate processes, global and regional climate modeling), visual
design and communication, digital information development and management, and
international project management. The team is hosted by Université
Paris-Saclay and located in the facilities of Ecole normale supérieure (ENS)
Paris-Saclay in the Paris area.

The
Head of Science Team Role

We
seek candidates that bring a broad understanding of state-of-the-art physical
climate science, international research and coordinated activities, as well as
demonstrated experience in team leadership and management, as well as
international experience. We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic in
supporting a high impact and rigorous WGI assessment and promote the value of
information on the physical basis of climate change and its accessibility and
usability by different communities around the world.

Duties
and Responsibilities

The Head of Science Team will be responsible for the delivery and coordination of science-related activities of the Technical Support Unit (TSU) throughout the preparation, review and completion phases of the products of Working Group I during the Seventh Assessment cycle (in particular the WGI Assessment Report and the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities). The successful candidate will assist the WGI Co-Chairs (R. Vautard and X. Zhang) in preparing the physical science elements for the reports and will support the work of the AR7 authors. He/she will facilitate the development of a network of regional scientists and liaise with the WGI Vice Chairs and Heads of Science of the other TSUs. The Head of Science Team will report to the Head of TSU and to the Co-Chairs of WGI.

The
Head of Science Team will play a leading role within the TSU in supporting the
development of the assessment reports and their production in due time, the
preparation of the Technical Summary and the Summary for Policymakers, and the
synthesis of the assessment findings therein. He/she will contribute to the
overall coordination of the full breath of TSU activities in close
collaboration with the Head of TSU.

The
TSU Science Team is comprised of Senior Science Officers and Science Officers
at the post-doctoral level. It has a distributed structure with staff based at
the TSU office at ENS Paris-Saclay and at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological
Sciences in Beijing, China. The Head of Science Team will lead the team, line
manage the Paris-based Science Team, as well as coordinate work done in
collaboration with the members based in Beijing. The role will also include
mentoring and supervision of projects undertaken with students and interns on
science analysis.

The
Science Team supports the assessment, the robustness, traceability and
confidence of the assessment findings based on multiple lines of evidence. The
team works on the consistent treatment of climate science topics within the
Working Group I report and in relation to the wider AR7 assessment. The team
also supports the author teams in terms of assessed digital information
accessibility, reproducibility and curation for the transparency and provenance
of the assessment outcomes, fostering open-source community practices, data
literacy, information design and management. The science team also includes
artificial intelligence experts.

Requirements

• PhD
  in physical climate science;
• A
  broad overview of physical climate science (regional/global climate or
  paleoclimate, ocean, atmosphere, land or cryosphere science);
• Track
  record of research;
• Demonstrated
  team leadership and management of science teams including students, postdocs,
  and other scientists;
• Experience
  in research project development, resource mobilisation and management;
• Scientific
  publications in the peer-reviewed literature;
• Experience
  reviewing and editing peer-reviewed literature;
• Leadership
  and skills to work in an international team with a common long-term goal;
• Strong
  organisational skills to plan and execute complex multi-task projects according
  to tight time schedules, maintaining good time-keeping and communication across
  multiple activities;
• High
  level of social skills and capability to interact with the international
  science community and support integration and coordination across disciplines.

Attributes

• A
  highly motivated, independent scientist as well as an active collaborative
  thinker that seeks and creates opportunities;
• A
  strong team player who will support others as needed and who will actively
  engage with the international climate science community;
• Proficiency
  in written and spoken English.

Application

The
position is a fixed term contract from Université Paris-Saclay for 3 years with
a possibility of extension for the duration of the IPCC Seventh Assessment
cycle planned for 6 years.

Please send by 15 April 2024, your application consisting of a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, and contact details of two referees,  to Clotilde Péan, Head of the WGI TSU.