Climate Hazards Center - Associate Specialist in Climate and Data Services

Position overview

Position title CHC Specialist - Climate and Data Services

Salary range The budgeted salary for this position at 100 time is 80200-88800.

Percent time 100

Anticipated start Fall 2026 or later

Position duration 1 year

Application Window

Open date July 17 2026

Next review date Friday Aug 7 2026 at 1159pm Pacific Time

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date Thursday Dec 31 2026 at 1159pm Pacific Time

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Climate Hazards Center CHC at the University of California Santa Barbara seeks an experienced scientific programmer for the position of Climate and Data Services Associate Specialist. The CHC is an internationally recognized research group that develops and implements early warning science to support disaster risk reduction drought monitoring and famine prevention across select countries. Every day the CHC provides life-saving information that helps guide critical decisions in the developing world. The selected candidate will work closely with CHC Principal Investigators and scientific programmers related to data pipeline development and operations exploring innovative ways of distributing data or sharing products and collaborating with international partners to support their decision-making needs and those of their communities.

This position bridges CHC data processing workflows and product management and distribution services designed to be end-user facing. The Associate Specialist will focus heavily on managing internal data pipelines expanding data delivery systems and collaborating directly with international partners such as national meteorological services NGOs and regional climate networks to implement data pipelines and interfaces. The ultimate goal of this position is to get critical agro-climatic and environmental data into the hands of local decision-makers through the trusted regional entities that serve them.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications required at time of application

Applicants must have completed a Masters Degree or international equivalent in Computer Science Geography Environmental Science ClimateAtmospheric Science or Data Science.

Additional qualifications required at time of start

Experience Minimum of 12 months of experience working with large-scale data workflows system scripts or geospatial datasets.

Preferred qualifications

Environment Demonstrated experience developing maintaining and operating data processing environments in UNIXLinux server spaces.

Automation Experience managing automated data harvest tasks cron jobs and file sharing configurations.

Communication Proven capacity to document technical processes and communicate with non-technical or multi-cultural partners across varying time zones.

Programming Literacy Strong programming skills in a modern scientific computing language with a strong preference for Python or R.

Version Control & Collaboration Demonstrated experience managing collaborative software development using GitGitHub including repository maintenance branching strategies and effective documentation for shared reproducible codebases.

Adaptability Demonstrated ability to interface with translate or refactor legacy codebases e.g. IDL MATLAB CC into modernized processing pipelines.

Database Management Proficiency with SQL databases specifically designing or maintaining relational schemas in PostgreSQL.

Data Distribution Familiarity with spatial web data services data structures and standard distribution protocols FTP HTTP API endpoints REST services.

Domain Interest Demonstrated interest or experience in applied environmental sciences remote sensing data sets climate risk mitigation or international developmentcite 1 2.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

Cover Letter - Detailing your specific interest in the position experience with data workflows and suitability for international partner collaboration

Reference requirements

3-5 required contact information only

References will be contacted only before the final candidate is selected.

Apply link

httpsrecruit.ap.ucsb.eduJPF03124

Help contact lucy.lopezgeog.ucsb.edu

About UC Santa Barbara

As a condition of employment the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicants previous place of employment including but not limited to violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment sexual assault or other forms of harassment or discrimination as defined by the employer.

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees students and third parties

APM - 035 Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

Additionally you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal state or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability age protected veteran status or other protected status under state or federal law.

Job location

Santa Barbara University of California Santa Barbara