Your role

ECMWF is seeking an enthusiastic Training and Collaborative Innovation Specialist – ArcX Climate Change Resilience to help strengthen climate resilience through training and innovation partnerships in Africa.

Under the EU Global Gateway programme for Africa Regional Centres of Excellence (ArcX), you will lead and coordinate training activities and competitive innovation challenges with and for African partners, focused on climate change resilience and digital transition.

Building on pioneering investments from ECMWF, its Member States, and the European Commission through DestinE and Copernicus, you will help shape how sub-seasonal to seasonal climate data are used and interpreted, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) in an African context.

Working closely with ECMWF scientific and technical experts, as well as European and African partners, you will coordinate peer-to-peer training initiatives and innovation challenges linked to ECMWF collaborative innovation programmes such as Code for Earth and AI Weather Quest. You will also coordinate and deliver related activities, including ECMWF training focused on AI/ML and enabling frameworks such as Anemoi, in close collaboration with technical and scientific colleagues.

The role sits within the ECMWF Partnership and Engagement Section. You will join a small, dynamic project team working on SEWA and ArcX within a matrix-managed structure, while collaborating widely with colleagues across ECMWF’s scientific, operational and administrative sections.

Partnerships and Engagement at ECMWF

ECMWF’s Partnerships and Engagement Section unites expertise to maintain and increase user uptake, satisfaction and experience, to explore partnerships and opportunities to unlock new potential innovative applications and to provide training and knowledge transfer to enhance ECMWF’s impact of its activities.

About ECMWF

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world leader in Numerical Weather Predictions providing high-quality data for weather forecasts and environmental monitoring. As an intergovernmental organisation, we collaborate internationally to serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions, data and training activities that are critical to contribute to safe and thriving societies.

The success of our activities depends on the funding and partnerships of the 35 Member and Co-operating States who provide the support and direction of our work. Our talented staff together with the international scientific community, and our powerful supercomputing capabilities, are the core of a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions. We also hold one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world.

ECMWF has also developed a strong partnership with the European Union and has been entrusted with the implementation and operation of the Destination Earth Initiative and the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme and the Strengthening Early Earning in Africa (SEWA) Programme. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring.

Our vision: The strength of a common goal
Our mission: Deliver global numerical weather predictions focusing on the medium-range and monitoring of the Earth system to and with our Member States

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters in Reading, UK, a data centre in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany, as a central location for our EU-related activities. ECMWF is internationally recognised as the voice of expertise in numerical weather predictions for forecasts and climate science.

African Regional Centres of Excellence (ArcX) on Climate Change Resilience

ECMWF initiated a new activity in January 2026 focused on on Climate Change Resilience, implemented on behalf of the European Commission DG INTPA. It runs for 4 years in partnership with the JRC and complementing other Regional Centres of Excellence in Africa, focused on Agro-ecology, Water, Ocean, Biodiversity & forest.

Activities in ArcX focus on science, technology and innovation and aim to establish a bridge with EU's Digital Agenda, including DestinE and the use of AI/ML techniques, and advancements on climate change services, including Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and ClimSA.

A selection of self-contained, portable "forecast-in-a-box” pilots shall be co-developed between European and African partners, including the meteorological communities and the private sector. The applicability will be tested at sub-seasonal to seasonal timescales through regional pilots and sector- and science-oriented demo cases. 

The activities will come with a strong pillar on training and knowledge transfer, as well as dedicated innovation challenges, linked to ECMWF’s and . ArcX Climate Change Resilience builds on top of investments in digital tools and AI/ML by ECMWF and its Member States and the European Commission through DestinE. The plans support UN EW4All and WMO’s plans on the Climate Digital Innovation Hub and the Action Plan on Artificial Intelligence. 

Your responsibilities

In support of the Training and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator and the Partnership Management and Training Specialist for SEWA, the incumbent shall cover the following tasks:

• Manage peer-to-peer training activities, focused on the use and interpretation of sub-seasonal to seasonal data and the use of AI/ML. The task shall be implemented via a grant and includes the development of new training resources and the co-organisation of train-the-trainers events, together with African partners.
• Contribute to the organisation of competitive innovation challenges. The task has a particular aim to reach young professionals, practitioners and scientists in Africa and focus on further deployment of AI/ML techniques or specific regional applications.
• Support tasks on ArcX partnership management and outreach, including collection and assessment of stakeholder needs, identification of the role of the private sector and propose initiatives to cover gender-sensitive and youth stimulating aspects
• Coordinate and implement related activities, including ECMWF education and training activities, for instance those focused on AI/ML and collaboration frameworks such as Anemoi, with contributions from technical and scientific colleagues.

Occasional travel to Africa is required to engage with the African stakeholders.

What we are looking for

• Enthusiastic and excellent engagement and networking skills;
• Accountability, strong planning skills and capacity to timely deliver according to objectives;
• Genuine interest in weather and climate services and the use of AI/ML technologies and willingness to gain insights into the main user relevant concepts;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate to different and multi-cultural audiences;
• Persistent and able to manage different needs and expectations;
• Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Your profile

Essential criteria

• An advanced university degree (EQF Level 7 or above) in earth system sciences, data sciences, environmental engineering or another relevant degree in line with the objectives of the role.
• Experience in coordination of multi-partner projects or activities.
• Experience with planning, design and delivery of technical training activities, innovation challenges, user outreach actions, or similar.
• Fluency in English is essential as candidates will be required to work effectively in English.

Desirable criteria

• Work experience in a domain using and applying environmental or data science.
• Working knowledge of other languages relevant to ArcX, in particular French, but also Portuguese, is an advantage.
• Understanding of challenges faced by developing countries in meteorology, hydrology and/or climate and demonstrated experience in engaging with different stakeholders in Africa is an asset.

If you feel that you have the relevant profile and motivation to join us but don't meet precisely all of the skills above, we still encourage you to apply!

Other information

Grade remuneration: The successful candidates will be recruited according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. Full details of salary scales and allowances available on the ECMWF website at .

Starting date:  1 June 2026

Candidates are expected to relocate to the duty station. As a multi-site organisation, ECMWF has adopted a hybrid organisation model which allows flexibility to staff to mix office working and teleworking, including away from the duty station (within the area of our member states and co-operating states).

Interviews by videoconference (MS Team) are expected to take place on 15 & 16 April 2026.

Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions.

Who can apply

Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on the apply button below.

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States. In these exceptional times, we also welcome applications from Ukrainian nationals for this vacancy. Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.

ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

Given the nature of the activities, applications from African Union Member States are considered as well.