Earth Observation Specialist
Posted 1 day 5 hours ago by Global Canopy
Permanent
Not Specified
Transport & Logistics Jobs
Not Specified, United Kingdom
Job Description
Global Canopy is a data-driven not for profit that targets the market forces destroying nature. We do this by improving transparency and accountability. Our focus is on open data, aligned metrics and strong regulation, to help powerful organisations stop nature-related impacts and realise opportunities for positive action.
We do this through an interlinked portfolio of programmes:
GC is supported by governments including the UK, Norway, Germany and Switzerland; by major trusts and foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Quadrature and the Waterloo Foundations; and by a growing group of individual major donors and family offices. We have deep partnerships with the UNEP Finance Initiative, Stockholm Environment Institute, UNDP, WWF and ZSL among others.
We work globally, but have focal regions in Latin America, Indonesia, Europe and China. Our team of around 45 people is mostly based out of our Oxford office, but we have team members also based across forest regions and major markets worldwide.
Purpose
Global Canopy (GC) is looking for an experienced Earth Observation Specialist who can step in and work with the team to deliver an Earth Observation for Nature Finance pilot. The pilot project aims to explore and strengthen the role of open access earth observation (EO) data towards leveraging financial mechanisms for nature finance. The pilot will focus on agricultural portfolios, with scope to include forestry portfolios to conduct analysis leveraging ESA Sentinel data on a use case to be defined by a financial service institution project partner. The exact use case will be specified over the coming months and can both be to conduct an analysis leveraging satellite data to assess land use change linked to financed companies and their supply chains or to assess sustainable practices of financed companies in the forestry sector.
Today, few corporations disclose geolocation-specific supplier lists for key high-risk commodities including soft commodities and timber. If and when they do disclose, the data is often at jurisdiction or municipality-level, lacking asset-level detail. As a result, land conversion is difficult to link to corporate supply chains. If the final use case will be to analyse land conversion in financed agricultural supply chains then the EO expert will use Sentinel data to conduct an analysis which enables identification of land conversion events alongside potential underlying drivers, allowing FIs to engage with financed companies and support disclosure. This approach aims to improve FI understanding of land conversion dynamics, enhancing engagement with investees towards more sustainable land management practices. If the use case instead will focus on the forestry sector, then the EO expert will conduct analysis using Sentinel data to identify what types of insights on sustainable forest management practices can be generated from Sentinel data sets and conduct that analysis. The results will be shared and discussed with the financial service institution and the EO expert will need to conduct and lead the technical presentation.
The consultant will be responsible for researching geolocation specific datasets, available open source and in proprietary databases. If the final use case will be for agriculture then the consultant will leverage the supply shed approach, utilising datasets such as the TRASE database and the Universal Mill List to determine supply shed sizes. This will serve as a starting point to address current challenges. If the final use case will be on sustainable forestry then the EO expert will leverage geolocation data from the financial service institution to overlay with satellite data to conduct the technical analysis.
What work do we want a consultant to do?
Global Canopy is seeking a supply chain EO expert for two to three days a week over the course of 14 months to conduct technical hands-on data analysis work for the specific final use case to be selected. The EO expert will work collaboratively as part of a small team, predominantly collaborating with the project coordinator and the piloting bank to deliver this pilot. The EO expert will be responsible for undertaking the technical data analysis applying Sentinel data to the use case. The successful candidate will research relevant datasets to be tested and support the financial institution to utilise the supply shed approach, if the final use case will be in the agricultural sector, and other relevant approaches if the final use case is for the forestry sector.
The EO expert must have previous experience dealing with earth observation data.
Applicants should be able to complete the work remotely between May 2025 until the end of June 2026, with the work being completed during 8-6pm UK time (hours are flexible within this period).
Key Responsibilities
1. Pilot design
The EO expert, in collaboration with the FI, will be responsible for designing the pilot, identifying the methodology to be used for the purpose of the analysis.
2. Research, analysis and measurement of supply sheds
The EO expert will research geolocation specific datasets available open source and in proprietary databases. The EO Expert will conduct the technical analysis using Sentinel EO data to answer the key questions of the use case for either financed agricultural or forestry supply chains. This analysis will link the company data sets with the EO data sets to generate key insights and results to answer the use case questions. The EO expert will write a technical specification report of the analysis as a key output including specification of any data quality issues to be aware of in the use of the results.
3. Drafting and publication of final output
The final is a paper describing the results of the EO analysis to answer the key use case questions. It will be packaged as a use case for publication detailing the pilot journey, methodology used, technical analysis output, the findings and challenges encountered during the course of the pilot project. This output will be developed to be used as a replicable example by other organisations to illustrate a financial institution s nature journey.
Note: The above-mentioned tasks are intended as a guide and may be modified following discussion with the selected consultant.
Lines of communication
The consultant will be part of Global Canopy s Nature-related Finance programme team, working closely with the pilot project coordinator within the Nature-related Finance team, Nature-related Finance Director sitting within the consortium leadership team, as well as external piloting partners and other consortium members.
Location
The Consultancy is able to be completed on a remote basis but location is required to be within 3hrs of CET.
Timeline
May 2025 to the end of June 2026.
Outputs:
A technical analysis leveraging Sentinel data to answer the questions specified by the use case in either financed agricultural or forestry supply chains. The key questions will be on the nature-related impacts of financed supply chains, either negative or positive impacts for nature. The deliverables include a technical EO analysis answering the use case questions, the technical specifications of methodology and description of algorithms use, description of data leveraged for the analysis. This information will be used by the EO expert to collaboratively draft a use case with the team.
Requirements
As a successful applicant you will have a strong background in spatial data and analyses, linking agricultural production systems and environmental and social impacts, preferably with a focus on tropical ecosystems and supply chains. You will be motivated by making data and research accessible to a diverse range of audiences, including the private sector, governments and civil society, and ideally have practical experience in how to drive uptake and use of data products by different users.
Global Canopy is looking for an individual consultant with the skills and experience as detailed below.
Essential
We do this through an interlinked portfolio of programmes:
- Our Supply Chain Transparency Programme delivers a step change in the transparency of the trade and financing of high-risk commodity supply chains like soy, palm oil and cattle (see Trase).
- Our Corporate Performance Programme works to improve the quality and uptake of sustainability and social metrics for the global companies most impacting forests and nature (Forest 500, ForestIQ).
- Our Nature-related Finance Programme creates the tools and frameworks to help Financial Institutions, corporates and governments to shift global financial flows away from nature-negative outcomes and toward nature-positive outcomes (see ENCORE and TNFD).
GC is supported by governments including the UK, Norway, Germany and Switzerland; by major trusts and foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Quadrature and the Waterloo Foundations; and by a growing group of individual major donors and family offices. We have deep partnerships with the UNEP Finance Initiative, Stockholm Environment Institute, UNDP, WWF and ZSL among others.
We work globally, but have focal regions in Latin America, Indonesia, Europe and China. Our team of around 45 people is mostly based out of our Oxford office, but we have team members also based across forest regions and major markets worldwide.
Purpose
Global Canopy (GC) is looking for an experienced Earth Observation Specialist who can step in and work with the team to deliver an Earth Observation for Nature Finance pilot. The pilot project aims to explore and strengthen the role of open access earth observation (EO) data towards leveraging financial mechanisms for nature finance. The pilot will focus on agricultural portfolios, with scope to include forestry portfolios to conduct analysis leveraging ESA Sentinel data on a use case to be defined by a financial service institution project partner. The exact use case will be specified over the coming months and can both be to conduct an analysis leveraging satellite data to assess land use change linked to financed companies and their supply chains or to assess sustainable practices of financed companies in the forestry sector.
Today, few corporations disclose geolocation-specific supplier lists for key high-risk commodities including soft commodities and timber. If and when they do disclose, the data is often at jurisdiction or municipality-level, lacking asset-level detail. As a result, land conversion is difficult to link to corporate supply chains. If the final use case will be to analyse land conversion in financed agricultural supply chains then the EO expert will use Sentinel data to conduct an analysis which enables identification of land conversion events alongside potential underlying drivers, allowing FIs to engage with financed companies and support disclosure. This approach aims to improve FI understanding of land conversion dynamics, enhancing engagement with investees towards more sustainable land management practices. If the use case instead will focus on the forestry sector, then the EO expert will conduct analysis using Sentinel data to identify what types of insights on sustainable forest management practices can be generated from Sentinel data sets and conduct that analysis. The results will be shared and discussed with the financial service institution and the EO expert will need to conduct and lead the technical presentation.
The consultant will be responsible for researching geolocation specific datasets, available open source and in proprietary databases. If the final use case will be for agriculture then the consultant will leverage the supply shed approach, utilising datasets such as the TRASE database and the Universal Mill List to determine supply shed sizes. This will serve as a starting point to address current challenges. If the final use case will be on sustainable forestry then the EO expert will leverage geolocation data from the financial service institution to overlay with satellite data to conduct the technical analysis.
What work do we want a consultant to do?
Global Canopy is seeking a supply chain EO expert for two to three days a week over the course of 14 months to conduct technical hands-on data analysis work for the specific final use case to be selected. The EO expert will work collaboratively as part of a small team, predominantly collaborating with the project coordinator and the piloting bank to deliver this pilot. The EO expert will be responsible for undertaking the technical data analysis applying Sentinel data to the use case. The successful candidate will research relevant datasets to be tested and support the financial institution to utilise the supply shed approach, if the final use case will be in the agricultural sector, and other relevant approaches if the final use case is for the forestry sector.
The EO expert must have previous experience dealing with earth observation data.
Applicants should be able to complete the work remotely between May 2025 until the end of June 2026, with the work being completed during 8-6pm UK time (hours are flexible within this period).
Key Responsibilities
1. Pilot design
The EO expert, in collaboration with the FI, will be responsible for designing the pilot, identifying the methodology to be used for the purpose of the analysis.
2. Research, analysis and measurement of supply sheds
The EO expert will research geolocation specific datasets available open source and in proprietary databases. The EO Expert will conduct the technical analysis using Sentinel EO data to answer the key questions of the use case for either financed agricultural or forestry supply chains. This analysis will link the company data sets with the EO data sets to generate key insights and results to answer the use case questions. The EO expert will write a technical specification report of the analysis as a key output including specification of any data quality issues to be aware of in the use of the results.
3. Drafting and publication of final output
The final is a paper describing the results of the EO analysis to answer the key use case questions. It will be packaged as a use case for publication detailing the pilot journey, methodology used, technical analysis output, the findings and challenges encountered during the course of the pilot project. This output will be developed to be used as a replicable example by other organisations to illustrate a financial institution s nature journey.
Note: The above-mentioned tasks are intended as a guide and may be modified following discussion with the selected consultant.
Lines of communication
The consultant will be part of Global Canopy s Nature-related Finance programme team, working closely with the pilot project coordinator within the Nature-related Finance team, Nature-related Finance Director sitting within the consortium leadership team, as well as external piloting partners and other consortium members.
Location
The Consultancy is able to be completed on a remote basis but location is required to be within 3hrs of CET.
Timeline
May 2025 to the end of June 2026.
Outputs:
A technical analysis leveraging Sentinel data to answer the questions specified by the use case in either financed agricultural or forestry supply chains. The key questions will be on the nature-related impacts of financed supply chains, either negative or positive impacts for nature. The deliverables include a technical EO analysis answering the use case questions, the technical specifications of methodology and description of algorithms use, description of data leveraged for the analysis. This information will be used by the EO expert to collaboratively draft a use case with the team.
Requirements
As a successful applicant you will have a strong background in spatial data and analyses, linking agricultural production systems and environmental and social impacts, preferably with a focus on tropical ecosystems and supply chains. You will be motivated by making data and research accessible to a diverse range of audiences, including the private sector, governments and civil society, and ideally have practical experience in how to drive uptake and use of data products by different users.
Global Canopy is looking for an individual consultant with the skills and experience as detailed below.
Essential
- Deep knowledge of earth observation (EO) datasets and tools. Track record in design of algorithms to analyse satellite data to generate desired insights.
- Strong writing skills with a track record of successfully delivering projects from start to finish.
- A strong drive to contribute to Global Canopy s mission, a passion for sustainability and the role that the finance sector can play to drive change.
- Comprehensive understanding of ESG metrics, nature-related data, tools, assessment approaches, disclosure initiatives and frameworks . click apply for full job details