The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a leading scientific and technology research organisation that researches, develops, localises and diffuses technologies to accelerate socio-economic prosperity in South Africa. The organisation’s work contributes to industrial development and supports a capable state.
About the Job:
The CSIR has a vacancy for a Senior Researcher in Climate Services research group of Holistic Climate Change Impact Area, within the Smart Places Cluster. The successful incumbent will be responsible for focusing on tracking Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, they will also be required to bolster CSIR’s efforts in responding to the national development priorities which clearly point to medium-to-long term investments in the climate change agenda. This position is based in Pretoria.
About the Group:
The Climate Services research group undertakes directed climate change research on climate change mitigation and adaptation responses at different spatial scales (e.g. catchment area, biome, facility level) so as to support government and industry towards low carbon and climate resilient development in South Africa and in Southern Africa.
Specifically, the Research Group provides analyses of climate risks, climate policy, climate change impacts and climate change responses across socio-economic sectors. Services and products provided by the Research Group include crop modelling, species distribution modelling, agro-hydrological modelling, greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, low carbon emission strategies, resource constraints trade-offs, reporting on national commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), decision support tools (e.g. vulnerability atlas) and information and communication technologies (e.g., spatial information systems, GIS, web mapping and remote sensing).
For more info about the cluster, please visit https://www.csir.co.za/smart-places
Key responsibilities:
- Lead the preparation and completion of proposals/deliverables for the corporate sector on economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting services and climate change mitigation solutions;
- Lead the research Group on undertaking GHG emissions inventories, estimating GHG reductions; and developing strategies for reducing GHG emissions;
- Support business development activities through desktop research and developing materials to be shared with possible clients and partners;
- Identify levers such as global, country and sub-national level climate mitigation policy to scale and mainstream the deployment of climate change mitigation responses;
- Lead the active pursuance of CSIR contract research in the field of climate change mitigation through proposal writing;
- Drive collaboration with key think-tanks and research institutes on innovative climate change mitigation policy, technologies and innovation at national, sub-national and sectoral levels;
- Mentor and formally supervise the post-graduate research of candidate-researchers and researchers within the research group;
- Knowledge of environmental sustainability opportunities and challenges in national and multinational companies;
- Sound knowledge of GHG accounting methodologies and standards (e.g. GHG Protocol), including sound knowledge of Scope one, two and three emissions;
- Conduct research tasks, collect, analyse and summarise data; combined with ability to manage projects in a multi-stakeholder and multi-geographies context;
- Good writing skills, with the ability to create high-quality written documents (e.g. proposals and deliverables) combined with excellent oral communication skills in English;
- Collaborate with key international, national and sub-national actors in the implementation of climate mitigation initiatives and supporting innovation in emerging climate change mitigation pathways;
- Lead the preparation and completion of proposals and deliverables for corporate and public sector clients on climate change policies and climate change mitigation;
- Liaise with other teams within and outside the CSIR to gather information and insights related to climate policy and climate change mitigation.
Qualifications, skills and experience:
- A Master’s Degree as a preference, however a Bachelor’s degree with significant experience in physical sciences, engineering, or related field with at least ten years’ experience in these fields would be considered;
- A Doctoral degree would be an added advantage;
- Extensive experience in undertaking GHG inventories;
- Extensive experience in air quality modelling;
- Experience with field testing instrumentation and calibration preferred.
- Proficient Computer Skills required;
- Effective organizational as well as written and verbal communication skills.;
- Working knowledge of Linux operating systems;
- A recent and extensive publication record in the fields of southern African climate variability, climate change, mitigation and adaptation;
- Skills in the communication of climate science to the general public, stakeholders and policy makers;
- Demonstrable experience and success in attracting R&D funding and the successful management of research projects;
- Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work closely with others in a research group;
- Must have a valid driver’s licence.
Closing date: 11 July 2023
PLEASE NOTE THAT FEEDBACK WILL BE GIVEN TO SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES ONLY.
For more info, please email us at Recruitment01@csir.co.za. Please do-not send your applications to this mailbox, it is only for inquiries.
The CSIR is an equal opportunity employer. As such, it is committed to the employment Equity Act and will through the filling of this vacancy, give preference to candidates from designated groups in terms of the Employment Equity Act. By applying for this position at the CSIR, the applicant understands, and agrees that the CSIR may solicit a credit and criminal report from registered credit bureau and/or South African Police Services (in relation to positions that requires trust and honesty and/or entail the handling of cash or finances), and may also verify the applicant’s educational qualification and employment history. The CSIR reserves the right to remove the advertisement at any time before the stated closing date and it further reserves the right not to appoint if a suitable candidate is not identified.
Source: csir.co.za