Applied Science Team Lead

Who we are. Pachama is a mission-driven company looking to restore nature to help address climate change. Pachama brings the latest technology in remote sensing and AI to the world of forest carbon in order to enable forest conservation and restoration to scale. Pachama’s core technology harnesses satellite imaging with artificial intelligence to measure carbon captured in forests. Through the Pachama marketplace, responsible companies and individuals can connect with carbon credits from projects that are protecting and restoring forests worldwide.
We are backed by mission-aligned investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon Climate Fund, Chris Sacca, Saltwater Ventures, and Paul Graham.
Recent press: Pachama is #1 most innovative AI company Jeff Bezos' Last Shareholder Update Pachama to monitor and manage Mercado Libre forest projects
Pachama is looking for an Applied Science Team Lead to direct the team of forest and spatial scientists who evaluate, design, and provide tools for Pachama’s portfolio of forest carbon projects. The Applied Science Team Lead is responsible for defining standards, methods, and processes to implement Pachama’s Quality Standard, which is used to assess the climate, social, and ecological integrity of NBS projects issuing credits for the Voluntary Carbon Market.
The Lead will also conduct spatial assessments for carbon projects that use Pachama’s remote sensing tools and analytics. This position reports to the VP of Science. You would be excited about this role if you love the idea of moving fast with a high degree of independence in a growing start-up. You have 7+ years of experience using science for forest conservation, restoration, and management, and expertise in using remote sensing and geospatial data to derive insights about forest dynamics. You understand carbon accounting and are familiar with the major components of the Voluntary Carbon Market.
You love to problem solve and are comfortable leading cross-functional efforts that require project management, strategic planning, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. You enjoy communicating with others and are excited to speak to findings with a variety of team members.

**Location:**This role is remote within North American time zones only.

What you will help us with:

• Team prioritization and adaptive management: Manage team of geospatial forest scientists to implement analyses to meet business goals. Lead prioritization, capacity planning, and assessment of trade-offs in time and effort.
• Science Application: Lead efforts to develop, test, and adapt methods and tools to evaluate external and Pachama projects for climate, environmental, and social benefits. Develop and apply geospatial analysis and remote sensing-based models to ensure Pachama-approved credits are of the highest integrity. Ensure documentation of analyses and findings is thorough and complete.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product, Sales, and Operations teams to prioritize and execute product initiatives effectively. Serve as Science lead for Supply and Sales teams in project-specific evaluations.
• Science Leadership: Publish research findings in manuscripts, white papers, and blog posts; promote science-driven carbon market innovation at conferences and written forums.
• Metrics and Analytics: Define and track key performance metrics to measure the success and impact of your team’s work, utilizing data-driven insights to guide resource allocation.
• Stakeholder Management: Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including project partners and customers, to gather feedback and build strong relationships.

Experience & Skills We're Looking For:

• Master’s degree in forest-related field and 6-10 years experience, or Ph.D. and 4-8 years related work experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Expertise in applying remote sensing or geospatial data to forest ecosystems and explaining findings in technical settings.
• Proficiency with Python and experience implementing analyses with Google Earth Engine
• Track record of peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations on relevant topics.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams, managing complex projects, and delivering high-impact results. Self-starter with excellent organizational skills.
• Passion for environmental sustainability and a desire to make a meaningful impact on the planet.
• Experience working with forest carbon methodologies and carbon accounting principles.
• Excellent written, verbal, and graphical communication skills with ability to distill technical information for non-technical audiences. Even if you don’t meet all these requirements, we encourage you to apply if this job description excites you. We are looking for ambitious people to help make an impact on climate change. That purpose requires us to bring together a diverse set of people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to create solutions that work for all.