Staff Data Scientist - Wildfire

We are excited to add a Staff Data Scientist, Wildfire to our team. This individual will lead the scientific foundation of our Fuel Detection Model, the core engine that translates satellite and environmental data into an understanding of vegetation structure, fuel loads, and wildfire risk. Working alongside ML engineers, and a product team, you'll define accuracy for our models, design the research and validation methods that prove it, and ensure our modeling choices are grounded in fire science and remote sensing fundamentals. This is a great opportunity for someone who is energized by open scientific questions with direct real-world stakes, and who wants their research to shape how utilities prevent catastrophic wildfires.

Time Zone Requirement: North America (NST, AST, EST, CST, MST, PST)

Lead research into how vegetation structure, fuel conditions, and wildfire risk can be estimated from satellite, LiDAR, and environmental data across diverse geographies

Design rigorous validation and evaluation methodologies, including ground-truth strategies, uncertainty quantification, and error analysis tied to real-world impact

Prototype and refine ML modeling approaches, then partner with ML engineers to translate them into production systems

Integrate established fire science, such as fuel models and fire behavior frameworks, with data-driven methods

Define scientific standards for experimentation, reproducibility, and model interpretability across the modeling organization

Communicate research findings clearly to engineers, product teams, customers, and the broader wildfire science community

Mentor ML engineers on scientific methodology and domain reasoning

8+ years of applied research or data science experience in wildfire science, fire ecology, forestry, remote sensing, atmospheric science, or a related quantitative field

Deep expertise in remote sensing and geospatial analysis, including working with satellite imagery and large-scale environmental datasets

Strong statistical modeling and machine learning skills in Python, with tools like GeoPandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch, or XGBoost

Track record of designing validation studies and evaluation frameworks for environmental or geospatial models

Excellent communication skills, with the ability to make complex scientific work legible across technical and non-technical audience

Familiarity with fire behavior or fuels modeling frameworks (e.g., Rothermel-based models, LANDFIRE fuel classifications)

Experience integrating physics-based models with ML, or with active learning and uncertainty quantification

Peer-reviewed publications in wildfire science, remote sensing, or environmental modeling

Familiarity with GCP, Vertex AI, or similar cloud-based platforms

Experience in remote-first or globally distributed team

Note: We believe that all people are capable of great things. We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all of the requirements that are listed within this job description.

Competitive, location-specific compensation and benefits

Flexible, autonomous and collaborative working environment rooted in trust - we build our work days around our lives, not the other way around

Home office stipend, co-working and ongoing education budgets

A company culture that genuinely embodies each of our core values

To be part of truly mission-driven work that reduces wildfires, protects earth’s natural resources and helps solve our climate crisis

We are a fast-growing team of about 100 people from all over the world. Fifteen nationalities are represented and at last count we speak fourteen languages: English, Dutch, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Luxembourgish, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Estonian, and Afrikaans.

We work remotely from eleven countries and are looking for candidates that are living and working in one of them: United States, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Estonia, Portugal, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada. We gather once a year in-person for our unforgettable team gathering event. We also offer the option to occasionally meet up for in-person collaboration.

The climate crisis is a human crisis that requires diverse perspectives to solve.

We place enormous value on diversity and believe that the best ideas emerge when people with different backgrounds and experience work together. We remain committed to scaling a team that reflects the communities we serve, and strive to uphold equitable and inclusive practices across every aspect of our business. We are responsible for creating and maintaining a culture where everyone - regardless of background - has a voice in building a sustainable future.

We act with urgency.

We recognize that change is constant, and we find joy and power in exploration.

Just as ecosystems need biodiversity to thrive, our resiliency comes from our differences.

We love the power of machines but we nurture each other as humans.

We assume the best in everyone, and we share ideas openly so that we have a positive impact.

Use of AI in Our Hiring Process

We sometimes use AI tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as helping us manage applications more efficiently or ensuring job descriptions are clear and inclusive. All hiring decisions are always made by people, not machines. Any data processed by AI is handled securely in line with GDPR and our Privacy Notice.