Python Job: Earth Observation Specialist

A career at Arup offers you the chance to make a positive difference in the world. Independently owned and independently minded, Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world’s most prominent projects in the built environment. We believe that flexible arrangements, such as hybrid working, create a more inclusive way of working that supports our diversity and the wellbeing of our people. We are truly global and our 15,000 planners, designers, engineers and consultants around the world deliver innovative projects with creativity and passion. We have over 650 staff members working in Ireland with offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick.

This is an opportunity for an Earth Observation Specialist to join our successful, growing Geospatial and Earth Observation team in Ireland to work with Arup businesses and directly with clients to deliver innovative spatial data-based insights. You will be part of a European Digital Services team, working closely with colleagues in several countries and collaborating with Arup offices internationally. The role is based in Ireland where Arup have offices in Dublin, Galway, Cork, and Limerick.

Our objective is to apply creative thinking in the design and delivery of sustainable, dynamic, innovative solutions to our clients. As an ambitious, Earth Observation Specialist you will be given the support to fulfil the immediate responsibilities of the role as well as the opportunity to input to identifying and pursuing business development opportunities locally and globally. This is an opportunity to join a highly motivated and ambitious team with the support to develop new business as well as the continuing delivery of genuinely interesting and challenging projects.

Earth Observation Specialist

Your responsibilities

• Analyse project requirements and liaise with disciplines, project teams and clients for the delivery of Earth Observation / Remote Sensing based solutions
• Maintain current knowledge on latest developments in theory and application of Earth Observation / Remote Sensing technologies and implement and provide training to staff where required
• Design technical approaches and solutions, and estimate effort involved
• Integrate other geo-spatial data sources into projects
• Prepare and review functional and technical specifications of high-level Earth Observation / Remote Sensing
• Define Earth Observation / Remote Sensing workflows and models for projects, review, QA, and maintain associated documentation
• Develop and build databases for remote sensing and related geo-spatial project information
• Propose, develop, and implement new automated systems and processes
• Work with a range of data capture, analysis, visualisation, and compliance technologies
• Organize and maintain geo-spatial data and associated documentation
• Work with staff from other Arup disciplines and demonstrate the value of good data standards and practices
• Liaise with multi-disciplinary teams located across several offices
• Assist in Project Team Meetings including administering relevant tasks and documents related to Arup’s Quality Management system
• Responsible for establishing regular processes such as reporting
• Responsible overall for planned project outcomes
• Explicitly sets standards and defines quality for the project and checks work of team
• Encourage technical collaboration and learning, be active in skills development

Current Projects/Skills and attributes needed

• Analyse project requirements and liaise with disciplines, project teams and clients for the delivery of Earth Observation / Remote Sensing based solutions
• Maintain current knowledge on latest developments in theory and application of Earth Observation / Remote Sensing technologies and implement and provide training to staff where required
• Design technical approaches and solutions, and estimate effort involved
• Integrate other geo-spatial data sources into projects
• Prepare and review functional and technical specifications of high-level Earth Observation / Remote Sensing
• Define Earth Observation / Remote Sensing workflows and models for projects, review, QA, and maintain associated documentation
• Develop and build databases for remote sensing and related geo-spatial project information
• Propose, develop, and implement new automated systems and processes
• Work with a range of data capture, analysis, visualisation, and compliance technologies
• Organize and maintain geo-spatial data and associated documentation
• Work with staff from other Arup disciplines and demonstrate the value of good data standards and practices
• Liaise with multi-disciplinary teams located across several offices
• Assist in Project Team Meetings including administering relevant tasks and documents related to Arup’s Quality Management system
• Responsible for establishing regular processes such as reporting
• Responsible overall for planned project outcomes
• Explicitly sets standards and defines quality for the project and checks work of team
• Encourage technical collaboration and learning, be active in skills development

Current Projects/Skills and attributes needed

• 3-5 years’ industry experience working with Earth Observation data
• Primary degree in Science, Engineering, Environmental or equivalent
• Postgraduate degree in Earth Observation / Remote Sensing or similar Geospatial field
• Experience of working with satellite imagery e.g., from Landsat-8, Sentinel-2
• Ability to search archives for appropriate satellite data
• Demonstrated experience with Python and/or R for satellite image processing
• Strong Google Earth Engine skills
• Competence in use of current Earth Observation and geospatial tools and software e.g., DIAS, SNAP, ArcGIS, QGIS, FME
• Familiar with relevant libraries e.g., Pandas, GeoPandas, NumPy, SciPy, GDAL, Matplotlib
• Experience with Earth Observation algorithm development
• Experience using Machine Learning algorithms for remote sensing applications
• Knowledge and experience in time series analysis, common image classification techniques, image pre-processing and post-processing e.g., atmospheric correction, feature masking, principal component analysis, data scaling and normalisation, filtering, spectral signature analysis, dealing with null values
• Ability to elicit, translate, and simplify project requirements
• Strong team-working skills and
• Ability to communicate complex technical ideas to a non-technical audience
• A planned and organised approach to work and meeting deadlines
• Excellent verbal and written communication and proven ability to write clear and concise reports

Your Education/Profile

• Working knowledge of Sentinel 1 SAR data
• Knowledge of the Earth Observation sector and activities in Ireland, the Europe region, and globally

What to expect at Arup:

• A multicultural and informal working environment where you can develop professionally by being part of a team who enjoy what they do.
• Opportunities for short or long assignments at Arup’s offices and projects anywhere in the world.
• Employees are eligible for the Global Profit Share scheme, which is dependent on the firm’s financial performance.
• Competitive performance-based salary growth.
• A strong corporate culture committed to its values: quality of work, holistic approach, humane organization, straight and honourable dealings, social usefulness and reasonable prosperity.
• Continuous training and professional development that will allow you to adapt to the growing needs of our clients as we embrace digital transformation.

Join us in shaping a better world.

Our goal is to shape a better world, finding solutions for some of the world’s most complex problems. From climate action to social value, we consider the most expansive impacts of our work. Our drive to build a more sustainable, resilient and equitable future shapes our culture and has made us leaders in sustainable development. The successful candidate will join our multi-disciplinary design teams focusing on technical excellence and innovative solutions that create a better future for people, places, and the planet.

'A better way'- Sustainability and Social Equity

At Arup, we strive to bring environmental sustainability and social equity together. We put sustainability at the heart of our projects and invest in research and development that helps tackle issues such as climate change and poverty. We have made a commitment to reach net zero by 2030 and to contribute meaningfully to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, creating shared value for our clients and our communities while safeguarding our planet. Read our net zero carbon plan here. Read our net zero carbon plan here.

A career at Arup gives you the chance to have a positive impact on the world. For us, corporate responsibility is not just a policy; it’s a way of working.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion is at the heart of what we do

We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment for talented people of any background based on merit, fairness and respect. At Arup, you’ll be a welcomed member of the team with opportunities to participate in social, cultural and educational events with the local community (e.g. as a STEM ambassador) or with your colleagues by joining staff networks such as those for women, culture or the LGBTQ+ community.

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