Scientist - Remote Sensing for Natural Capital Accounting

VITO develops technological innovations that accelerate the transition to a more sustainable society and economy. Remote sensing is one of the key enabling technologies in this mission and has been a core strength within VITO for more than 25 years. Today, with the rapid growth of satellite constellations, drone-based observations, in situ reference data, scalable processing infrastructures and artificial intelligence, the potential of Earth Observation to generate societal and environmental impact is greater than ever. At VITO, you will join a mission driven research organisation where scientific excellence meets societal impact. You will work with leading experts in environmental intelligence, contribute to high visibility European initiatives, and help shape the future of nature positive decision making.

Within VITO, the Remote Sensing Applications (RSA) team translates remote sensing and geospatial data into actionable insights and operational solutions across a wide range of domains, including biodiversity, ecosystems and the natural environment. The Natural Capital Accounting and Biodiversity team, embedded in RSA, contributes to VITO’s broader Environmental Intelligence programme and collaborates closely with colleagues with expertise in land and water dynamics, environmental modelling and environmental economics. To support our growing ambitions of our team of 9 experts for a nature-positive transition and further strengthen our work on Natural Capital Accounting and biodiversity, we are looking for a scientist with strong remote sensing and data science expertise, while can also take up project management responsibilities such as work package leadership within (inter)national projects.

As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will work on projects for leading institutional clients such as the European Commission, EUROSTAT, the European Space Agency and United Nations bodies, and occasionally for commercial partners. You will contribute to the development of robust geospatial workflows and data products that support ecosystem extent, condition and ecosystem services assessments, biodiversity monitoring and Natural Capital Accounting. The role requires solid expertise in geospatial data processing, remote sensing, knowledge of the diverse formats of biodiversity-related datasets, land use and ecosystem concepts, and programming in Python or a similar language in an operational context. Familiarity with Natural Capital Accounting frameworks such as SEEA EA, as well as with biodiversity and ecosystem services concepts (eg. IPBES), is a strong asset.

You will be expected to work with a high degree of autonomy while collaborating closely with internal colleagues and external project partners. You will execute and help steer technical activities, coordinate deliverables, and ensure the high-quality execution of VITO’s contribution within collaborative R&D and service projects. Internally, you will report to the team lead of the Natural Capital Accounting and Biodiversity team. Externally, you will represent VITO in exchanges with clients, partners and expert communities, including project meetings, workshops and conferences. Because you will operate in an international context, strong communication skills and a proactive, collaborative mindset are essential.

Profile

We are looking for a creative, highly motivated and technically and scientifically strong colleague with the following qualifications:

• You hold a Master of Science in Engineering, or Master’s or PhD degree in environmental, exact or applied sciences, geoinformatics, bioscience engineering, agronomy, geography, data science, or a related discipline;

• You have a thematic background or demonstrated interest in environmental sciences, biodiversity, ecosystems, land use or natural capital assessment;

• Knowledge of Natural Capital Accounting, ecosystem accounting frameworks such as SEEA EA, or biodiversity and ecosystem services concepts is a strong asset;

• You bring at least 3 to 5 years of hands‑on experience in geospatial data processing, remote sensing analytics, statistics and big (environmental) data analysis;

• You have strong programming skills in Python and preferably experience with R, C++ or other relevant tools for geospatial and scientific computing;

• Experience with machine learning or AI techniques applied to Earth observation, biodiversity or environmental datasets is an asset;

• You communicate clearly and convincingly in English, both in writing and in presentations; additionally, knowledge of French or Spanish is an advantage;

• You have experience in project coordination or project management, for example by leading technical tasks, work packages or small project teams;

• You are eager to work in an international, interdisciplinary environment and to trans