Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is filling the position of

Communication Officer

The position is located in the Paris area, at Gif-sur-Yvette (France).

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The IPCC was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with rigorous, transparent, and objective scientific assessments on climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation options. The IPCC is now undertaking its Seventh Assessment (AR7) cycle. The IPCC Working Group I (WGI) assesses the physical science underpinning past, present, and future climate change. The WGI Technical Support Unit (TSU) provides scientific, technical, operational and communications support that underpin and implement the WGI assessment.

The Technical Support Unit (TSU)

The TSU works at the unique IPCC interface between science and policy in the provision of the climate knowledge and information that is relevant for policy needs and decision making. The team is responsible for facilitating and implementing the assessment process undertaken by the author teams and overseen by the WGI Bureau. We are seeking someone who is highly motivated to join a team that spans different areas of expertise including climate sciences (observations, climate processes, global and regional climate modeling), visual design and communication, digital information development and management, and international project management. The team is hosted by Université Paris-Saclay and located in the facilities of Ecole normale supérieure (ENS) Paris-Saclay in the Paris area.

Role

The TSU is seeking a climate science communications specialist to join a multi-disciplinary team in a dynamic, international working environment. The Communication Officer will work closely with our Information Design and Graphics Officer and in close collaboration with the IPCC Communications Action Team. The successful candidate will coordinate, with the WGI Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs, Authors and TSU, the communication and outreach of the WGI contribution to the AR7. He/she will take on the challenge of communicating and increasing literacy of the concepts and results of the assessment in an international context to stakeholders, as well as the broader non-specialist audience.

Responsibilities

• Briefing of Authors on best practices for communicating assessment results (chapter executive summaries, FAQs, Summary for Policymakers);
• Communication to facilitate understanding, impact and uptake of the WGI products in the work of stakeholders, including governments, IPCC observer organisations and UNFCCC;
• Communication of WGI products to the broader non-specialist public and fostering climate literacy;
• Organisation of stakeholder engagement activities, outreach events and media briefings, including media training, in collaboration with the IPCC Head of Communications and Media Relations and the WGI co-chairs;
• Expansion of media coverage and impact of WGI, including social media, tracking of media pickup and audience perception;
• Coordination of the development of the WGI blog.

Requirements

Required skills/experience

• A good understanding of climate science communication in an international context;
• A good understanding of challenges of communicating climate science assessments in the global context of communication trends and science ethics;
• Capacity to understand and communicate climate science concepts and findings, including translating complex information for a broader, non-specialist international audience;
• Ability to collaborate with climate scientists from around the world and with different areas of expertise, and train them to communication challenges;
• Outstanding social skills and capability to interact with the international science community;
• Experience in developing communication resources in multiple media, e.g. graphic, written, video, audio, social media (in particular Bluesky, LinkedIn);
• Previous experience in IPCC or similar work, process and context would be an asset.

Other requirements

• Academic education related to climate science would be desirable;
• Over two years’ experience in leading climate science communications efforts;
• Motivation to work in an international team with a common long-term goal;
• Ability to plan, organize and execute complex multi-task problems;
• Capacity to work in a team environment;
• Flexibility, entrepreneurship, and interest in innovation;
• Experience in planning, organizing and executing multi-task workloads;
• Stress-resistance and capacity to respect time constraints;
• Willingness to undertake international travel;
• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Proficiency in French would be an asset.

Application

The position is a fixed term contract from Université Paris-Saclay for 3 years with a possibility of extension for the duration of the IPCC Seventh Assessment cycle planned until 2029.

Please send your application consisting of a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, and contact details of two referees, to Clotilde Péan, Head of the WGI TSU. The position will remain opened until it is filled.