EN
Back to offers

Research Engineer Position in Land Surface and Aerosol Satellite Remote Sensing at CNRM F/M

  • Toulouse, 31057

  • CDD

  • 01/01/2026- 28/02/2027

  • 2705.55€- 4111.15€

Description

As a public weather and climate expert, Météo-France is at your side to contribute to your day-to-day safety and help you make the best decisions in a changing climate. Faced with dangerous weather episodes that are even more intense and more frequent as a result of climate change, our missions in the service of your safety are crucial. We mobilize our expertise and our scientific and technological excellence to help you anticipate and adapt to challenging weather and climate phenomena.

Find us online: https://meteofrance.com/carte-didentite-de-meteo-france

Joining Météo France means joining a multi-site organization, located in France, overseas, etc. Météo-France is organized into central and inter-regional divisions. Below is a presentation of the department you could join :

The CNRM laboratory (Météo-France/CNRS) is now looking for a motivated research engineer willing to contribute to our research activities in remote sensing of land surface variables and atmospheric aerosols from the new generation of EUMETSAT weather satellites. We are seeking someone dynamic with a solid background in satellite data processing and retrieval algorithms to play an important role in the LSA-SAF project. Since more than two decades now, CNRM participates in this project whose main goal is to provide reliable geophysical information on land surfaces from EUMETSAT space missions, including the recently launched Meteosat Third Generation-Imager (MTG-I) and Metop-Second Generation (Metop-SG) satellites.

In the LSA-SAF, CNRM is responsible for the research, development and validation activities related to the estimation of land surface albedo and incoming solar radiation. These variables have important impacts on Earth and have therefore been declared essential climate variables by the World Meteorological Organization. CNRM has also been more recently working on the simultaneous estimation of aerosol properties from Meteosat to improve the estimation of land surface properties. All these retrieved geophysical variables, along with others under the responsibility of other project partners, are freely made available through the LSA-SAF website to research and operational users working in different topics including weather forecasting, solar energy, climate studies and the definition of environmental policies.

Missions

The successful candidate will take in charge the maintenance and evolution of the existing scientific codes describing the algorithms for the retrieval of surface albedo, aerosols and incoming radiation. The work will be done in the framework of the current phase of the LSA SAF program, which ends in February 2027, but may continue in the next 5-year phase starting in March 2027. More precisely, the candidate:

  • will contribute to the maintenance and evolution of the scientific codes developed at CNRM for land surface/aerosol retrieval from EUMETSAT satellites.

  • will assess the quality of the retrieval algorithms by processing long time series of satellites observations and comparing the estimated variables with reference data from ground-based stations or state-of-the-art satellite products.

  • will write technical documentation, and participate in LSA SAF project meetings and the review processes undergone to declare a satellite product operational.

  • will join a team of research engineers, scientists and students working at CNRM on the observation of land surfaces and aerosols through spaceborne remote sensing.

  • may be involved in other research activities of the team, including the writing of scientific journal papers and the presentation of results in conferences.

Further reading:

Profile

Requirements:

  • Engineer or M.Sc. degree in a field relevant to satellite remote sensing. The holding of a PhD is a plus but is not mandatory.

  • Excellent programming skills relevant to data processing (python, git, linux, fortran).

  • Expertise in one or some of the following fields: satellite remote sensing, geophysical data inversion, land surface and aerosols, visible/near-infrared radiative transfer.

  • Professional proficiency in English, with good written and oral communication skills.

  • Proven ability to work as part of a research team.

Practical aspects: The successful candidate will be based at CNRM, in Toulouse, which is a dynamic city renowned for its research centers and aerospace industry. A 14-month research engineer contract is offered, with the possibility of renewal for up to 5 years based on performance and funding. The gross monthly salary includes French social security and partial reimbursement of Toulouse transport pass. This is a teleworking eligible position, with a maximum of 2 days a week.

Application procedure: Interested candidates are invited to send their CV, a motivation letter, and the contact details of two referees.

Further information :

  • Duration of the contract : 14 months (renewable up to 5 more years)

  • Deadline application : 30/09/2025

  • Teleworking friendly : Up to 2 days a week

  • Required level of education/ Diploma : Master's degree or PhD

  • Required level of experience : Advanced

  • Required level in french : Not required

  • Email contacts for any further information : xavier.ceamanos@meteo.fr

Why join us ?

Embark on a stimulating adventure in the service of all, alongside men and women committed to the daily challenges posed to our society by the weather and climate. And enjoy the following benefits: flexible working hours, RTT, telecommuting, administrative restaurant or luncheon voucher, 75% contribution to public transport, contribution to health insurance, sports and cultural associations depending on the site (climbing, gym, pottery, theater, etc.).

Other benefits await you, come and discover them !