Job Description:

The global climate is changing, and local authorities must respond to evolving climate risks to protect citizens and the urban environments in which they live. Geospatial data, including satellite imagery, offers a unique way to combine and analyse physical, environmental, and social variables to provide a holistic understanding of climate risk and vulnerability. However, as valuable as these datasets and analytics are, there is no guarantee that urban planning decisions will be influenced unless the data is critically contextualised and appropriately applied. Challenges for local governments range from limitations in knowledge, funding, and time to issues such as data incompatibility and inconsistency.

The successful candidate will select a specific climate change risk or policy question in agreement with the Satellite Applications Catapult and Oxford City Council. The aim will be to develop a study or methodology that provides actionable insights, enabling model deployers to take appropriate actions or make informed interventions. The final output should either improve existing regional data or guide the collection of additional regional data.

The intern will also create an ESRI StoryMap that presents the findings through a clear, visually engaging narrative, translating complex geospatial analysis into an accessible and tangible format. By combining maps, graphics, and concise interpretation, it will make digital data understandable for relevant stakeholders and demonstrate how geospatial evidence can support planning and policy decisions, helping to unlock future projects.

The intern will:

• Focus on developing a geospatial analysis methodology to help address a selected climate change risk or policy question, agreed upon with the Satellite Applications Catapult and Oxford City Council.

• Use satellite imagery and other geospatial datasets to investigate issues such as flood risk, heat risk, drought vulnerability, or biodiversity impacts in urban environments. The work is expected to create a strong demonstrator output that can be used to support the USG programme moving forward, showcasing how research can be translated into operational geospatial intelligence.

• Develop a practical evidence-based example that can be reused for future projects, strengthening the programme’s ability to communicate value to stakeholders and support scalable climate risk analytics.

• Conduct data collection, pre-processing, and spatial analysis to improve the quality or regional relevance of existing datasets, or to identify where additional data collection is needed. This may involve integrating environmental, physical, and social variables to generate insights that are meaningful for local policy and planning decisions. The goal is to produce actionable findings that can support evidence-based interventions for climate risk management in urban areas.

The successful applicant should have the following qualities and abilities:

Prior experience in the following areas would be ideal, but demonstrable interest and passion for learning and development of your skillset in the following areas are key:

Technical Skills

Geospatial data science, including:

• processing and analysing satellite imagery

• working with spatial datasets,

• applying geospatial methods to investigate climate-related risks.

• using GIS and remote sensing tools

• data cleaning and integration

• creating high-quality spatial visualisations.

  This placement with the Satellite Applications Catapult will also help strengthen understanding of applied geospatial innovation and how research methods can be translated into practical applications.

Human and professional skills, to include

• problem-solving, critical thinking, and the ability to design analysis around a real-world policy question.

• communicating technical results clearly to non-specialist audiences by developing an ESRI StoryMap for stakeholders such as the Oxford City Council.

• Project management, independent working, and collaborative communication will also be enhanced through limited but focused engagement with partners.

• Overall, the placement aims to build both analytical expertise and the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights for climate resilience planning.

Academic Requirements:

• The applicant should be an undergraduate or postgraduate student currently registered at a university, preferably studying geography, environmental science, computer science, data science, or a related quantitative or spatial discipline.

• Basic knowledge of GIS, remote sensing, or spatial data analysis is required. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and an interest in climate risk, sustainability, or geospatial technology are essential.

Desirable requirements include

• experience using ESRI software, programming in Python or R for data analysis, and working with satellite or environmental datasets.

• Good communication skills and the ability to work independently while engaging occasionally with the Satellite Applications Catapult and Oxford City Council are also advantageous.

Process details:

• 8 weeks minimum fixed term contract to be agreed with successful candidate

• 5 days holiday to be taken during the placement

How we work at Satellite Applications Catapult….

We strive to create a high trust, high performance and inclusive environment that enables team members to bring their whole selves to work – this helps to create the foundations of an innovation culture. Our shared values are critical to this:

• We care - for our people, our partners, and our planet

• We connect - and engage with people and ideas

• We learn - and grow, as people and as an industry

Underpinning this is our belief in great teams, our combined efforts will always deliver outcomes beyond that of anyone providing we are honest through debate, experiment and reflect, and create shared resolutions in support of our purpose. Live these values, work to our principles, take ownership to deliver, and we are certain you will thrive with us.

This job description set outs the skills and experience we think are needed to be able to perform in this job. However, if you believe you can deliver in this role then we want to hear from you.

Important notice for applicants: We use tools to detect plagiarism and the use of AI or chatbots for applicant answers. If plagiarism, AI use (such as ChatGPT) or similar software are found to have been used in your application you will not be considered for this or future roles within the Satellite Applications Catapult. If you need any additional support during the application process, please do reach out and connect. We also invite you to share feedback via Applied.

At Satellite Applications Catapult, we're committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. We welcome candidates from all corners of the globe, but due to legal and logistical considerations, we want to be transparent about the potential visa-related challenges that could arise. Our ability to offer sponsorship will depend on the level of interest for our roles and salary level. Unfortunately we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

If you need any additional support during the application process, please do reach out and connect. We also invite you to share feedback via Applied.