Software Engineer – Wildfire Impact & Recovery (m/f/d)

The climate crisis demands urgent, data-driven action — and we’re building tools to make that possible. Our mission is to empower smarter, faster decisions in the face of wildfires and their cascading impacts. We’re developing products providing actionable insights that track burnt areas, above-ground biomass loss, vegetation regrowth, CO₂ emissions, and infrastructure damage — serving reforestation, carbon markets, insurance, and disaster response.

We are looking for a software engineer with a remote sensing background to help us establish and operationalise our Wildfire Impact & Recovery product. You’ll turn research and prototypes into resilient, production-grade systems that run globally, reliably, and automatically. If you’re motivated by building real systems that make a real-world impact, this is your role.

• Develop software and participate in the design and implementation of software solutions for applications in the remote sensing and geospatial domain. Apply best practices and software engineering principles to optimize existing software algorithms and develop novel approaches for data processing.

• Develop and operate automated workflows to process satellite and auxiliary data into actionable insights in fire-affected areas.

• Paper to Product: Translate algorithms and scientific concepts from publications, research partners, or internal R&D into efficient, maintainable, and production-ready code.

• Design algorithms to analyze the impact of wildfires on ecosystems, infrastructure, and human populations, using geospatial data and simulation models.

• Own the lifecycle of data pipelines — from prototype to production. Build, deploy, and monitor systems that need to run reliably at scale.

• Data Integration: Integrate data from diverse sources to enhance the accuracy and comprehensiveness of wildfire impact and recovery analysis.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with remote sensing scientists, product owners, and fellow engineers to ensure alignment between vision and implementation.

We expect that you bring the following:

• Proven professional experience (3+ years) in a software engineering role

• Proven professional experience (1+ year) in developing remote sensing or computer vision solutions

• Solid understanding of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts with a strong foundation in designing and implementing robust, scalable software solutions 

• Strong Python skills, particularly in the following  (e.g., xarray, Satpy, NumPy, pandas, rasterio, Celery)

• Familiarity with Docker and the Cloud Native landscape

• Experience maintaining production systems: you know what can go wrong in ops and how to prevent it

• Strong Git knowledge and comfort working in collaborative development workflows

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.

• Your work is thorough and you pay attention to both the details and the larger picture

• You like to help others grow and succeed

• Strong communication skills

• Degree in Computer Science, Geoinformatics, Remote Sensing, or a related STEM field — or equivalent experience

NICE TO HAVE (WHAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE)

What skills and knowledge will make a difference:

• Familiarity with geospatial formats and standards (Cloud optimised GeoTIFF,  NetCDF, Zarr, STAC, OGC Web services)

• Experience with SQL/PostGIS or other relational databases

• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and automated testing for data workflows

• Contributions to open-source projects or maintenance of your own

• Experience with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Dagster, Airflow, Prefect)

• Virtual shares for all permanent employees (VSOP=Virtual Share Option Program)
• Company pension scheme (bAV = Betriebliche Altersversorgung) 
• Company accident insurance for all employees (insurance for accidents during work and leisure time around the world 24/7)
• Flexible working hours and home office option (including working from other countries)
• Corporate health benefit via Wellpass Subscription
• Free Deutschland ticket
• Discount on lunch meals
• Company bike via JobRad
• Modern office in Neue Balan with a wonderful pool and campus area

• A mission-first culture — work that contributes directly to solving climate-related challenges

• A small, agile team where your voice is heard and your code is used in production

• Flexible hybrid/remote setup with autonomy over your schedule

• Competitive salary and opportunities for growth

• The satisfaction of turning good science into great products that help people on the ground