Latin America Scientist/Científico para América Latina

Earthjustice is the United States' leading environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, preserve magnificent places and wildlife, advance clean energy, and combat climate change. We are here because the Earth needs a good lawyer.

Earthjustice's International Program works across borders to protect the global environment. Drawing on deep experience in human rights law, environmental law, and energy law and policy, we work with partners around the world using strategic legal advocacy to reduce dependence on dirty fossil fuels, accelerate deployment of clean energy, protect biodiversity, and defend human rights.

Earthjustice’s International Program is seeking a scientist to support our work protecting the human right to a healthy environment and promoting a just energy transition in Latin America, with an emphasis on Mexico. The International Program works in partnership with public interest legal organizations in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America to establish, strengthen, and enforce national and international legal protections for the environment and communities.

The primary responsibility of the position is to support partner organizations in Mexico by developing the scientific and factual basis for legal and administrative advocacy to protect the climate and the environment. The scientist will collaborate with Earthjustice’s existing partner organizations, scientists, and experts in Mexico and Latin America and identify opportunities to develop technical opinions and reports to support specific cases.

Work will focus on protecting the environment and communities in relation to fossil gas infrastructure, promoting a clean energy transition, and supporting the right to breathe clean air, but may include other issues related to the right to a healthy environment.

The scientist will work as part of a team based in Mexico City and will collaborate closely with Earthjustice International Program staff at all stages of the work.

The successful candidate will be engaged as an employee of an Employer of Record (EOR) rather than employed by Earthjustice directly.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate the scientific and technical basis for potential cases, issues, or advocacy opportunities;
• Review and summarize existing scientific, technical, and quantitative studies across a broad range of fields including those related to fossil fuel and energy infrastructure, air quality, toxics, biodiversity, and public health;
• Review environmental impact assessments, data, technical reports, and other environmental planning documents for rigor, accuracy, methodological soundness, and consistency with accepted scientific approaches;
• Synthesize scientific and technical information and make it accessible for non-technical audiences to support legal strategy, advocacy, communications, and decision-making;
• Draft scientific and technical content in accessible language suitable for legal filings, reports, fact sheets, presentations, client materials, media materials, and other internal or external products;
• Conduct outreach with scientists, engineers, and technical experts to build a network of experts based in Latin America who can provide expert opinions and testimony to support legal strategy;
• Keep abreast of the latest developments in the scientific literature for fields relevant for current cases and advocacy;
• Participate in virtual meetings with International Program staff and communicate frequently to keep the International Program informed about the progress of the work; and
• Attend in-person meetings with partners in Mexico and travel several times a year to the United States and other countries to meet with Earthjustice and our other international partners (costs associated with required business travel will be reimbursed.).
• Work will be conducted in both Spanish and English.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in a natural science, environmental engineering, public health, or a related field of environmental science, or the equivalent level of research and analytic experience;
• 3+ years of experience conducting scientific research and analysis;
• Proven ability for penetrating, critical analysis of primary research and other scientific data and materials
• Expertise in the analytical and quantitative methods used in some of the relevant subject matter areas, and willingness to learn additional methods (familiarity with analyzing and presenting geospatial data is desirable);
• Expertise in or familiarity with one or more of the following areas is desirable: environmental and health impacts of fossil fuel (coal, gas, oil) exploration and production and value chains; clean energy technologies and regulation; air quality and health impacts of i