Head of Teagasc Climate Centre

Location: Teagasc, Johnstown Castle Environmental Research Centre, Wexford, Ireland.  Other Teagasc research centres may be considered solely at the discretion of Teagasc management.

Grade/Salary: Senior Principal Research Officer (SPRO), with a starting salary of €113,688 per annum. The current salary scale is €113,688 to €130,911. 

Background:

Teagasc seeks an inspirational leader for its newly-established Climate Centre.  Reflecting the importance of this vital area of research, Teagasc has recently recruited 24 scientific staff to work in this centre and will continue to invest in staff and infrastructure for the centre over the coming years.  In addition, the new Centre will coordinate the work of existing Teagasc researchers in their work towards achieving climate neutrality for the agriculture sector by 2050. 

Teagasc is the national public authority for the provision of integrated research, advisory, education and training services to the Irish agri-food sector. In July 2022, the Irish Government agreed that the agriculture sector is required to reduce GHG emissions by 25%, or 5.75 Mt CO2 eq by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. Additionally, the National Climate Action Plan has set the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry(LULUCF) sector a reduction target of 2.6-3.7 MtCO2 eq (38 to 57%)by 2030; the exact reduction level will be decided over the next 12-months. Therefore, the Irish agriculture and land-use sector faces considerable challenges to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The objective of setting up the Teagasc Climate Centre is to enable the Irish agriculture sector to meet these challenges to reduce GHG, enhance carbon sequestration and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.  Teagasc recently developed a Climate Action Strategy which included the establishment of a virtual Climate Research Centre to accelerate the development of new technologies to enable the agriculture sector to meet these targets. 

The Role

The Head of Teagasc Climate Centre will be responsible for the scientific leadership and strategic management of the resources at the centre. The appointee will ensure that the scientific resources of the programme are leveraged to the maximum extent, and are integrated with the other four programme areas in the Research Directorate as well as the Teagasc advisory and education programmes. They will also develop strong collaborations with other national and international research institutes, universities and relevant bodies that are leaders in climate change mitigation research and innovation. The appointee will join the Research Directorate Leadership team on appointment, and will be expected to develop a strong national profile, and contribute in a significant way to the Research Directorate objectives and the development of the Irish agri-food industry.

The Person

This position requires an inspirational, scientific leader with an outstanding track record of achievement. The appointee will hold appropriate qualifications, to PhD level or equivalent, in environmental science or in another relevant discipline. They will demonstrate a compelling vision of the contribution that Teagasc’s Climate Research Programme will make to the transformation of Ireland’s agri-food sector. They will be a thought-leader with a global perspective who possesses a deep understanding of environmental and sustainability challenges facing the sector. Exceptional stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills are essential.

How to Apply

Further details on this position and the application process are available at via the 'Apply' button above.

The closing date for this position is Wednesday 7th June 2023, @12.00 noon.