Senior Scientist

Sunlight reflection may be the only available option, alongside dramatic emissions reductions, adaptation, and rapid scaling of carbon removal, to rapidly limit many climate impacts over the coming decades.  But we don’t know nearly enough about it to make a scientifically-informed decision about potential deployment – and we’re not on a trajectory for rapid, legitimate decision making.

Reflective is a philanthropically-funded initiative to develop the necessary knowledge base and do the requisite technology research and development, urgently and responsibly. 

What you’ll do

As a Senior Scientist at Reflective, you’ll work hand-in-hand with Reflective’s Head of Research to turn our high-level roadmap into a clear, actionable plan. Day to day, you’ll track which uncertainties matter most, line up the best people and tools to tackle them, and keep projects moving so the field learns faster. Along the way, you’ll distill complex findings into plain language for funders, policymakers, and the broader research community and represent Reflective to the wider world.

Responsibilities

• Roadmap delivery – break priority questions into fundable work packages, set quarterly goals, and flag bottlenecks early so we can adapt quickly.
• Uncertainty tracking – maintain a living “uncertainty and risk database” that shows what we don’t yet know, why it matters, and who is best placed to close each gap.
• Technical diligence – review proposals and provide clear, budget-aware recommendations.
• Network building – Build and maintain high-trust relationships across academia, government labs, and industry – including researchers we’ve funded and those we haven’t – so that we know who to turn to for needed expertise. 
• Knowledge synthesis – Write concise memos and public explainers that translate technical results into next-step decisions for Reflective and the wider community.
• Internal projects – Scope and occasionally run short in-house projects when external capacity is missing, coordinating closely with our engineering and data teams.

Who you are

Minimum qualifications

• PhD (or equivalent research experience) in atmospheric science, climate physics, aerosol chemistry, or a related field.
• 8+ years leading interdisciplinary research projects that mix field, lab, or modeling work.
• Demonstrated strength in experimental design, uncertainty analysis, and handling large environmental datasets with Python, R, Julia, or MATLAB.
• You’re an exceptionally fast learner. You enjoy (and have experience) quickly ramping on new technical topics.
• You have excellent oral and written communication skills - and in particular, you are adept at translating technical jargon into layman’s terms and summarizing complex concepts in a succinct manner.
• You have excellent quantitative skills, including experience analyzing the cost- and feasibility-drivers of experimental designs 
• You’re uniquely good at getting to the crux of an issue, and can quickly sort the signal from the noise
• You’re creative and attached to outcomes, not process – you’re constantly looking for new paths to the destination and excited to switch gears if there’s a faster, better way to get something done. 
• You are low ego, and have a proven track record for working well across teams and with external partners

Preferred qualifications

• Direct experience and an existing network in sunlight-reflection or stratospheric aerosol research.
• History of allocating or managing multi-million-dollar research budgets (e.g., ARPA-style programs, center leadership).
• Experience briefing senior decision-makers in government, philanthropy, or industry.
• Have a deep understanding of sunlight reflection research and the socio-political implications of this research.
• Ability to work in-person in the SF Bay Area 2-3 days per week.

Not needed

• A nonprofit background. Reflective is technically a nonprofit, but it doesn't feel like one.

We encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply, regardless of whether you feel you meet 100% of the qualifications. The top candidates will bring their own unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds from a variety of industries along with many but not necessarily all the skills listed above. We offer professional learning and training opportunities to help you develop skills you may not have had the opportunity to cultivate yet.   

Location 

Our goal is to hire the right person for the role regardless of location, but we have a slight preference for candidates who can work from our Bay Area office 2-3 days/week. However, the role can be fully remote and we are open to candidates based anywhere in the world who can overlap with our core working hours. We may be able to sponsor visas for US-based foreign nationals and have a moving stipend to support candidates who would like to relocate to the Bay Area. 

But regardless of location, we love seeing each other in person and believe regular co-location helps improve collaboration and team culture. As such, we plan regular team co-working weeks, typically in the Bay Area. This role may entail additional travel (up to 1x per month) for conferences, external meetings, and team gatherings. Of course, we cover those travel costs.

Compensation and Benefits 

We are committed to providing competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits to our employees. We offer fixed salary levels based on experience and role to minimize biases in compensation and to ensure team members are paid the same for doing the same work.

We expect this position to be a regular, full-time position, with an annual salary between $145K and $210K USD, depending on level of experience. In addition to salary, we offer a comprehensive set of benefits to all full-time employees:

• Medical, dental, vision insurance    
• 401(k)
• Professional and personal development 
• Generous paid time off and sick leave, including 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Flexible working hours  

Diversity

At Reflective, recruiting, hiring, mentoring, and retaining a diverse workforce is critical to our success.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. 

Reflective is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.