About this opportunity
The Sustainability Grid lists this Climate Data Scientist, Sustainability at Watershed opportunity in san francisco, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Climate Data Scientist, Sustainability at Watershed
By The Sustainability Grid Desk
Location San Francisco, California, USA; Remote, United States
Type Full-time
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Department: Tech Data and Climate Science
Salary: $193,500 to $202,100 USD
Experience Level: Mid to Senior Level, 5+ years preferred
Application Deadline: Not specified
About Watershed
Watershed is an enterprise sustainability platform used by companies including Airbnb, Carlyle Group, FedEx, Visa, and Dr. Martens to manage climate and ESG data, produce audit-ready sustainability metrics, support voluntary and regulatory reporting such as CSRD, and drive real decarbonization.
The company operates offices across San Francisco, New York, Denver, London, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, and Mexico City, with additional remote team members across the US and Europe.
The Opportunity
Watershed is hiring a Climate Data Scientist, Sustainability to join its Methodology team, working at the intersection of sustainability science, corporate climate strategy, data, and software.
The role focuses on turning complex sustainability science, GHG accounting standards, regulatory requirements, and real-world business data into robust product methodologies that companies can use to measure and reduce their environmental impact.
This is an applied science position rather than a conventional academic research role. Your scientific expertise will directly influence product capabilities used by organizations to generate credible, auditable, and actionable sustainability data.
What You’ll Do
Sustainability Methodology
Develop, maintain, and improve Watershed's built-in sustainability methodologies, translating climate science, GHG accounting standards, and emerging regulatory requirements into product logic.
Cross-Functional Product Development
Work closely with software engineers, data scientists, and product managers to develop methodology features that are scientifically rigorous, auditable, scalable, and practical for customers.
Technical Implementation
Work directly in and around the codebase by reviewing methodology implementations, developing technical specifications, contributing configuration or logic, and helping create tests that validate scientific correctness.
Standards & Regulatory Interpretation
Interpret evolving frameworks and guidance, including the GHG Protocol, sustainability reporting frameworks, and sector-specific methodologies, and determine how these requirements should be incorporated into Watershed's platform.
Data & Problem Solving
Investigate complex customer and product questions where sustainability science, data quality, accounting rules, and business realities intersect.
Scientific Quality
Help establish and maintain high standards for scientific quality by documenting methodology decisions, reviewing changes, and contributing to internal methodology standards.
Requirements
Core Qualifications
Master's or PhD in climate science, environmental science, sustainability, industrial ecology, or another relevant quantitative discipline.
5+ years of experience in corporate sustainability, sustainability consulting, carbon accounting, climate strategy, or a related field.
Experience working with large and complex organizations.
Strong understanding of GHG accounting and sustainability reporting.
Deep knowledge of the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and Scope 3 Standard.
Ability to work comfortably within a Python codebase.
Ability to communicate complex scientific and technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
Technical Expertise
Experience with or knowledge of:
GHG accounting
Sustainability reporting
Carbon accounting methodologies
Emissions factor datasets
Life-cycle assessment
Python
SQL
Typescript or similar tools
Sustainability data platforms
Data quality and auditability
Professional Strengths
Strong systems-thinking capability.
Ability to balance scientific rigor with usability and scalability.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent technical writing and documentation abilities.
Ability to collaborate effectively with engineers, data scientists, product managers, auditors, customers, and scientific experts.
Mindset Fit
Watershed is looking for someone who can move between scientific theory and practical implementation. You should be comfortable examining a complex sustainability problem at the systems level, then working through the technical details needed to turn the solution into a reliable product capability.
Bonus Points
Additional experience with any of the following is valuable:
Carbon accounting methodologies.
Emissions factor datasets.
Sustainability software.
GHG inventory assurance or sustainability disclosure audits.
The GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance.
Updated ESRS requirements.
Translating scientific methodologies into technical specifications or product requirements.
Working with engineers to turn scientific methods into tested, production-grade software.
Watershed's compensation package includes:
$193,500 to $202,100 USD compensation range.
Equity.
Health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k).
Unlimited paid time off.
Paid parental leave.Fertility support.
Mental health programs.
Additional total rewards benefits.
Working Arrangement
The role is listed as San Francisco or Remote, US , with a hybrid designation. Watershed generally expects employees working from its offices to be in the office four days per week, while roles specifically designated as remote may be worked remotely.
Important for international applicants: the remote option is specifically listed as Remote, US , so applicants outside the United States should confirm geographic eligibility before applying.
Why This Role Matters
Corporate sustainability is increasingly moving from broad commitments toward measurable, auditable data.
That creates a major technical challenge: companies need sustainability methodologies that are scientifically credible, compatible with evolving standards, practical enough to work with imperfect business data, and robust enough to withstand scrutiny from auditors and regulators.
This role sits directly in that gap.
It combines environmental science with data, software, corporate sustainability, GHG accounting, and product development. For someone interested in building the technical infrastructure behind the next generation of corporate climate action, it is a particularly strong opportunity.
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Worksite address
san francisco, CA, 94199, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.