Department of Geography

Project Manager in Earth Observation / Imaging Spectroscopy 60 - 100 %

Start of employment as soon as possible or upon agreement

The Department of Geography hosts several research groups working on a variety of topics developing remote sensing technologies and applications and assessing key drivers of global change and biodiversity. This position is embedded in the Remote Sensing Laboratories, comprising five professorships and several research and service groups with expertise in various remote sensing techniques such as spectroscopy, radar and LiDAR techniques in application fields such as biodiversity, water systems, change monitoring, and Earth system sciences.

We invite applications for a Project Manager position in the field of Remote Sensing with application in satellite Earth Observation and biodiversity.

Your responsibilities

The post includes the project management of a European Space Agency (ESA)-funded project to further develop the science case of a new, innovative satellite mission idea to improve capabilities to monitor global biodiversity. With the BioScale project, we want to address the scientific questions around the scaling of (long-term) biodiversity assessments, with Sentinel-2 and the future CHIME mission in mind, as well as understanding how to distinguish the “living” part of a signal from sensor-specific and observational effects.

Your profile

We are looking for a scientist/engineer ideally holding a PhD or similar experience in Earth Observation, Remote Sensing, or similar fields. In addition, experience working in the domains of biodiversity-related research, imaging spectroscopy / hyperspectral, or satellite mission (design) is highly desired.

Criteria for the position:
  • Experience in imaging spectroscopy / hyperspectral data
  • Experience with radiative transfer modelling / DART simulations
  • Experience with ESA-type projects and/or a strong background in project planning and realization (project management)
  • Analytical and systematic thinking, with a solid mathematical background
  • Innovative and critical, out-of-the-box thinking, curiosity, strong motivation to learn new things
  • Background in remote sensing-based biodiversity-related research
  • Strong communication skills for a (truly) interdisciplinary team and to handle user-oriented communication
  • Experience in satellite mission design

What we offer:

  • Embedding in an extremely motivated, need-driven and innovative project team
  • Technical work on research questions and engineering development regarding the mission idea
  • A flexible and agile work environment to allow for creative ideas
  • Guidance to learn managing an ESA project and navigating in the space community
  • An interdisciplinary team and work environment and a supportive team culture
  • Opportunity to evolve in a transdisciplinary team, including engineers, natural scientists and industry partners

Information on your application

To apply, please upload the following documents in English with the button "Apply now" below:
  • Letter of motivation
  • Complete CV
  • Other useful documents
The deadline for applications is June 25th, 2026.

What we offer

Our employees benefit from a wide range of attractive offers. Find out more: https://www.uzh.ch/de/explore/work.html.

What we offer

Work-Life Balance
  • Flexible working models (such as part-time positions, mobile working, job-sharing)
  • Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH


More
Learning and Development
  • Wide range of continuing education courses of UZH and the Canton of Zurich
  • Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich

More
Food
  • Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias
  • Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution

More
Healthcare
  • Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ
  • Free seasonal flu vaccinations
  • Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower

More
Discounts
  • Private traffic: Carsharing, rent a vehicle, parking space
  • Digitalization: Hardware, software, mobile phone subscriptions
  • Special conditions on hotel reservations

More
Conditions of Employment
  • Policies of the UZH
  • Most UZH staff are employed according to public law


More
International Services
  • Support for people from outside Switzerland

More
Campuses
  • Campuses Zurich City, Zurich Irchel, Oerlikon and Schlieren
  • Sites Zurich West, Old Botanical Garden, Botanical Garden and Lengg

More

Further information

Questions about the job

Claudia Röösli
Contact Form

Contact question to: Claudia Röösli

Thank you for your message. We will get back to you shortly.
Working at UZH
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
More → https://www.uzh.ch/en/explore/work.html

Please apply via our job portal www.jobs.uzh.ch.

Working at UZH

The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer! More
UZH