Sustainability Research Engineer

Job Description - ClimaTech Research Programme

Role

Join ClimaTech, an innovative research programme within EDHEC Climate Institute, focused on developing applied research and tools to better understand and reduce climate-related risks across financial assets including infrastructure, corporate equities, and real estate.

We are seeking a Sustainability Research Engineer to join ClimaTech in a newly created role that reflects the continued growth of our research programme and expanding analytical capabilities.

This role is ideal for an engineer with approximately 3–8 years of relevant experience gained in a corporate setting within an industrial sector, for example as a process engineer, in operations, or in a corporate sustainability team. We are particularly interested in candidates who built deep expertise in a focused technical area before moving into sustainability, and who combine that grounding with excellent writing skills and a strong interest in understanding how organisations reduce emissions, manage climate risks, and implement sustainability strategies in practice.

The successful candidate will play a key role in conducting applied research on decarbonisation and climate resilience strategies, bringing practical engineering insight into how these are implemented in industrial operations, and producing clear, well-written research outputs that support a growing research programme.

Responsibilities

Technical Analysis

• Provide engineering assessment of industrial processes from a mitigation and adaptation point of view. 
• Contribute to maintaining and improving sustainability, climate, and asset-level datasets, applying engineering judgement to check their technical accuracy.
• Work closely with researchers and developers to integrate datasets into analytical tools and research frameworks.

Research and Methodology Development

• Research and assess from literature strategies and technologies for mitigation and adaptation across infrastructure, corporate, and real estate sectors.
• Evaluate the effectiveness, applicability, costs, and implementation challenges of these strategies and technologies.
• Support the development of research methodologies, knowledge bases, and analytical frameworks.

• Monitor developments in climate policy, sustainability regulation, climate disclosures, and emerging technologies.

   

Writing, Research Outputs, and Team Development

• Write and contribute to research reports, methodologies, presentations, publications, and technical documentation, translating complex technical material into clear, rigorous prose for investors and decision-makers.
• Collaborate across a multidisciplinary team of researchers, data specialists, and climate experts.
• Take ownership of specific workstreams and contribute to the continued growth and development of ClimaTech’s research capabilities.

What We Are Looking For

This role offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge climate research while helping shape the future development of ClimaTech’s methodologies and analytical capabilities. As part of a growing team, you will have significant scope to influence how engineering and industrial expertise is applied to real-world climate challenges.

We recognise that strong candidates may not meet every point below and encourage applications from individuals whose experience aligns with many of these areas.

Required

• At least a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in engineering, preferably chemical, mechanical, energy, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Experience working in a corporate setting within an industrial sector, for example as a process engineer, in operations, or in a corporate sustainability team.
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, well-structured technical and research documents. 
• A move into, or a strong interest in, sustainability, decarbonisation, or adaptation, building on a focused technical background.

Desirable

We would be particularly interested in candidates who have experience in several of the following:

• Working in manufacturing or operational environments
• Researching sustainability challenges and translating complex information into practical insights.
• Understanding corporate sustainability, climate transition risks, greenhouse gas emissions, and decarbonisation strategies.
• Understanding how mitigation and adaptation measures are implemented in practice
• Working collaboratively in multidisciplinary environments and communicating complex ideas clearly.
• Working with data analysis tools such as Python, Power BI, or similar.

Location

London (UK) 

About EDHEC Climate Institute

Institutional context

Operating from campuses in Lille, Nice, Paris, London and Singapore, EDHEC Business School is ranked in the top ten European business schools. With more than 110 nationalities represented in its student body, some 50,000 alumni in 130 countries, and learning partnerships with 290 institutions worldwide, it is truly international.

EDHEC Business School has been recognised for over 20 years for its expertise in finance. Its approach to climate finance is founded on a commitment to equipping finance professionals and decision-makers with the insights, tools, and solutions necessary to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. EDHEC has developed a significant research capacity on the financial measurement of climate risk, which relies on the best researchers in climate finance, and brings together experts in climate risks as well as in quantitative analysis.

The DNA of EDHEC’s work has also resided, since its origin, in the ability to generate business ventures, by encouraging spin-offs based on the research work of its teams. EDHEC is currently involved in 3 ventures: Scientific Portfolio, Scientific Infra and Private Assets, and the soon-to-launch Scientific Climate Ratings.

Mission and ambitions

The EDHEC Climate Institute (ECI) focuses on helping private and public decision-makers manage climate-related financial risks and make the most of financial tools to support the transition to a low-emission economy that is more resilient to climate change.

It has a long track record as an independent and critical reference centre in helping long-term investors to understand and manage the financial implications of climate change on asset prices and the management of investments and climate action policies.

The institute has developed an expertise in physical risks, proprietary research frameworks and innovative approaches. ECI is also conducting advanced research on climate transition risks, focusing on emissions Scope 3 emissions, consumer choices, and emerging technologies.

As part of its mission, ECI collaborates with academic partners, businesses, and financial players to establish targeted research partnerships. This includes making research outputs, publications, and data available in open source to maximise impact and accessibility.