Junior Climate Data Scientist

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Turn climate data into investment insight.

Research, develop and maintain robust climate analytics that help investment professionals assess how companies and portfolios are positioned for the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The opportunity

Robeco is looking for a Junior Climate Data Scientist to strengthen the connection between climate research, data science and investment practice. Robeco has been at the forefront of sustainable investing for more than 25 years, combining rigorous research with proprietary sustainability frameworks and active ownership. This long-standing expertise is embedded across its investment processes and continues to shape new approaches to climate, nature and sustainable development.

As a Junior Climate Data Scientist, you will sit within the Investments Data Science team and work in close collaboration with the SI Center of Expertise. This cross-disciplinary environment brings together quantitative researchers, portfolio managers, sustainability specialists, and data engineers, all focused on translating complex sustainability and climate data into actionable investment intelligence.

In this role, you will research, develop and maintain climate-investing insights. You will evaluate climate-related datasets, translate investment questions into quantitative analyses, and turn research prototypes into reliable tools, metrics and processes. The work involves complex data and evolving methodologies, so your outputs must be both analytically robust and practical for investors.

What you will do

Research, develop, validate, and continuously improve Robeco’s proprietary climate metrics and quantitative models, translating emerging climate-investment questions into differentiated intellectual property. This includes areas such as GHG emissions estimation, temperature alignment, transition risk scoring, and climate scenario analysis.
Stay current with developments in climate science, sustainable investment research, regulation, and data innovation. Assess their relevance for Robeco’s investment approach and use relevant findings to improve existing models or identify opportunities for new proprietary analytics.
Identify, assess, and analyze climate and sustainability data from a wide range of sources, including carbon emission databases, corporate disclosures, climate target registries, and third-party ESG data providers.
Evaluate data quality and address gaps through statistical estimation and imputation, ensuring that the data underlying investment decisions are reliable and well-documented.
Write clean, reproducible Python code that can be maintained and extended by the broader team, with consistent attention to version control, testing, and documentation.
Build tools, dashboards, and reports that communicate climate insights to portfolio managers, sustainability specialists, and other stakeholders, including colleagues without a data science background.
Collaborate with portfolio management teams to analyze the impact of climate-related investment constraints and objectives on portfolio composition.
Stay current with developments in climate science, sustainability regulation, and data innovation, and bring relevant insights back to the team.

Examples of questions you may work on

How can reported emissions, estimated emissions and company targets be combined to form a forward-looking view of decarbonisation?
Which climate indicators provide useful information beyond a company’s current carbon footprint?
How do climate objectives or portfolio constraints affect investment exposures, risk and diversification?
Where can automation or carefully governed AI reduce manual work without weakening analytical control?

What you bring

A master’s degree in a quantitative field such as econometrics, mathematics, data science, computer science, engineering, physics, environmental science or a related discipline.
Up to approximately three years of relevant professional experience. Strong graduates are particularly encouraged to apply.
Strong analytical and programming skills in Python, including experience with the Python data stack such as pandas and NumPy.
Experience working with structured data and SQL. Familiarity with PySpark, Databricks, Git, dashboards or web applications is an advantage.
An interest in climate change, sustainable investing and financial markets. Prior climate-data or investment experience is helpful, but not essential.
Care for data quality, methodological consistency, readable code and clear documentation.
The ability to explain complex topics clearly and work effectively with both technical and non-technical colleagues.
Curiosity, sound judgement, independence and a practical mindset. You are comfortable investigating an unfamiliar problem and asking for input when needed.
Professional proficiency in written and spoken English.

Research shows that female candidates only apply if they meet 100% of the requirements, while male candidates already do so at 60%. Are you hesitant about whether you meet all requirements? Please do apply, we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Challenge:

Interesting in this position? In your cover letter, next to your motivation, please describe how you would take on the challenge explained below:

Corporate decarbonization is progressing more slowly than many investors anticipated, making it increasingly difficult to achieve portfolio decarbonization targets through real-world emissions reductions alone. How would you address this challenge and ensure that portfolio decarbonization remains both credible and impactful?

What We Offer

A challenging position at the core of Robeco's investments capabilities.
A healthy work–life balance, supported by 34 vacation days and hybrid working arrangements.
A modern, spacious office directly opposite Rotterdam Central Station, making sustainable commuting easy and including a 1st‑class NS train subscription.
A collaborative, diverse and inclusive work environment where innovation is encouraged and your voice genuinely matters.
Attractive development opportunities, enabling you to grow professionally while contributing to Robeco’s long‑term ambitions.
An informal, energetic, and highly motivated team that values trust, collaboration, and shared success.
Competitive remuneration that is attractive and closely aligned with performance.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Robeco, we want to grow every day: as a company and as an employer. To do better, we listen to and learn from society, our clients and, first and foremost, our colleagues. We treasure the diversity of our people and the range of perspectives and thinking they bring. Just as we diversify within our investment strategies to be more successful, we know these differences within our own company make us more innovative, flexible and resilient: for ourselves and all our stakeholders. Together, we aim for a culture of connection and create a workplace where colleagues feel safe, included, valued and empowered to be their best, regardless of the way they look, where they come from or who they love. Because when we all thrive, so can Robeco.

About Robeco

Robeco is an international pure-play asset manager founded in 1929 in the Netherlands. We help clients achieve their financial and sustainability goals by providing superior investment returns and solutions, with a strong focus on sustainable investing, quantitative strategies, fundamental equity and fixed income investments. With over EUR 406 billion in client assets (as of June 2026), we serve a broad client base - from institutional to private investors - across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Headquartered in Rotterdam with 16 offices worldwide, we combine an entrepreneurial spirit with collaborative, international mindset.

We are actively growing our global market presence and continue to integrate technologies like generative AI and machine learning in our investment processes. These efforts are supported by a strong commitment to operational excellence and to talent development in an inclusive and equitable workplace.

Discover more at www.robeco.com