Research Scientist, WW Sustainability

Amazon's commitment to The Climate Pledge motivates us to work both inside and outside of our business operations to scale climate mitigation. Along with the decarbonization initiatives within our business operations, we have a robust strategy aligned with climate science for tackling climate change outside of our business.

The Worldwide Sustainability (WWS) organization capitalizes on Amazon's scale and speed to build a more resilient and sustainable company. We manage our social and environmental impacts globally, and drive solutions that enable our customers, businesses, and the world to become more sustainable.

The Carbon Neutralization team is seeking a research scientist that will dive deep to drive strategy and create methodological approaches for impact evaluation in novel carbon dioxide removal and greenhouse gas emissions reduction segments. The Carbon Neutralization team is responsible for the science, strategy, and procurement of outside-value-chain greenhouse gas reduction and carbon dioxide removal credits to help reach net zero. To date, Amazon has made foundational investments in jurisdictional reductions in deforestation emissions, nature-based carbon removal via forest restoration, superpollutant abatement in refrigerants and rice cultivation, and technological carbon dioxide removal. Your work will help Amazon expand its portfolio of catalytic investments to scale essential climate solutions globally.

The ideal candidate will be able to take a first principles approach to review and design scientific quantification methodologies that allow Amazon to confidently quantify the impact of outside-value-chain greenhouse gas reduction and carbon dioxide removal interventions. The candidate should have a deep systems understandings of the carbon cycle and global decarbonization and carbon removal pathways, and familiarity with various quantitative approaches to impact and uncertainty evaluation for project-based interventions.

Key job responsibilities

• Own science-based strategy and quality bar setting in a number of scalable carbon reduction and/or removal segments, including but not limited to: biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS), enhanced rock weathering, household fuel-switching, and/or superpollutant abatement.
• Review and identify weaknesses in existing quantification approaches within voluntary and compliance carbon markets.
• Develop novel methodological approaches to quantify the climate impact of, and monitor the ongoing performance of, specific segments and/or projects.
• Build trust with external academics, civil society, and suppliers working in carbon reduction and removal.
• Publish internal- and external-facing scientific publications demonstrating Amazon's approach to quantification and credit quality.
• Work closely with portfolio and project managers and a broader Amazon sustainability science and technology community to instill best scientific practices into Amazon's neutralization investments.
• Periodically travel to project sites and facilities around the US and world.

About the team

Diverse Experiences:

World Wide Sustainability (WWS) values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn't followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don't let it stop you from applying.

Inclusive Team Culture:

It is in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.

Mentorship and Career Growth:

We have a career path for you no matter what stage you're in when you start here. We're continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth's Best Employer. That's why you'll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship, and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.