Wildfire Scientist (Impact Forecasting)

Wildfire Scientist – Impact Forecasting

This is a hybrid role with the flexibility to work both virtually and from our Boston office. Remote options within the US may be available for experienced candidates.

Aon is in the business of better decisions

At Aon, we shape decisions for the better to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. As an organization, we are united through trust as one inclusive team and we are passionate about helping our colleagues and clients succeed.

What the day will look like

This role will be part of Aon’s Impact Forecasting Wildfire team, working at the intersection of wildfire science, meteorology, and catastrophe modeling for the (re)insurance industry. You will contribute to the development of wildfire hazard and loss models, with a strong focus on meteorological drivers of fire risk.

• Develop and enhance wildfire catastrophe models for the (re)insurance market, with emphasis on:
• Evaluating and processing weather reanalysis, observations, and climate change scenarios (ex, ERA, RAWS, IPCC)
• Integration of fire danger and weather indices into modeling of wildfire occurrence and severity
• Develop, test, and maintain data processing and modeling pipelines in R and/or Python, including automation for handling large datasets.
• Perform model validation and verification:
• Compare model output against historical wildfire experience
• Document and communicate research findings back into the modeling workflow
• Diagnose and improve model performance, especially for extreme events
• Collaborate closely with an international and interdisciplinary team of:
• Catastrophe model developers, meteorologists, wildfire scientists, and engineers
• Software developers and client-facing colleagues
• Prepare technical documentation, presentations, and summaries of modeling work.

Contribute to integrating wildfire hazard modules into Aon’s ELEMENTS or other modeling platforms, and support testing and quality assurance of model releases.

Skills and experience that will lead to success

• M.S. or Ph.D. in meteorology, climatology, atmospheric science, wildfire science, environmental science, applied geoscience, a closely related field, or equivalent industry experience is required.
• Strong programming/scripting skills are required, preferably in R and/or Python.
• Experience with numerical models, ideally including weather, climate, or environmental models relevant to wildfire risk is required.
• Solid analytical and statistical skills, including statistical analysis of large datasets, time series, and extremes is required.
• Experience working with geospatial data and tools, such as ArcGIS and QGIS is preferred.
• Experience with SQL or other database tools is preferred.
• Experience with catastrophe (CAT) modeling is preferred.

Aon offers a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and regular part-time colleagues, including, but not limited to: a 401(k) savings plan with employer contributions; an employee stock purchase plan; consideration for long-term incentive awards at Aon’s discretion; medical, dental and vision insurance; various types of leaves of absence; paid time off, including 12 paid holidays throughout the calendar year; 15 days of paid vacation per year; paid sick leave as provided under state and local paid sick leave laws; short-term disability and optional long-term disability; health savings account; health care and dependent care reimbursement accounts; employee and dependent life insurance and supplemental life and AD&D insurance; optional personal insurance policies; adoption assistance; tuition assistance; commuter benefits; and an employee assistance program that includes free counseling sessions. Eligibility for benefits is governed by the applicable plan documents and policies.

For positions in San Francisco and Los Angeles, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with local Fair Chance ordinances.

Aon is not accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this position.

Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

The salary range for this position (intended for U.S. applicants) is $115,000 to $140,000 annually. The actual salary will vary based on applicant’s education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. The salary may also be adjusted based on applicant’s geographic location.

This position is eligible to participate in one of Aon’s annual incentive plans to receive an annual discretionary bonus in addition to base salary. The amount of any bonus varies and is subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan.