Environmental Data Scientist

Lynker; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

401(k) with match

Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)

Paid time off and holidays

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Lynker is hiring an Environmental Data Scientist to join a growing team in Colorado. You will organize heterogeneous environmental datasets, define schemas, and develop transparent rules with traceable analytics across the data lifecycle.

The role requires strong Python or R skills, GIS tooling experience, and the ability to collaborate with Science, Engineering, and Platform teams for QA, documentation, and data product design. Colorado Front Range presence for periodic in-person collaboration.

Qualifications

• Master's in environmental science or related field; or Bachelor's plus 2 years applied data science experience.
• Strong data science background with ability to reason about environmental evidence representation.
• Proficiency in Python or R for wrangling, analysis, and modeling.
• Geospatial data science experience with GIS tooling and spatial datasets.

Responsibilities

• Organize, catalog, and structure heterogeneous environmental and geospatial datasets with provenance.
• Define rules and analytical logic with traceable lineage from inputs to results.
• Design data schemas and evolving outputs for downstream use.
• Apply domain knowledge to weight and encode data into transparent rules.
• Develop QA checks, tests, and validation to ensure correct results.
• Document schemas and collaborate across Science, Engineering, and Platform teams.

Skills

Python

R

GIS tooling

Data wrangling

Education

Master's in environmental science

Bachelor's + 2 years data science experience

Tools

ArcGIS

QGIS

Google Earth Engine

Geospatial datasets

Job description

Overview

Lynker Corporation is a leading provider of innovative solutions in weather and climate science. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for innovation, Lynker leverages cutting-edge technologies and scientific expertise to support the creation and delivery of improved operational weather forecasts.As part of our ongoing growth and expansion, we are seeking a dynamic and experienced Environmental Data Scientist to join our growing team.

Responsibilities

Duties of the Environmental Data Scientist will include the following:

• Data organization: organize, catalog, and structure heterogeneous environmental and geospatial datasets using consistent metadata and controlled vocabularies, with clear provenance, so they can be combined consistently and reproducibly.
• Analytical logic: help define how rules and analytical logic are represented, versioned, and evaluated against layered datasets, with traceable analytical lineage from inputs to results.
• Data product design: define what analytical inputs and outputs should contain, including data, results, and metadata, the schemas that represent them, and how those schemas evolve over time.
• Domain reasoning: bring environmental and hydrologic domain knowledge to bear on how data is weighted, interpreted, and encoded into rules.
• Validation & QA: develop checks, test cases, and validation logic to confirm that rules produce correct, explainable, and consistent results.
• Documentation & collaboration: document data schemas, analytical logic, and data sources; collaborate across the Science, Engineering, and Platform teams to keep the system understandable, accessible, and maintainable.

Qualifications

The Environmental Data Scientist selected should have the following:

• Master's in environmental science, ecosystem science, water resources, hydrology, earth science, environmental data science, or a related field; or a Bachelor's plus 2 years applying data science to environmental problems; or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Strong environmental and data science background, with the ability to reason about how environmental evidence should be represented and combined.
• Proficiency in a data science language such as R or Python for data wrangling, analysis, and modeling.
• A working sense of geospatial data science, including experience with GIS tooling and spatial datasets (e.g., R, ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth Engine).
• Comfort thinking structurally about data schemas, inputs, and outputs, and translating domain logic into clear, testable rules.
• Strong technical and scientific writing skills.

The Ideal Environmental Data Scientist will have the following:

• Experience designing data schemas, structured formats, or APIs, and defining inputs and outputs for downstream consumers.
• Familiarity with rules-based or decision-support systems and how to make their logic transparent and explainable.
• Experience integrating multiple public and agency data sources (e.g., USGS, NOAA, PRISM) for watershed or environmental analysis.
• Exposure to machine learning or statistical modeling applied to environmental data.
• Track record of scientific writing, publication, or open-source contribution.
• Colorado Front Range presence for periodic in‑person collaboration.

About Lynker

Lynker is a growing, employee owned business, specializing in professional, scientific and technical services. Our continually expanding team combines scientific expertise with mature, results-driven processes and tools to achieve technically sound, cost effective solutions in hydrology/water sciences, geospatial analysis, information technology, resource management, conservation, and management and business process improvement.

We focus on putting the right people in the right place to be effective. And having the right people is critical for success. Our streamlined organization enables and empowers our talented professionals to tackle our customers' scientific and technical priorities - creatively and effectively.

Lynker offers a team-oriented work environment, and the opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled professionals who embrace sound science and creative solutions. Lynker's benefits include the following:

• Comprehensive healthcare for the employee at no monthly cost
• Healthcare benefit covers medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision
• Personal Time Off (PTO) Policy plus paid holidays
• Highly competitive compensation plan regularly calibrated against industry and location benchmarks
• 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) - we're all company owners!
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life and accident insurance
• Tuition assistance/Training/Workforce improvement reimbursement per year
• Spot bonuses for exceptional performance
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards with bonuses
• Employee Referral Program
• Free centralized, self-directed Learning Management System to learn at your own pace
• Personalized career growth plans for every employee

Lynker is an E-Verify employer.

Lynker is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, and local laws.