Junior River Survey Engineer

The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. We design, develop, and deploy cleanup systems to stop plastic from reaching our oceans by intercepting it in rivers. In this role, you will initiate, organize, and manage fieldwork campaigns in rivers with partners across the globe to collect data. You will develop strong technical foundations in field methods, environmental monitoring, GIS, and plastic-transport interpretation while contributing directly to deployment decisions.

“We are looking for a hands-on mentality colleague eager to be in the field collecting relevant data to run successful projects in stopping plastics from reaching the ocean. You will perform technical suitability assessments, design, supervise and execute field research campaigns, test and deploy sensors, and monitor the impact of our technology. You will also support the development of plastic interception technologies and solutions by researching plastic's spatial and temporal behaviour, as well as correlating it with environmental data in rivers while building partnerships to support our mission.” – The Analysis and Performance Team

Mission to Metrics

Responsibilities

• Independently plan, prepare, and execute river survey campaigns for assigned locations.
• Lead local field teams or contractors during data collection activities, ensuring safe, consistent, and protocol-aligned execution.
• Collect, organize, and quality-check datasets, including plastic observations, hydrological measurements, and environmental variables.
• Deliver complete technical datasets and preliminary findings for internal process reports.
• Provide technical inputs and contextual knowledge to project teams, escalating complex issues when needed.
• Support the development and coordination of partnerships with local experts, contractors, and government counterparts.
• Collaborate closely with other River Team functions to align field activities with project goals.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of survey protocols, safety practices, and data workflows based on field experience.

Professional qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master's in Civil/Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Water Management, Geosciences or similar.
• 1–3 years relevant experience in fieldwork, environmental data collection, or applied research.
• Experience with GIS (QGIS/ArcGIS) required.
• Basic familiarity with Python or other analytical tools is an asset.
• Fluent in English and Spanish.

Personal qualifications

• Enjoys sharing knowledge, communicating key information/findings, and building capacity with the team and partners.
• Comfortable with uncertainty and changing scope conditions.
• Strong communicator; keen to learn and share findings.
• Able to work in diverse cultural environments.
• Curious, creative, and hands-on mentality. You can, and you like to execute things yourself.
• Willingness to travel regularly for field campaigns.

Additional information

• A work permit for the EU is highly preferred for this position.