Science Intern

About Sayari Earth

Sayari Earth is a public benefit corporation with the mission to partner with people to sustain life on Planet Earth. We work in partnership with landowners and communities to restore land, improve farm resilience, and support sustainable livelihoods through practical land management, conservation activities, and high-integrity carbon project development.

We combine scientific research, data analytics and field-based implementation to develop and monitor high-quality carbon removal projects in South Africa.

About the Role

Sayari Earth seeks a motivated and analytical Science Intern who wishes to gain experience in carbon science, data management, and MRV in the nature-based carbon sector. This is an opportunity for a recently graduated Honors or Master’s to gain practical experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with collecting, cleaning, processing and analysing environmental, ecological, soil and project monitoring datasets.
• Support the development and maintenance of data pipelines, databases and data repositories.
• Assist with data quality control, validation, documentation and reporting to ensure data accuracy and consistency.
• Develop and maintain scripts using Python or R to automate data processing and analysis.
• Support spatial data analysis and mapping using GIS tools and geospatial datasets.
• Assist with integrating ecological, soil, land-use, remote sensing and field-collected data.
• Assist with developing visualisations, dashboards, maps and reports to communicate findings.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• A Honours or Masters degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Informatics, Environmental Science with a strong quantitative component, or a related field would be highly advantageous and is ideally preferred.
• An understanding of statistical analysis, data management and data visualisation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Attention to detail and a commitment to data accuracy and quality.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to learn, work collaboratively and apply technical skills to real-world environmental challenges.

Advantageous Skills and Experience

• An understanding of environmental datasets, soil science, ecology, land-use monitoring or carbon markets.
• Foundational programming skills in Python or R.
• Exposure to carbon project methodologies, MRV frameworks or carbon certification standards such as Verra.
• Experience with in field data collection and/or interdisciplinary research teams.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be a high performer, proactive and eager to develop their technical skills in a practical, mission-driven environment. They should be comfortable working hard, solving problems and collaborating with colleagues from different backgrounds.  A genuine passion for our mission will be important.

What We Offer

• Practical experience applying science to nature-based carbon removal projects.
• Exposure to environmental monitoring, carbon quantification and MRV processes.
• Opportunities to learn from experienced professionals across science, ecology, GIS and project implementation.
• The opportunity to contribute to meaningful environmental and community impact.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a brief cover letter to aloha@sayari.earth with the subject line: Science Intern – [Your Name]

Your cover letter should highlight your relevant qualifications, technical skills and interest in the position. Candidates are encouraged to include examples of relevant academic projects, research, programming work or data analysis portfolios.

We are committed to building a diverse team. We warmly welcome applications from women and individuals who bring diverse perspectives and experiences.

Join Sayari Earth and help turn environmental data into meaningful, measurable impact.

Due to the high volume of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.