Scientific Software Engineer (Foundation, Scientific, Senior Scientific)
Salary: Starting £21,500 and for exceptional candidates up to £35,040 + competitive benefits, including Civil Service Pension
Generic roles: Foundation Scientific Software Engineer, Scientific Software Engineer, Senior Scientific Software Engineer
Profession: Science and Engineering
Permanent, Full time at Met Office, Exeter
Closing date for applications: 21 December 2012
This is an ongoing rolling recruitment which will run until 21 December 2012 or until posts are filled, whichever is first.
Background information
The Met Office undertakes world-class research into weather, climate modelling and climate change. High performance production models and suites have been developed to meet the needs of a wide range of customers including the general public, government bodies and commercial companies. Core to many of these applications is the Met Office weather and climate model, the Unified Model. There are three teams of technical staff required to support these activities by developing and maintaining the software.
A number of opportunities exist within these teams, at three levels of experience: Foundation Scientific Software Engineer (typically a graduate or post-graduate who has gained some software development experience), Scientific Software Engineer and Senior Scientific Software Engineer, to work on the technical infrastructure of the Unified Model, to support its use on a range of high performance supercomputers, and to contribute to our collaborations with other national forecasting and climate institutions.
Specific job purpose
To develop expertise in the Unified Model code infrastructure, its related applications and the supercomputers on which it runs through involvement with design, development, maintenance and adaptation of the software that is required to support the science programme.
Specific job responsibilities
- To play an active role in the teams developing the UM and/or related software to ensure that:
- a. They can meet the needs of future challenges, in particular to support developing scientific and functional requirements with maintainable technical complexity,
- b. Coding quality is improved to facilitate more rapid development and a lower support overhead,
- c. Systems are better integrated into the wider hardware and software environments available locally and remotely to make the software easier to use and a more robust system,
- d. The system are well supported to allow the scientists to focus on the science thus delivering efficiencies to the programme.
Qualifications, skills and abilities required
Essential
- All levels: Bachelor's degree or equivalent, at level 2.2 or above, in a physical science, mathematics or computing subject or equivalent experience.
- Foundation Scientific Software Engineer: Experience of developing or maintaining software showing an aptitude to understand complex applications and to learn to adapt them.
Scientific Software Engineer: Experience of developing or maintaining complex modelling software, or similar, with limited supervision demonstrating breadth and depth of understanding.
Senior Scientific Software Engineer: Significant experience of developing or maintaining complex modelling software, or similar, to the level of expert with the ability to mentor others. - Foundation Scientific Software Engineer: Experience developing on Unix or Linux systems.
Scientific Software Engineer: Demonstrates the ability to work with the platforms, tools and languages required in the post. A good grounding in Fortran and/or C/C++ and a basic understanding of scripting languages coupled with experience of working within a Unix and/or Linux operating system environment. For some posts experience of SQL will be required.
Senior Scientific Software Engineer: Demonstrates strong expertise with the platforms, tools and languages required in the post. Significant experience in Fortran and/or C/C++ and a good understanding of scripting languages coupled with experience of working within a Unix and/or Linux operating system environment and configuration management software. For some posts experience of SQL will be required. - Foundation Scientific Software Engineer: Demonstrates the ability to work on technical tasks with supervision.
Scientific Software Engineer: Demonstrates the ability to work on technical tasks with general supervision and the ability to use discretion in identifying and solving complex problems.
Senior Scientific Software Engineer: Demonstrates the ability to work on technical tasks with little supervision and to take strong ownership of problems or activities. - All levels: A broad understanding of relevant scientific areas required to allow the applicant to communicate effectively with scientists and to understand scientific requirements of technical work.
- Foundation Scientific Software Engineer: An ability to work well within a team and to communicate effectively with technical and scientific colleagues.
Scientific Software Engineer: An ability to work well within a team and to communicate effectively with other teams and the scientists using the Unified model.
Senior Scientific Software Engineer: An ability to provide technical leadership within team and to influence other teams and represent scientist who use applications.
Desirable
- All levels: Experience of developing or maintaining large scientific codes, of a similar nature to the Met Office Unified Model, within a formal configuration management process.
- All levels: User support experience.
- All levels: Demonstrate an ability to identify, investigate and resolve difficult technical problems.
- All levels: High performance computing experience.
- All levels: Significant scripting experience (Python, Perl or Unix shell)
Additional supplementary information
This will be a rolling recruitment campaign where we will review applications received every three weeks.
Please apply against the criteria for which your experience is most appropriate. We may additionally sift your application at a level above or below the level at which you applied. If successful at passing the sift stage, we will inform you at what level we think your experience aligns within the invitation to interview letter.
If the successful candidate is currently in a role in the Met Office scientific framework, they will ordinarily remain in the role to which they are currently mapped.
Application forms and further information
Please mark your request or returned application form: Scientific Software Engineer (Foundation, Scientific, Senior Scientific) 002474 R
Please complete this form (using Adobe Reader 9 or above). You can save the form part-way through and return to it later, using the Adobe Reader toolbar. Once you are happy with it submit it using the button at the end of the form. Alternatively, print the form out, complete by hand, and return by post.
If you require a Microsoft Word version of the application form, please email HREnquiries@metoffice.gov.ukincluding the words 'application request' in the subject line. An automatic email will be returned to you immediately. If you have not received an email within 48 hours then please contact us.
Alternatively, you can call or write to:
HR Customer Services
Met Office
FitzRoy Road
Exeter
EX1 3PB
Met Office
FitzRoy Road
Exeter
EX1 3PB
Tel: 01392 885000
We are unable to reply to each applicant individually. If you have had no response from us within four weeks of the closing date please assume you have been unsuccessful. If you meet the sift criteria but have applied more than three times for the same or similar job within the last two years, it will be up to the recruiting manager's discretion whether to offer you an interview.
Nationality and residency requirements
All successful applicants offered conditional employment at the Met Office are required to undertake national security vetting. Usually successful applicants can start after satisfactory initial security vetting (whilst full national security vetting is undertaken), but for a small number of posts a higher level of vetting is needed. If you do not have five years' continuous UK residency this may take longer and we may have to reconsider your application if there are delays in the security procedure.
Please note that nationality and residency restrictions of this kind are common with all UK Civil Service departments and Executive Agencies. For further guidance see the UK Border Agency's Working in the UK website.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled applicants
To widen the pool of candidates we guarantee an interview to disabled applicants who meet the published minimum criteria for the job.
To qualify for a guaranteed interview, you do not have to be registered as a disabled person but you must have a disability or long-term health condition that puts you at a substantial disadvantage in either obtaining or keeping employment. The disability must be likely to last for at least 12 months.
To apply for a guaranteed interview, please complete the appropriate section of the application form. When appropriate, you should provide details of any particular arrangements you will require for the interview, e.g. car parking, speech facilitator.
Any false declaration of disability to obtain an interview may invalidate any resultant contract of employment.
Priority status for staff in the Civil Service Surplus Talent Pool
If you are an existing Civil Servant and have applied through the CS Vacs website, your application will be given priority status, in that your application will be assessed for suitability before other applications are entertained. Surplus staff should provide a letter from their HR department confirming this status and attach it to their application form.
Civil Service Recruitment Principles
The Met Office's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the HREnquiries@metoffice.gov.uk mailbox or telephone 01392 885000 in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Met Office, contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners.
Commitment to diversity
The Met Office values diversity and recruits on merit.
Benefits and facilities
Employees can join the Civil Service Pension Scheme called 'Nuvos', a defined benefit scheme which both you and the Met Office contribute to. You also have the option to join a partnership scheme where the employer can contribute and you can contribute if you wish. For more details please see the Civil Service Pensions website .
- Annual Leave allowance of 25 days (plus 8 days public holiday and 2½ privilege days taken at fixed times during the year).
- Training opportunities, performance-related pay and access to the Met Office sports and social club.
- The potential to work in different areas within the same organisation, but note that employees are expected to complete 24 months in post before applying for alternative posts within the Met Office.
Starting salaries
The pay range is stated at the top of the job description. Entry to the Met Office is normally at the pay range minimum.
Relocation
Unless stated in the job advert and job description, financial support is not available for candidates to move to the job location.
Payment of interview expenses
Candidates invited for interview will only be paid expenses if stated in the invite to interview letter.
Mobility
Appointed staff will normally have a full mobility clause written into their employment contract. A small number of roles have a limited mobility obligation.
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