Research / Senior Research Software Engineer

at  The National Oceanography Centre

Research / Senior Research Software Engineer
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton or Liverpool
Permanent
We are happy to consider candidates on a full time or part-time basis, ideally working at least 15 hours per week.
This position can be offered at either Band 5 or Band 6, depending on experience:
Band 5: £50,017 - £55,016
Band 6: £40,444 - £44,366
Who are we?
We are the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - the UK’s centre of excellence for oceanographic sciences. We are a national research organisation, delivering integrated marine science and technology from the coast to the deep ocean.
We are made up of a dynamic and vibrant community whose focus is on improving the world in which we live. Our work is balanced by our strong sense of purpose, values and behaviours and an unwavering commitment to a ‘one NOC’ approach.
We have a rich history dating back to 1949, and our future has never looked more exciting as we aim to be the world’s most innovative oceanographic institution.
About these roles
This position is part of the Research Software Engineer (RSE) team within the Digital Ocean programme. The team’s goal is to produce high-quality, custom-built software tools and applications to support innovation across NOC. The projects carried out by this team are highly varied in size and scope, encompassing topics such as Big Data analysis, interactive visualisation, robotics and autonomous systems, Internet of Things and the development of Digital Twins.

We are seeking to grow a flexible, agile team with a diverse range of skills, including (but not limited to):

• Web application development (front-end, back-end or full-stack)
• Data analysis and visualisation
• Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• High-performance and high-throughput computing
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including web-based GIS
• Building operational data pipelines
• Containerisation, virtualisation and cloud computing

Our primary languages are Python and JavaScript, but the team also works with code in other languages including Matlab, R, Java, Fortran. We rely heavily on scripting languages and workflow managers including Shell Script and Cylc. Source code is managed using Git, with automated testing and continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD). Software is packaged using Docker and Singularity/Apptainer containers or Conda/Python environments and deployed on virtual machines, Kubernetes systems and on high performance computing systems running Slurm.
The RSE team frequently run training courses for researchers across NOC, many of these use material from the Carpentries and teach using a live participatory coding style. We welcome applications from existing Carpentries instructors and will endeavour to get any new members who aren’t instructors trained up as soon as possible. The team also supports the wider NOC software developer community by running online communities, drop in help sessions, software show and tells, hackathons and helping to run away days for all our software developers.
These roles provide excellent opportunities for working across many areas of ocean science and learning a wide variety of new skills, as part of a growing community of RSEs at NOC.
About you
You will be a software developer who is strongly motivated by the opportunity to apply your skills to meet the challenges of oceanographic research. You will have some experience and interest in one or more of the areas listed above, but will also be eager to develop your skills and learn new programming languages and technologies. Specific knowledge of oceanography or other areas of environmental science is helpful, but not required.
You will be a strong team player, but will also be self-starting and proactive in working with users and identifying solutions. You will care about the quality of the software you produce, following good software engineering practices and listening to feedback from users.
We are seeking to grow the team with a range of levels of experience and are happy to consider candidates at band 5 (Senior RSE) or band 6 (RSE) for this position. You can find more information in the attached job descriptions.

Applicants at Band 5 in particular will be expected to demonstrate how they can:

• take a leading technical role in projects, particularly those with a higher degree of complexity;
• support the Head of Ocean Informatics in driving improvements to our processes and developing the RSE team; and
• contribute to revenue generation, by providing technical input to funding applications.

Why the NOC?
We offer a generous set of benefits including 30 days annual leave, plus 3.5 local closure days and 8 public bank holidays, and a contributory Group Personal Pension Plan.
We promote an inclusive and supportive environment where our people can meet their full potential.
The NOC is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. There is a guaranteed interview scheme for suitable candidates with a disability and we welcome applications from ethnic minorities currently under-represented. The NOC is an Investors in People organisation.
Location
This position can be based in Southampton or Liverpool. Our Southampton site is well connected by public transport and has ample cycle parking in addition to free onsite car-parking with over 40 EV charging points. The Liverpool centre is part of the University campus and is only a short walk from the city centre and Lime Street station.
The NOC has a hybrid working approach where for most positions staff can work from home up to 2 days per week. If you are interested in this position, but require a more flexible working arrangement, please contact the recruitment team using the contact details below.
We can support visa applications where required. For overseas applicants who are willing to move to the UK we may be able to offer financial support with relocation.
How to apply:
Please click ‘Apply for this job’ and submit an up-to-date CV and cover letter. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the NOC recruitment team at careers@noc.ac.uk / 07590 805967.
Before submitting your application please ensure you have reviewed the attached job description and person specification.
Date advert posted: 5th April 2024.
Closing date: 10th May 2024. Please note this vacancy may close earlier depending on the number of applicants.
Please note we are not accepting applications via recruitment agencies for this position.
Assessing applications
All applications to the NOC are reviewed by a real-life person, not a computer programme. Attached to our adverts you will find a ‘Job Description and Person Specification’ document which clearly sets out the criteria against which applications are assessed. Once assessed the most suitable candidates will be invited to interview.
If you have been selected for interview we will be in touch to arrange a time and date. If you haven’t been selected for interview we will let you know, although we may not be able to give detailed feedback to every applicant

Please refer the Job description for details