Research Software Engineer at Durham University

Durham, England, United Kingdom -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

22 Jan, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

24 Oct, 25

Experience

2 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Yes

Skills

Communication Skills, Research Computing, High Performance Computing, Compiled Languages, Distributed Memory Programming, Accelerator Programming, Debugging, Profiling, Numerical Algorithms, Software Development Best Practices, Professional Development, Problem Solving

Industry

Higher Education

Description

The University At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here. The Role and Department The Directorate of Advanced Research Computing (ARC) provides a broad computational capability to underpin and help define the nature of research and innovation that can be undertaken with the institution. ARC’s mission is to deliver a coherent strategy for the computational support of research: enabling research and innovation to be at the forefront of computational practice; enabling academic leadership through the adoption and evolution of leading technology; fostering associated expertise; and enhancing interdisciplinary collaborations. Leading-edge platforms including High Performance Computing, computational and cutting-edge data analytics methods, and growth and retention of vital capacity in research software engineering and technical R&D are at the core of this endeavour. We organise our activity under three main pillars: 1. Research Computing Platforms 2. Research Software Engineering 3. Developing researcher computational skills Which is delivered by the Administration, Research Computing Platforms (RCP) and Research Software Engineering (RSE) teams. Through collaboration between the Institute for Data Science, Department of Computer Science and ARC, several grants have been secured under the umbrella of the UK’s Digital Research Technology Professionals (dRTP) programme. These projects aim to create an upskilling and code porting landscape – predominantly for simulations and AI running on HPC machinery – for the whole UK DRI community. Their mission includes creating material for the RTP upskilling, running upskilling events, establishing a national performance assessment service, conducting performance assessments and benchmarking case studies, and helping codes to transition into the era of accelerate compute. You will be embedded into the SHAREing (https://shareing-dri.github.io) project team, working closely with the PI and other project members, the RSEs and the platforms team within ARC and realise synergies with related activity within Durham and Nationally. You will contribute to the planning of upskilling events, the establishment a national performance assessment service, conduct performance assessments and benchmark case studies, driving the community’s transition into the era of accelerated compute. We expect the successful candidate to develop specialist knowledge and expertise across several advanced computing technologies that will influence the deliverables that are part of the grant and services delivered by ARC longer-term. The ability to work using one or more of these technologies is therefore essential: Compiled languages (e.g. C/Fortran) Shared and distributed memory programming tools (e.g. OpenMP, MPI) Accelerator programming (e.g. CUDA, OpenCL, SYCL) Serial and parallel debugging and profiling Parallel numerical algorithms and libraries. System software stack administration and novel/experimental hardware. Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description. Working at Durham A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year. We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS). No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme. On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year. Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers). The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community. Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas. Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct, At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered. Your application should cover the following criteria: Essential Criteria Qualifications/Experience 1.Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop excellent working relationships both internally and externally. 2. Educated to PhD degree level (or equivalent experience) in a computing or related compute-intense discipline 3. Ability to rapidly assimilate the research context and understanding the computational and data analytics algorithms, requirements and interfaces involved in research programming projects. 4. Demonstrable experience of managing own time and working on multiple projects 5. Experience of working independently as well as part of a team 6. Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise used to influence service delivery and activities within the organisation. Whilst no single specialism is essential, candidates must be able to demonstrate experience of HPC and the completion of significant work using one or more of these technologies: Compiled languages (C/Fortran) Shared and distributed memory programming tools) (e.g. OpenMP, MPI) Accelerator programming (e.g. CUDA, OpenCL, SYCL) Serial and parallel debugging and profiling Parallel numerical algorithms and libraries System software stack administration and novel/experimental hardware 7. Knowledge of and commitment to software development best practice including issue tracking, testing, documentation, version control, continuous integration, software re-use and deployment. Knowledge of and experience with object-oriented design, design patterns and refactoring. 8. Continuing professional development required to maintain professional recognition. Desire to keep up-to-date and learn about new developments in computational research and an understanding of the landscape of research computing and research programming in the UK and internationally. 9. Experience of solving complex issues: analysing, researching, planning solutions and making pragmatic decisions. Desirable criteria 1. Demonstrable experience in the understanding of performance, portability and correctness. 2. Experience of developing and delivering training materials to others: both within and outside of your domain of expertise. 3. Proven commitment to the broader DRI community and examples of engagement that has influenced others. How to Apply To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above). While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview. Submitting your application We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates. What you need to submit A CV A supporting statement or covering letter which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification. Contact details: Tobias Weinzierl, Director of IDAS and SHAREing PI: tobias.weinzierl@durham.ac.uk Rebecca Appleby, ARC Senior Administrator: rebecca.appleby@durham.ac.uk Samantha Finnigan, Senior Research Software Engineer and RSE Team Lead: Samantha.finnigan@durham.ac.uk Typical Role Requirements Service Delivery/Development Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values. Provide specialist advice and guidance relating to your professional area of expertise in line with the University’s policies, regulations and values. Provide the best possible service by continually reviewing what is required from members of the SHAREing team, collaborators, staff, students and members of the DRI community: contributing ideas towards service improvement. Provide specialist knowledge and support when interpretating and analysing complex data and information sources. Look for ways to improve processes, techniques and outputs/results across all areas of your work. Identify any learning needs that should be met by the underlying DRI service and design activities and arrange any training. Oversee specialist risk assessments and safety procedures and resolve incidents that require specialist expertise. Participate in other ARC/IDAS assignments, as required. Planning and Organisation Provide specialist advice to resolve technical problems, plan projects and continually develop and improve the service. Seek feedback from staff, students and other key stakeholders including the SHAREing project team so that the service is being adapted to meet customer expectations and to plan future requirements. Teaching and Learning Support Design, build and maintain complex, specialist teaching and research apparatus, equipment, instruments, systems and appliances Provide advice on digital tools and infrastructure to ensure an appropriate pedagogical approach to developing world class teaching. Apply maintenance schedules to ensure the safe and efficient use of technology, facilities and services to teaching, research and learning activities. Manage the day-to-day delivery of a high-quality technical and/or experimental facility/platform and service to ensure teaching, research and knowledge exchange outputs. Record, monitor and collate information to analyse patterns and trends as part of teaching and research activities. Be responsible for the design, set-up, maintenance and integrity of teaching, research and learning facilities, technology and resources within a specialist area. Supervise during practical and test teaching and research work activities, projects, and self-directed sessions. Support the delivery of undergraduate and post graduate teaching and learning activities, and income generation, where appropriate. Contribute to the planning, design and delivery of research outputs and prepare innovative teaching/research proposals. Communication/Liaison Provide specialist advice and guidance to ensure compliance with relevant policies. Use your operational expertise to lead and participate in business meetings, working groups and sub-committees. Collaborate with internal and external academics, industry and technical specialists to support the delivery of teaching and research projects and to contribute to the generation of external income. Liaise with internal and external agencies, local authorities, industries and visitors where appropriate. Meet the development needs of your stakeholders providing training when required. Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills and swap information with peers. Contribute to promotional events and presentations at conferences. Any other reasonable duties Further information on the grants can be found via: https://cake-dri.github.io/cake.github.io/ and https://shareing-dri.github.io/sharing.github.io/ Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will contribute to the SHAREing project team, planning upskilling events and establishing a national performance assessment service. They will also conduct performance assessments and benchmark case studies to aid the community's transition into accelerated computing.