Job Description

The main goal of the Hydrometeorological Applications Program is to provide relevant information to high-impact weather, flood warning, and water resource decision makers through directed and basic research and development in hydrometeorology, aerosol-precipitation interactions, very short term precipitation nowcasting, cloud microphysical modeling, and winter weather.

Applications focused on water resources, flood warnings and control, winter weather precipitation events, and weather modification are growing at a rapid rate. Earth’s water supply, when considered on a regional basis, may not be sustainable relative to agricultural and industrial practices of the last century. RAL is motivated to building this research area to meet the needs of national (federal, state, county and municipal) and international organizations in the public and private sectors and to make a significant contribution to the science of hydrometeorology.

What You Will Do:

This is a full-time two-year (with possibility of extension), exempt professional position.  The new hire will work as part of a larger team at NCAR to create more robust and transferrable scientific Fortran code for many models at NCAR, including WRF-Hydro, the National Water Model (NWM), the Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research model (ICAR), SnowModel, NoahMP, MPAS, WRF, UFS, and others.  At the SEII level, they will contribute to the design, development, testing, and documentation of the model. At the SE III level, they will be responsible for Fortran code documentation, standardization, computational benchmarking and regression testing, designing and developing new Modern Fortran code.

Responsibilities:

SE II level:

Participate in the design, implementation and testing of various software components developed in Fortran, as well as support and maintain existing Fortran-based software related to the project. Assist in the troubleshooting of problems in deployed real-time software systems.
Contribute to the development of Modern Fortran code and script standardization processes for various physics based codes and meteorological input processing components in collaboration with other developers.
Document code to ensure all subroutines meet community standards.
Maintain model Fortran source code and Python script repositories.

SE III level:

Independently enhance and maintain Fortran model code and Python script repositories
Design and develop automated system regression testing tools and archival and maintenance of test case/benchmark datasets, both independently, and in collaboration with, other developers.
Design, evaluate and optimize advanced parallel computing methods and numerical solvers, written in Fortran, with minimal assistance.
Develop new Modern Fortran model code and script standardization processes for many different physics sub-components and meteorological input processing components.
Improve internal code documentation to ensure all subroutines meet community standards

What You Need:

Education and Years of Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field
Experience:  At the SE II level, 4-8 years’ relevant experience; at the SE III level, 8-12 years’ relevant experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Designing, developing, testing and implementing complex software systems including real-time workflows

-Level II: demonstrated skill

-Level III: advanced skill

Using Modern and legacy Fortran for numerical / scientific computing.

-Level II: demonstrated skill

-Level III: advanced skill

Programming for numerical modeling systems

-Level II: demonstrated skill

-Level III: advanced skill

Working with gridded model data

-Level II: demonstrated skill

-Level III: advanced skill

Developing parallel programming code for HPC / MPI systems

-Level II: demonstrated skill

-Level III: advanced skill

Requirements for both levels:

Experience in working in a high-performance supercomputing environment
Experience developing with Modern  Fortran language variants and MPI communication libraries; knowledge of Coarray Fortran or other PGAS approaches valuable
Skill in evaluating, interpreting and applying new technical knowledge
Ability to work effectively with scientists, other technical staff, and external user groups
Ability to work both independently and as a member of a development team
Skill in communicating technical concepts and ideas, both orally and in writing
Demonstrated capability to build and maintain dynamic, online documentation
Excellent written and oral communications skills

Applicant Notes:

An Inclusion Statement will be required for all applicants advancing to an in-person interview. If requested, this statement should address past efforts, as well as future vision and plans to advocate for and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization and/or field of work.

A cover letter is required when applying to this position.

A pre-employment screening is conducted in conjunction with an offer for employment. This screening may involve verifying or reviewing any of the following relevant information: restricted parties screening, employment verification, performance records of internal candidates, education verification, reference checks, verification of professional licenses, certifications, and Motor Vehicle Records.  UCAR complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Please note that while the position description details both minimum requirements as well as desired skills and experience, we want to remind applicants that you do not need to have all the desired skills and experience to be considered for this role. If you have the passion for the work along with experience in a related field, you are encouraged to apply. We can provide on-the-job training for the rest.