Research Software Engineer

Classification: ANU Officer 6/7 (Specialist) 
Salary package: $95,987 – $110,489 per annum plus 17% superannuation 
Term: Full Time, Continuing (contingent funded)

This position is continuing (contingent funded). The funding that supports this project has an expected end date of 30 June 2028.

About Us

ACCESS – The Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator – is a collaborative venture between Government and the Australian research community to support development, maintenance and access to climate and weather models and data.   

Hosted at ANU, ACCESS-NRI (ACCESS National Research Infrastructure) is a multi-party collaborative venture responding to the current and future needs of Australia’s scientific, Government and stakeholder community.  

At the heart of ACCESS is a community of Research Software Engineers with a range of skills including high-performance computing, climate and Earth system model development, advanced visualisation, model optimisation, code repository management, model evaluation and data science. 

ACCESS-NRI provides a supportive and enriching workplace for its staff through its strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and wellbeing initiatives. Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other people that will increase the diversity of the ACCESS community are strongly encouraged to apply. 

The Position

We seek a Research Software Engineer with knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas:  

• Software development, including best practice testing and curation and maintenance of code repositories 

• DevOps (including experience with Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Development (CD) pipelines) 

• Full-stack web development, microservices and API design 

• Building and packaging software (experience with scientific software especially valuable) 

• Containers, Kubernetes, Singularity and/or other HPC and cloud technologies 

You will join the Model Release Team and contribute to creating a class-leading system for testing and deploying ACCESS Models and developing and maintaining infrastructure for tracking their use and provenance. 

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of earth system models, climate change and high-performance computing to help address major challenges facing society. 

The Person

The role of Research Software Engineer will have demonstrated experience in working as part of a software development team, attention to detail, flexibility, and ability to prioritise tasks to accomplish both short- and long-term goals. Ability to self-direct and learn new skills as needed matters more than knowledge of any specific software package, as does an interest and demonstrated aptitude for picking up new skills and technologies and running with them. We are committed to an enriching work environment, and are prepared to invest in those we appoint, to develop skills that may be missing or enhance those you already possess. ACCESS-NRI represents a uniquely cross-disciplinary work environment that enables significant opportunities for broadening the skills and knowledge of those who choose to join us. 

It is essential that you can work with others, contribute to varied projects as needed, and be able to balance ongoing maintenance and support with scoping and delivery of new projects and other longer-term deliverables. The role has a mixture of internal and external stakeholder engagement, with varied technical and non-technical backgrounds.

If this sounds like you, and you are excited to support innovative research and play an active role in making a difference in the field of climate modelling, then please get in touch to find out more about the position.   

Skills and Experience 

Highly Desirable:   

• Linux/Unix experience 

• Experience with a programming language used in a scientific context (e.g., Python, Fortran, C/C++) 

• Software development and maintenance experience with modern version control systems (e.g., git and GitHub/GitLab) 

• Ability to interact and communicate effectively across disciplines 

• Self-learner, good listener, accountable and passionate about helping others as well as working in a collaborative team environment  

• Detail-oriented with an ability to handle multiple issues, tasks and competing priorities concurrently 

• Remain up to date on latest trends and technologies 

• Commitment to a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace environment 

Desirable:  

• Scientific background and/or experience developing scientific software 

• Experience working in an HPC environment 

• Experience with software testing best practice (e.g. pytest) 

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines 

• Experience with software build systems and software packaging and deployment (e.g. conda, pip, spack) 

• Database experience (e.g., Django, PostgreSQL) 

• Containerisation (e.g. docker and singularity) 

• Web front-end, back-end, or full-stack development experience (e.g. Django) 

The above skills should be referred to when addressing the selection criteria. They represent a wide spread of the potential activities for the role, but not all are necessary. We encourage you to apply if you are excited and think you are a good match. 

For further information, or if you’re unsure about applying, please contact Aidan Heerdegen, E: aidan.heerdegen@anu.edu.au 

The University actively encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For more information on employment opportunities, contact our Indigenous Employment Consultant on indigenous.employment@anu.edu.au 

ANU values diversity and inclusion and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to those of all backgrounds and identities. For more information about staff equity at ANU, visit https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/respect-inclusion

Application information

In order to apply for this role please make sure that you upload the following documents:

• A statement addressing the selection criteria.
• A current curriculum vitae (CV) which includes the names and contact details of at least three referees (preferably including a current or previous supervisor). If your CV does not include referees you can complete these online when prompted in the application form.
• Other documents, if required.

Applications which do not address the selection criteria may not be considered for the position.

Please note: The successful candidate must have rights to live and work in this country and will be required to undergo a background check during the recruitment process.  An offer of employment is conditional on satisfactory results.