Senior Research Software Engineer (Python Specialist)

Classification: ANU Officer 8 (Specialist)
Salary package: $112,693 - $120,506 per annum, plus 17% superannuation
Term: Full-time, Continuing (Contingent Funded), funded up to 3 years

• Flexible working arrangements to encourage a healthy work/life balance, including consideration of part-time roles and remote work.
• Exceptional workplace culture with a supportive, diverse and inclusive team.
• Great work location with world-class staff amenities including gyms, swimming pool, childcare centres, etc.
• Excellent remuneration and conditions, including 17% superannuation contributions, annual leave loading and a range of benefits

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 established as 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, machine learning, 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 Role
Are you a talented software developer looking for an exciting opportunity at the cutting edge of climate science? Working closely with Australian university research partners, the focus of the Ice Sheet Modelling team is on developing new tools, workflows, data analysis and modelling capabilities for the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM) for integration with the ACCESS model suite and to support the Australian cryosphere modelling community.

Responsibilities include:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, external project partners and scientific researchers to understand requirements and translate them into technical specifications.
• Design and develop scalable, efficient, and maintainable Python code for data analysis and processing.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM) across the ACCESS modelling framework.
• Interpret and translate legacy and cross-language code into Python.
• Create data visualisation tools and techniques to present complex information in a clear and intuitive manner.
• Optimise code performance and reliability through testing, debugging, and refactoring.
• Stay up to date with the latest developments in Python, data science, and related technologies.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of earth system modelling, climate change and high-performance computing to help address major challenges facing society. The role of Senior Research Software Engineer will have demonstrated experience in working as part of a development team, attention to detail, flexibility, and the ability to prioritise tasks to accomplish both short- and long-term goals. As this is a new team and project, initiative and the ability to self-motivate and learn new skills as needed is highly important.

It is essential that you can work with others, contribute to a range of 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, each 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 world, then please get in touch to find out more about the position.

Skills and Requirements
Required:

• Proven experience (+3 years) in Python code development, with a focus on data analysis and scientific computing.
• Strong proficiency in Python libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, and Matplotlib.
• Experience in MATLAB.
• Solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, and software design principles.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Commitment to a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace environment.
• Passionate about working in an organisation that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and wellbeing.

Desirable:

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Earth Sciences or related field.
• Experience in C++ and Fortran.
• Familiarity with high-performance and/or cloud computing platforms.
• Familiarity with version control systems such as Git, Python package deployment (e.g. conda, PyPI) and documentation generation (e.g. Read the Docs, Sphinx).
• Experience working with geospatial data formats, standards and tools (e.g., GIS, Python).
• Linux/Unix experience.

For further information, please contact Mike Tetley (Ice Sheet Modelling Team Lead): michael.tetley@anu.edu.au

The University actively encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For more information on employment opportunities at the ANU, visit https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/diversity-inclusion/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-employment

ANU values diversity and inclusion and believes employment opportunities must not be limited by socio-economic background, race, religion or gender. For more information about staff equity at ANU, visit https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/diversity-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 two 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 applicant must have the right to live and work in Australia.
The successful candidate will be required to undergo a background check during the recruitment process. An offer of employment is conditional on satisfactory results.