Research Software Engineer - Weather and Climate Data Interchange

The role 

We are in search of a highly motivated Research Software Engineer (A2) to work on an exciting project to harmonise how numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate data are described, stored and used by ECMWF and the users of our data. You will be part of a dynamic team, consisting of scientists and software engineers contributing to the key activities at ECMWF. 

At ECMWF, you will find a passionate community, collectively aiming to bring novel technology and science to the cutting-edge of numerical weather prediction and high-resolution climate modelling. In this role, you will explore and innovate solutions to develop a framework that will be used harmonise access to and understanding of NWP and climate data, facilitating the development of tools that can handle both these data transparently with full understanding of their semantics. This will allow users of data from these related domains to more easily share tools and workflows and concentrate on the science rather than the specifics of the data formats. A particular focus will be on users of the Copernicus Climate Data Store, where a wealth of climate data is made available. This work is an integral part of serving weather and climate data to a growing number of downstream users – our member states, commercial customers, climate scientists, and impact modellers – who are highly reliant on tools that can process data from multiple sources. It is a significant element in our core mission and our commitments as part of European Union (EU) initiatives.

You will have the opportunity to contribute creative insights into the development of this harmonisation framework and to help integrate its use into various tools and systems used to store, distribute and process such data (for example the Climate Data Store), as well as those used directly by weather and climate scientists.

ECMWF has been entrusted by the EU with the implementation and operation of the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the EU Copernicus Programme, and contribute to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. ECMWF is also one of three organisations entrusted to deliver Destination Earth (DestinE), a flagship initiative of the European Commission to develop highly accurate digital replicas, Digital Twins (DTs), of the Earth on a global scale.

In the framework of ECMWF’s contribution to the Copernicus Programme, you will work on a software framework that will harmonise the handling of various datasets from sources such as the Climate Data Store and ECMWF’s MARS archive. You will work most closely on the development of EarthKit, which will become the preferred way for weather and climate scientists to access and process this data.

For more information on EarthKit see .

The Team

This position is based in the Foundational Software Services Team in the Development Section. The team is responsible for the development and maintenance of software building blocks and complete applications in the areas of data processing, workflow management and visualisation. It is also responsible for deployment, packaging, and testing of multiple software packages. These packages are made available inside and outside ECMWF, both as standalone packages (such as ecCodes, MIR, Magics and ecFlow) and contained in the all-in-one meteorological workstation software Metview. The team also develops the new EarthKit software stack which modernises and harmonises data handling, enabling efficient data access, analysis, visualisation and directly supports ECMWF’s machine learning developments.

About ECMWF 

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world-leader in weather and environmental forecasting. As an international organisation we serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions and data that is critical for understanding and solving the climate crisis. We function as a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions, holding one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world. The success of our activities builds on the talent of our scientists and experts, strong partnerships with 35 Member and Co-operating States and the international community, some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and the use of innovative technologies and ML across our operations. 

ECMWF has developed a strong partnership with the European Union and implementats and operates the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme of the EU. We also contribute to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring.

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with a main office in Reading, UK, a data centre/supercomputer in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany. We appreciate the need for flexibility and our staff have the option to work in the office as well as remotely up to 10 days/month. 

See  for more info about what we do. 

The Copernicus Programme

Copernicus is the earth observation component of the European Union (EU) space programme. Based on the exploitation of spaced based and in situ (earth-based) observations and scientific models, Copernicus provides information services for land, marine, atmospheric and climate monitoring, as well as emergency management and security. These services, and their free, open and quality assured data and tools, support a range of environmental and security applications across sectors and policy domains. For details, see

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) service provides consistent and quality-controlled information related to air pollution and health, solar energy, greenhouse gases and climate forcing, everywhere in the world. For details, see 

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) service provides authoritative information about the past, present and future climate, as well as tools to enable climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies by policy makers and businesses. For details, see

Main Duties and Responsibilities 

• Contribute to the development of a framework for mapping between Weather Prediction and Climate data fully integrated with the EarthKit ecosystem of components
• Participate in the requirements gathering and specifications for the new framework
• Contribute to the design, implementation, deployment, testing, documentation and release of the EarthKit framework and its underlying components
• Collaborate with others at ECMWF and the user community to ensure EarthKit fits their needs
• Adapt existing ECMWF tools to use this framework and encourage community adoption
• Contribute to the integration of this framework into the Copernicus Climate Data Store and ensure it meets user needs

What we are looking for

• Highly collaborative approach to work with the ability to establish excellent working relations with members of other teams at ECMWF as well as external partners
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach, combined with a desire to grow in the role
• Ability to take the initiative and take decisions independently
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts to users and collaborators
• Dedication, passion, and enthusiasm to succeed both individually and across teams of developers
• Highly organised with the capacity to work on a diverse range of tasks to tight deadlines

Education

• Advanced university degree (EQ7 level or above) or equivalent professional experience in computer science or engineering, computational science, physics or natural sciences, mathematics, or a related discipline 

Experience

• Demonstrated experience developing object-oriented software in Python 
• Experience of working and scripting in UNIX environments
• Experience contributing to large-scale software projects, preferably open-source and/or involving multiple software components would be an advantage
• Experience of working with NetCDF, CF convention, WMO/GRIB or Earth Observational data is an advantage

Knowledge and Skills 

• Strong knowledge of software lifecycle maintenance
• Knowledge of some of Python scientific stack (xarray, scipy, pandas, etc) is an advantage
• Ability to write software in a distributed computing or scientific computing environment is an advantage
• Knowledge of the CF conventions is an advantage
• Knowledge of the GRIB and its metadata is an advantage

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel you meet precisely all these criteria.

Candidates must be able to work effectively in English . A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) is an advantage.

Other information 

Grade remuneration:  The successful candidates will be recruited according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. Full details of salary scales and allowances available on the ECMWF website at . 

Starting date:   as soon as possible

Candidates are expected to relocate to the duty station. 

Interviews by videoconference (MS Team) are expected to take place shortly after the closing date. 

Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions.

Who can apply

Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on the apply button below.

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States as well as nationals of European Union member states. 

ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. 

In these exceptional times, we also welcome applications from Ukrainian nationals for this vacancy.

Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.