FDRI - Research Software Engineer

UKCEH is looking for an Environmental Research Software Engineer to join our team, contributing to scientific discovery and generating the data, insights and solutions that researchers, businesses and governments need to solve complex environmental challenges.  

Working at UKCEH is rewarding. Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.   

As a valued member of our team, you’ll get:  

• 27 days annual leave, rising to 29 days after five years   
• 10% employer pension contribution  
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave   
• 24 hour, 365-day access to support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues plus access to our trained Welfare Officers  
• Flexible working opportunities  

And much more...  

You’ll be joining our acclaimed Water Resources science area, working on our exciting Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure project with software developers, data scientists and support technicians responsible for the design, development and maintenance of UKCEH-led environmental data monitoring software and systems.   

You will contribute to the design and development of software systems for managing and processing data from a range of monitoring systems, such as sensors and UAVs, including development of aspects of structured data storage, processing workflows, APIs and user interfaces. You’ll have a hand in all stages of the development life cycle; from the design, prototyping, implementation, deployment to ongoing maintenance. You will make use of, and help develop, our supporting infrastructure, cloud-based collaborative research platforms and environmental data API’s.  

You will be working as part of a larger team of experienced software developers and engineers, with significant opportunities to develop your skills and work across several different areas of research software engineering.  

You’ll be joining a leading independent, not-for-profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH.  

Your main responsibilities will include:   

• Designing and developing new software systems and digital infrastructure, with a focus on environmental monitoring solutions  
• Working in an Agile development environment to deliver software as part of a larger team of developers and infrastructure engineers  
• Providing expert level knowledge and skills to develop, improve, maintain and support other high quality software solutions fulfilling the requirements of research projects 
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs, then developing software tools to meet those needs  
• Improving automation of quality control processes for observational network data  
• Keeping up to date with the latest developments in software engineering and data management  

FDRI will be delivering a range of new digital solutions, using new technologies to support hydrological research, including cloud-based IoT data streaming for environmental monitoring; access, storage and sharing of hydrological data from a range of organisations; APIs for standardised data access; and web-based platforms for modelling and analytics. FDRI will be supporting next-generation, data-intensive research to build resilience to floods and droughts in the UK, and the digital platforms will be essential in achieving this  

For the role of Environmental Research Software Engineer, we’re looking for somebody who has:  

• A degree in Geography, Environmental science, Physics, Mathematics or Computing, or equivalent   
• Experience in designing, developing and maintaining software applications, preferably within an agile environment  
• Experience of commercial cloud environments  
• Demonstrable knowledge of software development best practice (e.g python), including version control, testing, devops and documentation   
• Previous experience of the use and management of environmental or other data would be beneficial  

If we’ve just described you, we’d love to meet. To apply, please send us your CV, accompanied by a covering letter which highlights any relevant skills and experience you feel would be well suited for this particular role.