Scientific Programming and Outreach Graduate

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Salary: £27,938
Hours: Full time
Contract Type:Open Ended.
Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell, Oxfordshire

The Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA), within STFC’s RAL Space Department, serves the environmental science community hosting data centres providing access to datasets ranging from computer simulations of future climate to the latest satellite-based observations of the earth. We are involved in a number of collaborative projects working with organisations, including the Met Office, European Space Agency, and NASA, developing software and systems to facilitate access to, and analysis of, environmental data.

CEDA holds over 20 Petabytes of climate and environmental data and runs infrastructure and services to support UK scientists. CEDA is one of the five environmental data centres which are funded by NERC (the Natural Environment Research Council). We specialise in support for the atmospheric science, including climate change, and Earth Observations and handle large datasets such the climate projections which underpin the climate assessments of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and observations from Europe’s latest space missions.

Researchers rely on CEDA services to investigate pressing issues such as climate change, extreme weather events, air pollution, and many other topics. Working on the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory site, you will be close to other exciting facilities with passionate staff and graduates who are happy to talk about their work. There are weekly presentations by staff across the site and guest lectures on diverse topics.
Our graduates join us in a permanent position, starting a real job from day one. Graduates enjoy two years of formal soft skills together with technical training and development, as well as a direct route to professional accreditation. STFC graduates have the opportunity to build on their degree, taking their understanding, knowledge, and skills to a new level in a multifaceted, creative, collaborative culture.

The Graduate Scheme

The STFC Graduate scheme will give you the opportunity to really pursue your interests and passion early in your journey with us, supported by technical training and a broader programme of career support and training and development.

Our dedicated Graduate Development Team will provide the right combination of challenge and support throughout, helping you achieve your ambitions. We know that professional recognition is also important to you too, so we will provide mentoring and expertise to help you achieve valued qualifications or chartered status in your chosen field.

STFC offers a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance including 30 days’ annual leave, an outstanding index linked pension scheme, 10.5 public and privilege days, Christmas closure and flexible working hours. For more information on our full list benefits, please visit here.

Summary of key duties & responsibilities

We use a wide variety of tools and technologies, from web technologies to data processing tools. These are constantly changing with the needs of the community and the advancement of computing.
Working closely with research organisations, we are often exploring cutting edge technologies and standards and foster an exploratory environment where our staff are encouraged to find new solutions to existing problems. We are experts in bringing people together in collaborative environments to creatively solve problems and get things done. We would expect you to be willing to learn on the job – you will need a creative mindset to thrive in this role.
Using Mac OSX and Windows desktop environments, we develop for a Linux based server environment. Candidates will work developing software predominantly in the Python programming language, integrating with Python and Java web applications. For some projects, we employ Java, JavaScript, C and Bash. Software is deployed using deployment-as-code (Ansible playbooks) to traditional virtual machines or using automated deployments, GitOps and Continuous Integration with container technology (Docker) to our Kubernetes clusters.
We communicate with our user community in a variety of ways (e.g. websites, social media, events), you will be responsible for producing engaging content for our communication channels. Familiarity with creative media software (e.g. Canva, Adobe, Photoshop, InDesign Premier Pro, Movie Maker) would be beneficial – you will be developing your communications skills using some of these tools.

Exposure to some of these things is helpful but not essential - full training provided. You should have a desire to learn and a willingness to try new things in a supportive environment.

In order to apply for the role:

Essential:

• Obtained a first degree bachelors or Masters in a relevant field of study
• Expected or have achieved a 2:1 or above
• The right to live and work in the UK
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong computer literacy skills
• Self-reliance, confidence and self-motivation

Desirable:

• Any exposure to meteorology, climate science, Earth sciences, Earth observation or scientific computing
• Any amount of knowledge or experience with programming in Python or Java, developing software for Linux
• Excellent problem solving and analytic skills, with the ability to contribute these skills to a team
• Familiarity with creative media software e.g. Canva, Adobe, Photoshop, InDesign Premier Pro, Movie Maker
• Experience producing content for social media including engaging images and video
• Demonstrate ability to clearly communicate detailed information to non-experts