Research Software Engineer

Job description

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University.

Further information about the University can be found here.

The Department and Role Purpose

The Directorate of Advanced Research Computing (ARC) provides a focal point for a broad computational capability that underpins and helps define the nature of research and innovation that can be undertaken with the institution.

ARC's mission is to deliver a coherent strategy for the computational support of for research: enabling research and innovation to be at the forefront of computational practice; enabling academic leadership through the adoption and evolution of leading technology; fostering associated expertise; and enhancing interdisciplinary collaborations. Leading-edge platforms including High Performance Computing, computational and cutting-edge data analysis methods, and growth and retention of vital capacity in research software engineering and technical R&D are at the core of this endeavour.

As a part of a team of Research Software Engineers you will be working as an integral part of the ARC operation providing a critical role for delivery of this significant, strategic University-wide initiative, requiring a collaborative 'member of research team' approach, commensurate with the University's global research aspirations. Since 2019 the team has grown significantly and has built upon the success of recent funding awards including EPSRC Tier-2, ExCALIBUR, STFC IRIS.

For this particular post the candidate will be working full-time on the JUNE model for the simulation of epidemic spread in large-scale populations. This is high-profile work in collaboration with national and international partners, including, among others, the UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA, successor of Public Health England), the National Health Service, the Data-Science / Public-Health team at New Zealand's crown research institute ESR, Statistics Canada (StatsCan) and Public Health Agency Canada (PHAC), and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The post-holder is expected to develop and draw upon deep technical and appropriate domain knowledge to ensure that the project objectives are achieved, and to form strong collegiate research relationships with relevant stakeholders within the institution and the wider JUNE collaboration. The post holder will provide specialist knowledge to colleagues within the research community, consultation and ensure effective knowledge transfer both across the institution and externally and share their current state of practice with the national and international RSE community. The post holder will be encouraged to develop their own areas of specialism, in line with the overall objectives and activities of ARC and have the opportunity to provide leadership to others as the team grows.

As a support unit that spans all Faculties across the University, we encourage applications from experienced individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds and domains. ARC encourages flexible working and welcomes applications from candidates wanting to be part time or part of a job share arrangement.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year.
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolledinto the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.

As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct, At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.

Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery/Development

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University's values.
• Provide specialist expertise as a Research Software Engineer and support with complexity of data and information sources, workflow, interpretation and analysis in line with the University's policies, regulations and values.
• Provide the best possible service by continually reviewing what is required from staff, students and others who you work with and contribute to ideas and service improvements.
• Provide specialist knowledge and support when interpreting and analysing complex data and information sources.
• Look for ways to improve processes, techniques and outputs/results across all areas of your work and implement the changes for multiple research project streams.
• Identify any learning needs that should be met by Staff and Postgraduates and design activities and arrange any training.
• Oversee specialist risk assessments and safety procedures and resolve incidents that require specialist expertise.

Planning and Organisation

• Provide specialist advice to resolve technical problems, plan projects and continually develop and improve the service.
• Seek feedback from users and other key stakeholders so that the JUNE model is being adapted to meet customer expectations and to plan future requirements.

Teaching and Learning Support

• Design, build and maintain the development, modification, optimisation and oversight of protocols for JUNE code review and issue tracking and resolution.
• Provide advice on digital tools and infrastructure to ensure an appropriate pedagogical approach to developing world class teaching
• Apply maintenance schedules to ensure the safe and efficient use of technology, facilities and services to teaching, research and learning activities.
• Manage the day-to-day delivery of a high-quality technical and/or experimental facility/platform and service to ensure teaching, research and knowledge exchange outputs.
• Record, monitor and collate information to analyse patterns and trends as part of teaching and research activities.
• Be responsible for the design, set-up, maintenance and integrity of teaching, research and learning facilities, technology and resources within a specialist area.
• Supervise service users during practical and test teaching and research work activities, projects, and self-directed sessions.
• Support the delivery of undergraduate and post graduate teaching and learning activities, and income generation, where appropriate.
• Contribute to the planning, design and delivery of research outputs and prepare innovative teaching/research proposals.

Communication/Liaison

• Provide specialist advice and guidance on University health and safety and compliance issues.
• Use your operational expertise to lead and participate in business meetings, working groups and sub-committees.
• Contribute to the broader community of Practice for Research Software Engineers, acting as a key point of reference to the community within area of specialism.
• Collaborate with internal and external academics, industry and technical specialists to support the delivery of teaching and research projects and to contribute to the generation of external income.
• Liaise with internal and external agencies, local authorities, industries and visitors where appropriate.
• Meet the development needs of your stakeholders providing training when required.
• Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills and swap information with peers.
• Contribute to promotional events and presentations at conferences.

• Any other reasonable duties.

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Essential Criteria

1. Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop excellent working relationships both internally and externally.

2. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience) in a computing or related/applied discipline.

3. Proven advanced IT skills, commensurate with the role.

4. Ability to rapidly assimilate the research context and understanding the computational and data analysis algorithms, requirements and interfaces involved in research programming projects.

5. Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise used to influence service delivery and activities within the organisation, whilst no single specialism is essential, candidates must be able to demonstrate experience of Python, HPC and the completion of significant work using one or more of these technologies:

◦ Shared and distributed memory programming tools) (e.g. OpenMP, MPI, CUDA)

◦ Make and other build and installation management tools

◦ Machine learning libraries such as Tensorflow or Pytorch

◦ Serial and parallel debugging and profiling

◦ Parallel numerical algorithms and libraries

◦ Cloud computing and virtualization, containerization, Docker

6. Ability to rapidly acquire fluent knowledge of new programming languages, libraries and platforms. Advanced skills in the use of languages for numerically-intensive research and data analysis e.g. Fortran, C++, Python, Perl and R.

7. Knowledge of and commitment to software development best practice including issue tracking, testing, documentation, version control, continuous integration, software re-use and deployment. Knowledge of and experience with object-oriented design, design patterns and refactoring.

8. Continuing professional development required to maintain professional recognition. Desire to keep up-to-date and learn about new developments in computational research and an understanding of the landscape of research computing and research programming in the UK and internationally.

9. Ability to solve problems and resolve issues, plan solutions, and make pragmatic decisions. Experience of analysing, researching, and solving complex programming problems.

10. Knowledge and expertise in multiple areas of technical specialism, and the application of advanced skills to create, build, construct, analyse and realise new and innovative resources, equipment and research outputs. Experience of teaching/research project working within an educational, commercial or industrial environment.

Desirable Criteria

11. Masters / PhD in a relevant discipline (or equivalent experience).

12. Demonstrable experience of managing own time and working on multiple projects

13. Experience of working independently as well as part of a team

14. Knowledge and expertise in multiple areas of technical specialism, and the application of advanced skills to create, build, construct, analyse and realise new and innovative resources, equipment and research outputs.

15. Experience of teaching/research project working within an educational, commercial or industrial environment.

16. Demonstrable ability to teach or train others with specific technical skills, and the operation of standard and complex scientific, technical and creative equipment.

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don't forget to check if there are any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online.We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from oure-recruitmentsystem. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

Recruiting to this post

In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. You may also wish to refer to the optional 'Realising Your Potential Approach' section.

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend your evidence all criteria in your application.

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at the interview stage.

What you need to submit

• A CV: and
• A supporting statement or covering letter which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.
• Optional - EDI Statementwhich should include your personal views on how this affects or benefits the workplace.

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details

For further information please contact:

Dr Alan Real, Director ARC [email protected]

Prof Frank Krauss, JUNE project lead [email protected]

Rebecca Appleby, ARC Administrator [email protected]