Grade: A2, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations
Reference no.: AP12-01
Location:
ECMWF Headquarters at Shinfield Park, near Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Environment:
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast s (ECMWF) is an international organisation supported by 34 States*.
ECMWF’s principal objectives are the development of numerical methods for medium range, monthly and seasonal weather forecasting ; the preparation, on a regular basis, of these weather forecasts for distribution to the meteorological services of the Member States; scientific and technical research directed to the improvement of these forecasts; and the collection and storage of appropriate meteorological data. Satellite and in situ observations provide the information for up-to-date global analyses and reanalyses of the atmosphere, ocean and surface.
For details see:
ECMWF’s main computing facility includes supercomputers, archiving and data handling systems. ECMWF is connected to the meteorological telecommunication system and to its Member States via efficient networks linking 44 countries. A detailed description is available at:
Main duties:
The User Support Section is part of the Computer Division in the Operations Department. It plays a vital role in helping a growing user community meet tight deadlines through the provision of advice on the use of the computing services and the swift diagnosis and resolution of technical and procedural problems.
User Support provides second-line support and is the main interface between the user community and other ECMWF staff, which requires a good understanding of both the users’ needs and the computer services offered by ECMWF. The successful candidate will work in a team of five staff.
User Support staff:
• provide technical advice, support, and training on the use of ECMWF computing services
• develop and maintain web-based documentation
• install and maintain program libraries and other software packages
• develop scripts/tools to facilitate the usage of ECMWF computing services
• liaise with users (approximately 200 local users and 2,500 remote users) and the other sections within ECMWF
• organise and support training courses and other meetings
Qualifications:
A university degree, or equivalent, in a discipline related to IT, science or mathematics is required, together with at least two years’ experience in a scientifically-oriented computer centre, preferably providing IT support to users.
The position requires:
• experience in supporting users in the use of IT systems and/or application packages
• a strong background in Unix and/or Linux
• knowledge of a high-level programming language, such as Fortran or C/C++
• knowledge of scripting languages, such as Perl or Python
The successful candidate is expected to have:
• the ability to communicate with and understand the complex requirements of scientists, engineers and professional staff in the deployment of computing solutions
• excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• good analytical and problem-solving skills
• an interest in identifying, investigating and resolving technical problems
• the ability to work under pressure and to interact with demanding users of the IT services
• the flexibility to adapt to changing organisational priorities and user needs
• dedication and enthusiasm to work within a small team
• a commitment to helping researchers in their work
In addition it is considered beneficial to have:
• experience in compiling and running codes on high-performance computing facilities
• some experience of developing or maintaining/supporting scientific codes
• some basic knowledge of meteorology
The working languages of ECMWF are English, French and German. Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and a good knowledge of one of the other working languages would be also desirable. Interviews will be conducted in English.
Staff are normally recruited from among the nationals of the following Member States and Co operating States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Kingdom.
Remuneration:
Typically within the range of £4,202.75 to £5,614.15 basic salary per month net of tax.
Ordinarily, a staff member will be engaged at the lowest step of the grade of the post for which he or she is selected.
A deduction is made from the basic salary for the Pension Scheme and for Partial Invalidity (10.8% for the Pension Scheme and 0.2% for Partial Invalidity). A further 1.24% of basic salary and related allowances is currently deducted for the ECMWF Supplementary Health Insurance Scheme.
Where applicable the following allowances will be paid in addition to the basic salary: household allowance of 6% of basic salary; children’s allowance of £237.44 per child per month; expatriation allowance of 14% or 18% of basic salary for expatriates; education allowance for children of expatriates.
Starting date: As soon as possible.
Length of contract: Maximum of four years for initial contract, with the possibility of renewal.
Applications: an application form in Word format can be and completed on-line. If you download, you may (if near to the closing date) e-mail the completed form only back to ECMWF at . Please note, however, that you must still send your full application form together with all the attachments to ECMWF by post. Under no circumstances should you e-mail your attachments.
Closing date: Completed applications for this post must reach the Personnel Section of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast s not later than 22 February 2012.
