The role
ECMWF has an exciting new opening for a motivated Data Engineer (A2). In this role you will work on the mapping between the meteorological data formats GRIdded Binary (GRIB) and Climate and Forecast NetCDF (CF-NetCDF).
As a member of the Data Archives and Dissemination Services (DADS) Team within the Production Services Section you will hold a central function in improving the quality of metadata. You will work closely with the colleagues in the DADS team, the Data Governance (DGOV) facilitators, and our Development Section. Contributing to the EU's Copernicus Programme this includes collaborating daily with developers involved in the design, development and testing of new toolsets. You will also liaise with key research scientists who are the domain experts behind ECMWF’s numerical weather prediction and Copernicus-funded climate and atmospheric composition services. Your colleagues in the team and beyond will be based across our offices in Reading, Bonn and Bologna.
The team you will be working in is responsible for the archiving of operational and research data into the MARS archive and Fields DataBase (FDB), and the generation and dissemination of ECMWF’s products (PGEN). The team works closely with colleagues across the Centre, particularly when working on issues related to data formats.
The challenge
The data format made available to different user communities can be a barrier to maximising data usage. Data presented in GRIB may not be used by groups who work primarily with NetCDF (Network Common Data Form), and vice versa. The quantity and quality of the metadata provided can also be variable and restrict interoperability and reusability (FAIRness). GRIB is the primary data format used by ECMWF and represents the largest fraction of the data produced and archived. However, a large proportion of ECMWF’s end users, in particular users of the Copernicus Programme's Climate and Atmosphere Data Stores (CDS, ADS), retrieve data in NetCDF. Our existing tools used to create NetCDF data from GRIB are no longer capable of adequately satisfying the multitude of use cases and need to evolve to serve the growing demand in the future. In taking up this role and challenge we will provide training over the first few months to help you build up any additional expertise in data formats and related knowledge that you may need ahead of the main mapping work.
Your responsibilities
* Work with GRIB and CF-NetCDF experts in the DADS team to develop and maintain a mapping, and a common data model using ontologies and code lists.
* Work systematically and rigorously through the large inventory of meteorological parameters generated by ECMWF, starting with those currently produced in operations and made available through the CDS and ADS.
* Capture the mapping requirements of each parameter and forecasting system.
* Support the development of new NetCDF attributes for parts of the mapping that currently do not exist in the CF-NetCDF convention.
* Contribute toproposals for new attributes to submit to the CF-NetCDF convention and to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Expert Team on Data formats (ET-Data) for inclusion in the manual on codes.
* Work with the developers involved in the design, development and testing of new toolsets
What we are looking for
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to communicate with a wide range of technically skilled colleagues at ECMWF and in partner organisations, also to non-technical staff.
* Dedication and enthusiasm to work as part of a team, taking initiative to work collaboratively with other team members and project partners.
* Ability to work independently, but to know when it is important to seek advice.
* Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive continuous improvement approach
* Ability to work with precision and care and having a good awareness of the need to test thoroughly and document changes appropriately.
* Active listener seeking and respecting the views of others.
* Highly organised with the capacity to work on a diverse range of tasks to tight deadlines.
* Flexibility, with a willingness to adapt plans if partner organisations work at different paces, and if priorities shift over time.
Education
* A university degree (EQF Level 6) in physics, mathematics,computer science or a related subject, or equivalent professional experience.
Experience
* Demonstrated experience in delivering results in a project-type environment or a demonstrated ability to follow a methodical approach is essential.
* Experience in programming and use of scripting languages (such as Python) in a UNIX/Linux environment is desirable and will be useful for this role.
* Experience in working with meteorological data formats is an advantage.
* Experience with CF-NetCDF is an asset.
Knowledge and Skills
* Knowledge of standardised data formats for international exchange is required.
* Experience working in a scientific environment is desirable .
* Experience of working collaboratively on software development projects is desirable.
* Knowledge of scientific concepts and standard SI units would be highly desirable.
We encourage you to apply even if you feel you don't precisely meet 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.
About ECMWF
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world leader in Numerical Weather Predictions providing high-quality data for weather forecasts and environmental monitoring. As an intergovernmental organisation we collaborate internationally to serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions, data and training activities that are critical to contribute to safe and thriving societies.
The success of our activities depends on the funding and partnerships of our 35 Member and Co-operating States who provide the support and direction of our work. Our talented staff together with the international scientific community, and our powerful supercomputing capabilities, are the core of a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions. We also hold one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world.
Our mission: Deliver global numerical weather predictions focusing on the medium-range and monitoring of the Earth system to and with our Member States
Our vision: World-leading monitoring and predictions of the Earth System enabled by cutting-edge physical, computational and data science, resulting from a close collaboration between ECMWF and the members of the European Meteorological Infrastructure, will contribute to a safe and thriving society
In addition, ECMWF has established a strong partnership with the European Union and has been entrusted with the implementation and operation of the Destination Earth initiative and the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme, as well as being a contributor 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 its headquarters in Reading, UK, a data centre in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany as a central location for our EU-related activities. ECMWF is internationally recognised as the voice of expertise in numerical weather predictions for forecasts and climate science.
See for more info about what we do.
About 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
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 will be held by videoconference (MS Team). If you require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment process, please contact us. Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions.
Who can apply: At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive and diverse 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 from all EU 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.