Scientific Programmer

ERT•College Park, MD

2d•$46,000 - $221,000•Hybrid

About The Position

ERT is seeking a full-time Scientific Programmer to support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) International Desks in College Park, MD, with system upgrades, code migration, training, operational workflow support, and implementation of model and forecasting enhancements. The CPC's mission is to deliver real-time products and information that predict and describe climate variations on timescales from weeks to years, thereby promoting effective management of climate risk and a climate-resilient society. ERT provides scientific support services to CPC by operationally acquiring, processing, and disseminating climate data, information, and analyses, and by conducting research and development to improve prediction techniques and understanding of climate variability and extremes. Duties of the Scientific Programmer include, but are not limited to:

Requirements

Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, or modernizing scientific software and operational workflows in a Linux environment.
Solid experience working with HPC in support of forecast operations
Strong programming skills in Fortran, Python (including scientific Python stack) and ability to refactor or migrate legacy codebases (experience with GEMPAK-based workflows is a plus). Knowledge of GrADS also desired.
Solid experience supporting operational production environments, including automation, cron/scheduling, monitoring, debugging, and incident/problem resolution.
Experience handling and post-processing numerical model datasets (e.g., ensemble/model output) and building repeatable pipelines for product generation.
Ability to write clear documentation and deliver effective training to technical users (including visitors/newcomers).
Willingness to learn and adopt new technologies and methods (e.g., workflow modernization, performance optimization, AI/ML where appropriate).
Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to access applicable government information and systems.
Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science, Meteorology, Hydrology/Hydroclimate, Computer Science, or a related discipline (or equivalent relevant experience). PhD preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and/or support the migration of CPC International Desk workflows from legacy GEMPAK-based development to Python-based development (CPCI v7.0).
Lead and/or support regionalized NCEP GFS and GEFS postprocessing and transitioning to operations in support of the WMO Severe Weather Forecast Project (SWFP).
Refactor, validate, and document code to ensure operational readiness, maintainability, and reproducibility.
Coordinate testing and delivery milestones supporting planned code delivery
Support implementation and transition activities for NMME v3 for the International Desk, including updates needed for ingest, post-processing, and product generation.
Assist with operational readiness activities
Maintain and improve operational workflows supporting International Desk production, including job scheduling, monitoring, troubleshooting, and continuity support across platforms.
Provide hands-on support for operational cron jobs and related automation on the CPC compute farm and WCOSS platform.
Provide training support for International Desk visitors and staff on:
International Desk website tools and publishing workflows
Post-processing of model data and generation of operational products
Practical operational procedures (cron jobs, platform usage, troubleshooting patterns)
Develop and maintain training materials and quick-reference guides to support repeatable onboarding and knowledge transfer.
Provide data handling and support for climate forecasting studies, including accessing, transforming, and organizing model and observational datasets used by the International Desk.
Support evaluation/verification workflows where needed to improve product utility and performance.
Carry out other contingent tasks to support mission needs, operational continuity, and evolving CPC priorities.

Benefits

Medical, Rx, Dental, and Vision Insurance
401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
11 Paid Federal Government Holidays
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Basic Life & Supplemental Life
Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
Employee assistance program (EAP)
Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
Skills Development & Certifications
Professional Membership Reimbursement
Employee Referral Program
Competitive compensation plan
Discretionary variable incentive bonuses based on factors such as individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance
Publication and Conference Presentation Awards with bonuses