Background
As the world becomes more aware of climate change the need for an organisation that brings together the best meteorologists, climatologists and technologists to rise to the challenge has never been greater. If you are the kind of person who wants to make a difference, then we’d like you to become part of this world class team.
We’re the Met Office, the UK national meteorological service. We solve complex technical and meteorological problems in order to predict the weather across the globe and we use those forecasts to help people stay safe and thrive. We work alongside organisations such as NOAA, NASA and NATO, looking at observations from the oceans and far out into space, using cutting edge technology to provide forecasts that range from predicting solar flares, to monitoring ash plumes from volcanic eruptions. We’re the people that use and run some of the world’s most advanced supercomputers to provide the forecast for half of the world’s commercial aircraft whilst still working hard to tell the public whether it is going to rain tomorrow.
Job Purpose
As part of the Supercomputer Support Team you will support, monitor and manage the supercomputer users and systems which support the running of our meteorological forecast and climate prediction models and a lot of the research that goes into continually improving these.
The Supercomputer Support Team is responsible for managing the operating systems and core application software of the Met Office supercomputer complex. The estate currently comprises of one test, one development and two large operational Cray XC40 systems located at Exeter HQ. Our largest Cray XC40 supercomputer is dedicated to research and collaboration and is located at the Exeter Science Park. We are currently in the process of procuring our next-generation supercomputer systems which will come online in the next few years.
The Supercomputer Support Team also operates and helps manage the GW4 Isambard supercomputer service along with HPE Cray and the GW4 Alliance. Located at Exeter HQ the system contains a highly diverse range of emerging compute architectures from ARM, Fujitsu, Nvidia, Intel and AMD which is being used for collaborative research within the GW4 community.
Job Responsibilities
- Provide high quality support to the operational and scientific user community and undertake the practice of investigating, identifying the root cause and resolving reported problems while ensuring an excellent customer experience is maintained at all times.
- Assist with project work so that the supercomputer service continues to meet operational and scientific customer requirements throughout their production lifecycle.
- Document developed systems and services to ensure that they can be used, supported and maintained during their operational lifetime.
- Maintain an understanding of current and emerging supercomputer and high performance computing technologies and how they may be of use to the Met Office by improving support to the business.
Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities
- A qualification in computer science, computing or other numerate subject, equivalent experience or a demonstrable drive to develop your technical skill.
- Demonstrate an enthusiasm for computer technology and an ability to solve abstract technical problems.
- Show evidence of an organised and structured approach to work.
- A proven ability to communicate easily, enthusiastically and professionally with a range of individuals on technical matters.
- Good team-working skills and, when appropriate, the ability to work to your own initiative.
Desirable Qualifications, Skills & Abilities
- Experience or familiarity with Linux system administration.
- Knowledge of supercomputer system design over general-purpose computers and their use here at the Met Office.
- Knowledge of any of the following: shell scripting, Python, networking, configuration management, container use and/or orchestration.
Salary Information
Salary will start at £23,673 with opportunities to progress within the role up to the maximum of £26,119 plus a market supplement of £1,125 and a further £2,000 long term incentive allowance, after 2 years’ service (both discretionary and currently under review).
Our edge of Exeter location is appealing for its proximity to some of the best countryside and beaches in the UK, and we are willing to offer flexible working arrangements where required. We’re a committed equal opportunities employer with an accessible workplace and adaptable tooling.
We offer a great package, which includes:
- Highly competitive contributory Civil Service Pension.
- Flexible hours and homeworking.
- Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (+ Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days after 5 years’ service.
- Annual Leave flexibility with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year.
- Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and ancillary equipment for healthy, low carbon travel.
- Access to discount shopping on a full range of retail, leisure and lifestyle categories.
Additional Supplementary Information
To apply, please apply on our website and attach the most recent version of your CV, along with a cover letter which briefly (no more than two-pages) states your experience against each essential and desirable criteria.
Key Dates: Closing date 07/02/2021 with interviews expected W/C. 22/02/2021. Please note that you will be notified if you are successful or unsuccessful.
Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. If you require any reasonable adjustments during these exercises, please include this information in your application.
At present, all interviews will take place remotely via Microsoft Teams.
For operational reasons this post will be based in Exeter HQ.
This is an exciting opportunity for an individual to work on some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world using cutting edge technologies in a highly regarded Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics centric organisation. It is an especially exciting time to join us as we work towards the replacement of our current supercomputer estate with the next generation of systems due to come online in the next few years. You will learn, alongside the rest of the HPC Team, how to operate, manage and maintain these new systems for our operational, research and collaboration partners.
Don’t worry if you’re new to the world of supercomputing. Your team leader will build a personal development plan with you from the outset, be that through classroom training, e-learning, mentoring, coaching or a combination. All designed to satisfy your drive to learn and equip you with the skills to help us to fulfil our global mission.
This recruitment post is not offering UK Visa and Sponsorship and therefore requires all applicants to be eligible to work within the UK / EU without restriction. If you are a non–EU candidate, you will be required to provide and attach all relevant eligibility documentation to your application at the time of applying.
Please note that successful candidate/s will be required to satisfactorily undergo security clearance checks. This will generally require the candidate to have lived in the UK for at least three out of the last five years.
We recognise that Great Minds Don’t Think Alike. Consequently, the Met Office is committed to working towards being a more diverse and inclusive organisation and to valuing and utilising visible and invisible individual differences. This includes continually striving to create a positive and open environment in which to work, along with ensuring that there are no barriers implicit in our policies or procedures preventing people from performing to the best of their ability. We are a “Disability Confident” employer, Mindful Employer, and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze award for our work on gender equality. We are proud to have a variety of staff-led networks who constantly work with us to enable everyone to fulfil their full potential. We are taking measures throughout our Recruitment process to tackle unconscious bias, and we apply the Civil Service Code to ensure that everyone is recruited on merit, fairness and open competition.