Research Support Specialist - NIWA
NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) is a dynamic research organisation whose purpose is to enhance the economic value and sustainable management of New Zealand's aquatic resources and environments, to provide understanding of climate and the atmosphere and increase resilience to weather and climate hazards to improve safety and wellbeing of New Zealanders. NIWA is New Zealand's largest and pre-eminent provider of climate, freshwater and marine science.
NeSI is a collaboration of four institutions, including NIWA, working in partnership with the Crown, providing High Performance Computing (HPC), analytics, data and consultancy services to the NZ science sector, government initiatives/agencies and industry. NIWA's High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF), a key component of NeSI infrastructure, is used to support both NIWA and NeSI research activities.
What we are looking for:
NIWA is seeking a Researcher Support Specialist to join the NIWA Research Computing and Data Platforms and the NeSI Research Support teams. The Researcher Support Specialist role is a national specialist who provides front-line incident and service request support to researchers (installing, porting, testing, and troubleshooting science codes, machine access, job submissions and workflows).
Based in Wellington, New Zealand
Permanent, full-time 37.5 hours per week)
$90,000-$110,000 depending on skills and experience
This role requires an in-depth awareness and understanding of scientific programming. This role will see you:
Advise researchers on how to apply for and access NeSI infrastructure and services, including assisting with their workflow development and software needs.
Assist in planning and running workshops and training courses.
Providing a friendly and responsive experience working with scientists with a variety of different computational backgrounds, as well as being a trusted adviser.
What you will bring (required skills and experience):
This is a specialised role requiring a background working with scientific applications and previous experience in supporting researchers.
A minimum B.Sc. degree and experience in a computationally intensive field of science, e.g. climate, environmental science, computational physics or chemistry.
Experience of writing, modifying and running scientific software codes.
Evidence of being a strong team player with an ability to support and interact with scientific and technical colleagues.
Evidence of excellent communication skills (written, oral, presentation and listening).
Desired skills and experience:
Preferably a M.Sc. in the disciplines of climate, environmental science, computational physics, or chemistry.
Providing direct support to researchers for their science application needs.
Prior experience in an HPC operating environment.
Fundamental knowledge of parallel programming with MPI/OpenMP.
Exposure to data analytics and machine learning techniques.
Experience in the field of climate or environmental science.
We don't expect candidates will meet every point referenced in the position description but if you think you have what it takes, please still get in touch!
More information:
NIWA offers competitive remuneration and benefits, an attractive waterfront location and the opportunity to work in a collaborative, national, and professional team.
NIWA offers flexible working options (e.g., part-time, flexible start and finish times). We are happy to discuss potential flexible options for this position at the interview stage.
NIWA promotes the importance and value of an inclusive and diverse workforce, including the Rainbow Community, and we pride ourselves on being a family-friendly and supportive workplace.
