Software Scientist II

Pay Grade / Pay Range : Minimum : $74,200 - Midpoint : $100,200 (Salaried E12)

Department / Organization : 750501 - Alabama Water Institute (AWI)

Normal Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 8 : 00am to 5 : 00pm

Job Summary : The Software Scientist II develops, maintains, and extends software components and features for a variety of products. Writes well designed, testable, and efficient software. May supervise or advise lower level Software Scientists.

Additional Department Summary : The Alabama Water Institute at the University of Alabama seeks applications for a Software Scientist II to support a hydrologic model software development projects. AWI is creating a replicable, hybrid HPC-cloud water science environment to support a collaborative experiment to analyze the National Water Model and improve US capacity for critical flood and drought prediction. To support the project, this position will work closely with Assistant Director of DevOps and IT, DevOps Engineers, Managers, System / Site Reliability Engineer, and Research Software Engineers, hydrologic modelers, and experts in geographic information systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and databases.

Works with both AWI technical staff, OIT / UAHPC and external partners to develop software and tools to support hydrologic modeling, data analysis and scientific computing. Builds, optimizes, and maintains complex software applications using a variety of programming techniques and technologies.

Collaborates with water researchers and engineers to design, build, and maintain applications, assisting with all aspects of software design and coding, including code reviews and software testing. Utilizes creativity and innovation to independently solve problems raised by cutting-edge water research.

The applicant must have a high level of interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with academics, researchers, engineers, and students. Demonstrate excellent capacities for personal responsibility, taking initiative, original thinking, and communication skills. Continuation in this position is contingent upon availability of external funding derived from research programs or specific projects.

Required Minimum Qualifications : Master's degree; OR bachelor's degree and two (2) years of software development experience; OR associate's degree and four (4) years of IT experience to include two (2) years of software development; OR High school diploma or GED and six (6) years of IT experience to include two (2) years of software development.

Skills and Knowledge : Works in the CIROH Cyberinfrastructure team assisting with daily operations of HPC clusters and other research services and resources. Strong programming skills in languages such as C, C++, Fortran, Python, or other languages commonly used in HPC environments. Deep understanding of parallel programming paradigms and frameworks like MPI (Message Passing Interface), OpenMP, CUDA, or OpenACC for developing highly parallelized applications. Familiarity with HPC tools and libraries such as SLURM, PBS, LSF for job scheduling, and optimization libraries like Intel Math Kernel Library (MKL) or NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit. Ability to optimize code for performance by understanding hardware architectures, memory management, cache optimization, and vectorization techniques.

Strong understanding of algorithms and data structures, especially those suitable for parallel processing and distributed computing. Understanding of scientific computing principles and applications, including numerical methods, simulation techniques, and computational modeling. Proficiency in using version control systems like Git for collaborative software development and managing code repositories. Skills in debugging and profiling tools to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks and optimization opportunities in HPC applications. Solid knowledge of Linux operating systems and shell scripting for system administration, automation, and managing HPC environments. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex computational challenges and develop efficient solutions. Domain-specific knowledge in areas like physics, engineering, bioinformatics, or finance, depending on the application domain of the HPC projects.

Effective communication skills and the ability to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, and domain experts to understand requirements and deliver solutions. Willingness to stay updated with the latest advancements in HPC technologies, tools, and methodologies through continuous learning and professional development. Ability to document code, algorithms, and methodologies effectively, and prepare technical reports and documentation for projects. Assists faculty and students with HPC use. Supports computational sciences, engineering, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML), and other research fields in hydrology.

Preferred Qualifications : Exposure and / or expertise in hydrology and related disciplines in the Earth sciences. Previous research experience in HPC-related projects, including publications in peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings, showcasing contributions to the advancement of HPC technologies. Specialized skills in specific areas of HPC, such as GPU programming, quantum computing, machine learning for HPC, or cloud-based HPC solutions. Contributions to open-source HPC projects, participation in HPC communities, or involvement in initiatives promoting open science and reproducible research practices.

Background Investigation Statement : Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

Equal Employment Opportunity : The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment / Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC's Know Your Rights : Workplace discrimination is illegal poster.