Your role
We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated Research Software Engineer (A2) to contribute to ECMWFโs open-source software stack, with a particular focus on the Machine Learning (ML) framework. In this role you will be part of a multidisciplinary team working to support the infrastructure, automation, and software integration needed to develop ECMWFโs next-generation weather forecasting systems and the Digital Twins that ECMWF is implementing in the Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative of the European Union.
At ECMWF, you will join a passionate community collectively aiming to bring novel technology and science to cutting-edge of numerical weather prediction. ECMWF has been the first operational weather centre globally to implement and operate an AI driven weather forecasting model โ marked by the launch of the Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System (AIFS) in February 2025. With recent breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the progress made in AI-driven weather-forecasting, it becomes clear that AI will play a key role in the next generation of forecasting systems. To this end, ECMWF established a dedicated multi-disciplinary group to work on AI-based, innovative solutions to augment the capabilities of DestinEโs Digital Twins.
We are working with our Member States and Cooperating States to build Anemoi (see https://anemoi-docs.readthedocs.io), a high-level machine learning framework to train data-driven weather forecasting models, such as the AIFS. Anemoi enables meteorological organisations to exploit a variety of data sources and recipes to train AI-based forecasting models. This concept has already been demonstrated in an ML-based regional model (see https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/aifs-blog/2024/data-driven-regional-modelling). In the context of DestinE, we are expanding the application of ML to modelling to other Earth system components beyond the atmosphere (e.g. waves, ocean, land, sea-ice and hydrology).
In this role, you will design, test, and implement improvements of the workflows of software packages that enable developing ML-based models and underpin the Anemoi framework. You will identify and develop automation solutions to streamline development, testing and deployment processes for our DevOps infrastructure. This includes ML workflows deployed across different EuroHPC systems in the context of DestinE. Collaborating with colleagues across ECMWF and our Member States, and Cooperating States you will gather and align CI/CD and infrastructure requirements to ensure robust and scalable development practices, such as continuous testing on high-performance platforms like GPU clusters and EuroHPC systems. You will also promote open-source software best practices and establish and maintain standards for scalability, testing, and integration across Anemoiโs components. You will contribute to and have an opportunity to shape a collaborative open-source community, supporting engagement, clear contribution processes, and inclusive collaboration.
The role sits in the Foundational Software Services team in the Development Section in the Forecasts and Services Department. The team is responsible for fundamental software packages developed at ECMWF that deal with data de/encoding, processing and visualisation. These open-source packages are made available inside and outside ECMWF and provide some of the foundations for the Anemoi framework through the โearthkitโ software suite, as well as the foundation of DestinEโs Digital Twin Engine. The team is also responsible for workflow software and the CI/CD systems, including infrastructure, used throughout ECMWFโs software development lifecycle.
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 www.ecmwf.int for more info about what we do.
About DestinE
ECMWF is one of the three entities entrusted to implement the DestinE initiative of the European Commission, alongside with ESA and EUMETSAT as partners. DestinE aims to deploy several highly accurate thematic digital replicas of the Earth, called Digital Twins. The Digital Twins will help monitor and predict environmental change and human impact, in order to develop and test scenarios that would support sustainable development and corresponding European policies for the Green Deal ECMWF is responsible for the delivery of these digital twins and of the Digital Twin engine, the software infrastructure needed to power them onf some of Europeโs largest supercomputers, those of the European HPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC).
The second phase of DestinE covers the period June 2024 โ May 2026, and future phases are foreseen (subject to funding). Phase 2 will focus on early operations with consolidation, maintenance, and continuous evolution of the DestinE system components developed in the first phase. There is also an enhanced focus on ML activities, including the deployment of workflows of components of a ML model for the Earth system, optimisation of the Digital Twin Engine to enable efficient model training and simulations, and other activities. One key element of the ML activities in phase 2 includes training. This shall build on recent ML training initiatives at ECMWF, including the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on ML for Weather and Climate.
(see https://learning.ecmwf.int/course/index.php?categoryid=1)
For more information on DestinE, see https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/destination-earth-destine and https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/what-we-do/environmental-services/destination-earth
ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with a main office in Reading, UK, a data centre/supercomputer in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany. We appreciate the need for flexibility in the way our staff work. We adopted a hybrid work model that is widely used by staff across ECMWF - allowing everyone to work in the office as well as working remotely up to 10 days/month, including away from the duty station.
Your responsibilities
Contribute to ECMWF's open-source software stack, with a strong focus on the Anemoi framework, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, software integration, and automation.Design and implement improvements to release workflows across the multiple Anemoi packages, including proactive identification and development of automation solutions to streamline processes.Promote open-source software best practices, helping to establish and maintain Anemoi framework standards for scalability, testing, and community engagement.Support the testing of new use cases for Anemoi, including the machine learning components of the Earth system prototyped in DestinE, to enable efficient deployment and robust performance monitoring on high-performance platforms such as GPU clusters and EuroHPC systems.Collaborate with ECMWF colleagues and Member States to gather CI/CD requirements, ensuring alignment across development efforts and infrastructure goals.What we're looking for
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive, continuous improvement approach.Initiative and ability to work collaboratively, with other ECMWF teams and external collaborators, but also able to work independently.Ability to maintain a supportive and user-focused approach.Good interpersonal and communication skills.Willingness to occasionally travel within Europe.Dedication, passion, and enthusiasm to succeed both individually and across teams of developers.Highly organised with the capacity to work on a diverse range of tasks to tight deadlines.Your profile
Advanced university degree (EQ7 level or above) or equivalent professional experience in computer science or engineering, computational science, physics or natural sciences, mathematics, or a related discipline.Demonstrated experience of working across the whole software life cycle of Python packages.Demonstrated experience of developing automated testing and deployment workflows, preferably with GitHub ActionsExperience of working with developers and users, gather feedback and plan developments.Experience contributing to large-scale software projects, preferably open-source and/or involving multiple software components.Experience of working with scientific software to process large datasets would be desirable.Experience in machine learning workflows would be an advantage.Experience of running software on GPUs would be an advantage.Experience developing software for high-availability operational environments would be an advantage.Experience of developing virtual infrastructure with environments such as Docker, Terraform and Ansible would be an advantage.Strong knowledge of software lifecycle maintenance including testing and deployment.Competence in software engineering, preferably in Python.Demonstrated ability of programming in UNIX/Linux systems.Candidates must be able to work effectively in English. Knowledge of one of the Centreโs other working languages (French or German) would be an advantage.We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet every listed requirement. ECMWF supports skill development and provides a collaborative environment where team members can grow into their roles.
Other information
Full details of salary scales and allowances are available on the ECMWF website at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs, including the Centreโs Staff Regulations regarding the terms and conditions of employment. Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions.
Starting date: As soon as possible. Interviews will take place shortly after the application deadline.
How to apply
Please apply by completing the online application form available at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs. To contact the ECMWF Recruitment Team, please email jobs@ecmwf.int. For details of how we will handle your personal data for this purpose, see: https://www.ecmwf.int/en/privacy.
At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive 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, Tรผrkiye 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.