Computing and Software Support Specialist, Bonn

Your role

ECMWF is opening a new position for a Computing and Software Support Specialist in the User Services Section of the Forecast and Services Department. The team provides technical advice and support to all users of ECMWF software and computing including Member and Co-operating States, ECMWF and public users. For this role we are looking for an individual who has a keen interest in latest technological developments, enjoys working on a variety of tasks, and has a genuine drive to help others make the most of ECMWF’s software and platforms. You will have a direct impact on our user community by solving technical issues and shaping our client services and technologies. Excellent communication, collaboration and problem solving skills are equally important in this role. The User Services Section currently has 25 staff providing support and advice to all users of ECMWF computing, data and software services. The section is based across our sites in Bonn, Germany, and Reading, UK.

The role represents a unique professional development opportunity, enabling you to gain first-hand experience working with experts across different areas at ECMWF in developing and using our software, data and computing services. You can expect to build an in-depth and practical understanding of ECMWF software and services from a technical as well as operational perspective.

For this role in particular we are looking to provide an opportunity for candidates who are employed by or have experience in working with the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) of our Member and Co-operating States.

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 for more info about what we do.

Education and Experience

Candidates should have an advanced university degree (EQ7 level or above) or equivalent experience in computer science or engineering, computational science, physics or natural sciences, mathematics, or a related disciplineExperience in working with the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) of one of our Member and Co-operating States is an advantageExperience in providing support for computing services in a Linux or Unix environmentExperience in handling user queries and incidents with professionalism leading to successful resolutionExperience with cloud and/or HPC technologiesRelevant experience in providing technical training to users is desirableExperience in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) domain is desirable

Skills and Knowledge

Strong written and verbal communication skills in English including the writing of technical documentationKnowledge of scripting in Linux environments is requiredKnowledge of a modern scripting language such as Python is requiredKnowledge of compiling and running scientific codes on high-performance computing facilities is desirableKnowledge of data formats commonly used in meteorology (e.g. GRIB, BUFR, NetCDF) is desirableCandidates must be able to work effectively in English

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel you fully meet all these criteria.

Other information

Grade remuneration: The successful candidates will be recruited according to the ECMWF Staff Regulations. of the Co-ordinated Organisations. This position is assigned to the employment category STF-SP. ECMWF salaries are exempt from national income tax and the salary will be a NET annual salary. To find out more about working with us please visit

Starting date: As soon as possible

Length of contract: 12 months. Based on the availability of funding the contract may be extended for up to 12 additional months.

As a multi-site organisation, ECMWF has adopted a hybrid organisation model which allows flexibility to staff to mix office working and teleworking. We allow for remote work 10 days/month away from the office, including up to 80 days/year away from the duty station country (within the area of our Member and Co-operating States).

Interviews by videoconference (MS Teams) are expected to take place shortly after the closing date. If you require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment process, please let us know. To contact the ECMWF Recruitment Team, please email [email protected].

Who can apply

Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on the apply button below.

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 and Co-operating States, as well as from all EU member states.

ECMWF Member 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, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.