Research Engineer for Python data pipelines (RE2) – AI Factory (Earth Sciences Department)

Reference: 224_25_ES_EDD_RE2
Job title: Research Engineer for Python data pipelines (RE2) – AI Factory (Earth Sciences Department)
About BSC
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.
Context And Mission
Within the Earth Sciences department, led by Pr. Francisco Doblas-Reyes, the Data and Diagnostics Team is involved in the AI factory project.

The BSC AI Factory will integrate advanced technological resources, data and specialised talent.

This ecosystem will provide companies, startups, SMEs and institutions with access to AI-optimised supercomputing infrastructure and a network of complementary services.

The aim is to democratise access to AI resources for resource-constrained sectors and thus foster innovation in areas such as biomedicine, climate science and chip design, following the European vision of building generative AI aligned with EU values. different European projects where the design of efficient data pipelines is required to convert from raw data in multiple formats into data that can be used by analysis software.

The successful applicant will join the Data and Diagnostics Team, within the Earth Sciences Department, and will collaborate with the Earth Artificial Intelligence team to design the practical implementation of Earth data pipelines to transform the data from the native format (grib, netcdf, CSV or propietary formats from the satellites) to the format required by AI models. This includes the technical development of the tool but also their performance analysis and optimization, their integration in a full workflow, and the testing, using the AI models developed and used by the AI team.

The successful candidate will also participate in project meetings to report on the project’s progress and justify the technical choices made in the software’s design.

This project is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, in accordance with Council Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 of 14 December 2020, and regulated by Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021, in the context of the “BSC AI Factory” project.

The BSC AI Factory project has received funding from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101234399. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme and Spain, Portugal, and Türkiye.

For more information, please check: https://www.bsc.es/join-us/excellence-career-opportunities/bsc-ai-factory
Key Duties
Contribute to the development and optimization of climate data pipelines for AI models
Test the data generated using the AI models
Report to the team and the group on the technical developments of the pipeline
Ability to develop AI-ready datasets
Requirements
EducationHaving a Masters degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications, Physics or related discipline
Essential Knowledge and Professional ExperienceExcellent computing skills in Python and experience with UNIX/LINUX environments and scripting languages (bash,etc)
Experience in managing large datasets and Python parallelization
Additional Knowledge and Professional ExperienceKnowledge of climate data formats (NetCDF, grib) and other data formats will be valued
Experience in AI modeling will be valued
Good programming skills to manage big and collaborative projects and experience with git and/or SVN
CompetencesCapacity to interact and build strong relations with both climate and computer scientists.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to take initiatives, prioritize the tasks and work under set deadlines.
Ability to work both independently and within a team.
Ability to learn and adapt to multiple programming languages easily.
Fluency in English, both speaking and writing
Conditions
The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
Holidays: 23 paid vacation days plus 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
Starting date: as soon as possible
Applications procedure and process
All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:
A full CV in English including contact details
A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.
Development of the recruitment process

The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system (“Concurso-Oposición”). The recruitment process consists of two phases:
Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. – 40 points
Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. – 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.

The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.

In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.

The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.

At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact recruitment@bsc.es.
For more information, please follow this link.

Deadline
The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.
OTM-R principles for selection processes
BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.
BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.
For more information follow this link