Software Scientist II - 522364

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 4:45pm

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 the Software Scientist II position to support a hydrologic model software development project. 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, the Software Scientist II will work closely with an Assistant Director of Science and Research, DevOps Manager, DevOps Engineer, 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 and external partners to develop software and tools to support hydrologic modeling, data analysis and scientific cloud 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. Further, candidates will 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 Department Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering or related computer science degree and two (2) years of experience as a Software Engineer or a Research Software Engineer.

Skills and Knowledge: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design and create services and API’s that support innovative user experiences. Develop micro-service prototypes to validate interactions and prove product designs. Design and build cloud computing environments to support new vehicle and consumer experiences. Ability to communicate with audiences in both written and verbal forms.

Experience working with data in structured or unstructured databases. Build libraries and frameworks that support rapid prototyping. Proficiency in at least one programming and scripting language (R, C, C++, Fortran, Python). Experience developing software that runs on Linux operating systems. Familiar with version control (e.g., git) and standard development practice tools and be able to write modular, maintainable, and testable code. Experience with object storage. Analytical and complex problem-solving skills. Experience in UI technologies like Html, JQuery. Good knowledge of OOP concepts and design patterns. Familiarity with Algorithms and Data Structures. Solid understanding of Data Science concepts. Ability to work independently and self-teach. Ability to adapt to emerging technologies and develop new skills.

Preferred Qualifications: Exposure and/or expertise in hydrology and related disciplines in the Earth sciences. Experience with front-end web development using modern frameworks such as React, Angular, Django etc. Experience with software containerization, e.g., Docker, Singularity. Experience developing and deploying software in commercial cloud environments (e.g., Google CloudPlatform, Amazon Web Services). Willing to learn new tools and technology. An understanding of high-performance computing

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 race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, genetic or family medical history information, disability, protected veteran status, or any other 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. Follow the link below to find out more. "EEO is the Law" Poster