Scientist: Software Maintenance at The South African Weather Service (SAWS)

Key Performance Areas 

The candidate will be required to: 

• Participate in designing, developing, and implementing software solutions to address complex and time-sensitive challenges of producing numerical weather forecasts and products, as well as research and development. 
• Conduct relevant research and experimentation to explore new technologies, algorithms, and methodologies. 
• Collaborate with the design and implementation of data management systems and software tools for acquiring, storing, processing, and analysing meteorological, environmental, and geographical. 
• Develop and maintain software applications, algorithms, and models for computing and visualising forecast products, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and scalability.
• Integrate software components with existing systems and data sources, ensuring compatibility and interoperability with relevant meteorological and environmental databases and platforms. 
• Employ best practices in software development, version control, and documentation to ensure the reproducibility and traceability of research and analysis activities. 
• Collaborate with senior scientists and researchers to understand software requirements, provide technical expertise, and contribute to the optimisation of systems. 
• Stay informed about advancements in software development, data management, and scientific computing to identify opportunities to improve process efficiency and effectiveness. 
• Write clean, efficient, and maintainable code, adhering to coding standards and best practices. 
• Document technical specifications, design decisions, and implementation details for future reference and knowledge sharing. 
• Troubleshoot, debug and resolve software issues and performance bottlenecks in collaboration with the operations team.  

Minimum Requirements 

•  An appropriate Honours graduate degree (e.g., Computer Science, Software Engineering, Environmental Science, or related fields, e.g. Atmospheric Science and Meteorology. 
• Programming skills in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Java, C/C++, JavaScript). 
• Familiarity with supercomputing technologies and parallel computing concepts. 
• Basic understanding of dashboard development using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Grafana. 
• Understanding of code version control processes and systems (e.g. Git). 
• Knowledge of data management principles and practices, including storage, retrieval, and processing. 
• Exposure to monitoring tools and techniques for tracking system performance and data quality, as well as, 
• Basic knowledge of optimising and upgrading existing operational systems, data flows, and codes will be beneficial. 

Behavioural Competencies 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment. 
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to contribute to multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.