Career Opportunities at The South African Weather Service (SAWS)

Key Performance Areas: 

• Develop and draft public awareness programmes (stakeholder engagement plan) for communities and key stakeholders and ensure implementations. 
• Liaise with critical stakeholders, weather bodies and agencies (WMO, NOAA etc.), to develop techniques to improve the services to minimise risk for SAWS with relation to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and weather forecasting. 
• Establish strategic partnerships and identify areas of co-operation with institutions of similar interests through MoU’s and/or SLA. 
• Maintain effective working relationships with other regions, international and national stakeholders. 
• Ensure effective implementation of community outreach program in line with the strategic objectives of the organisation. 
• Keep abreast of new forecasting theories and techniques developed in weather services. 
• Carry out all administrative functions attached to the post. 
• Assist with the implementation and compliance to the requirements of the SAWS Quality Management System. 
• Drafting of SAWS quarterly RSMC (SWFDP), or any related DRR reports (National and International). 
• Provide mentorship and training to junior personnel. Assist in all training activities related to weather forecasting within the office. 
• Conduct case-studies and other research to enhance the accuracy and quality of the products and services offered. 
• Conduct case-studies and other research to enhance the accuracy and quality of the products and services offered.  

Required Minimum Education/Training: 

• Master’s degree in meteorology or equivalent. 
• Project management or related qualification will serve as advantage. 
• Enthusiastic and willing to further his/her studies, preferably in PHD Meteorology field.  

Required Minimum Work Experience: 

• At least 07 to 10 years Meteorological experience, preferably in operations. 
• Project management experience will serve as advantage. 
• Comprehensive understanding of Impact-based forecasting.  

Technical and behavioural Competencies Required 

• Extensive knowledge, skills, and experience in all spheres of Operational Meteorology 
• Ability to analyse and/or interpret weather charts, surface observations, upper air observations, weather satellite and radar imageries. 
• Ability to analyse and/or interpret Numerical Weather Prediction and Ensemble Prediction System products. 
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal). 
• Ability to work well under pressure. 

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Key Performance Areas 

The candidate will be required to: 

• Conduct research and development of a new fire danger index, including formulating algorithms, models, and data analysis techniques. 
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to integrate meteorological, environmental, and geographical data into developing the fire danger index. 
• Conduct thorough literature reviews and stay abreast of the latest fire weather science and technology advancements. 
• Design and conduct field experiments and validation studies to assess the fire danger index's performance and accuracy. 
• Analyse and interpret complex datasets to identify patterns, trends, and correlations relevant to fire danger assessment. 
• Develop and maintain documentation, including technical reports, research papers, and presentations, to communicate the methodology and findings of the fire danger index development. 
• Provide technical guidance and training to scientists, forecasters and stakeholders on the new fire danger index's use and interpretation. 
• Collaborate with stakeholders and end users to understand their needs and incorporate feedback into refining the fire danger index. 
• Represent SAWS and present research outputs, where appropriate, at national or international scientific events, e.g. conferences and workshops. 
• Ensure that the work environment complies with legislative requirements for Occupational Health and Safety.  

Minimum Requirements 

• MSc in a related field (e.g., Atmospheric Science, Meteorology, Environmental Science). 
• At least 5 years of experience in fire weather research, or closely related field. 
• Proven expertise in statistical analysis, data modelling, and programming languages commonly used in atmospheric and environmental research (e.g., Python, R, Fortran). 
• Knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques for incorporating geographical and environmental data into fire danger assessments. 
• Demonstrated experience in leading research activities, including the design and analysis of field experiments and validation studies. 
• Familiarity with applying fire danger indices in wildfire management and public safety. 
• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed scientific journals, with a minimum of three publications related to fire weather. 
• Experience collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders, including government agencies, research institutions, or industry partners. 
• Experience working with government agencies involved in fire management, wildfire prediction, or emergency services will be advantageous. 

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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.