British Antarctic Survey – Research Software Engineering Team Lead
Contract type: Fixed-term appointment – 4 years
Location: Cambridge
Salary: S1 £67,409 – £74,149
Closing date: 9 April 2026
Interview date: 5 May 2026
Background / Overview
The Research Software Engineering (RSE) Team Lead is an essential role to deliver the British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) vision of being a world‑leading centre for polar science and operations. You will lead the Digital Innovation Team (DIT), a team of RSEs who create high‑quality digital assets, ranging from low‑power sensor networks in Antarctica to operational data management for airborne instrumentation. You will work across HPC and cloud environments, supporting AI/ML libraries, workflow management systems, numerical modelling, and more.
Duties
1. Information level
1. Inward‑facing: Disseminate information at DIT meetings and via informal channels; cross‑pollinate ideas; elevate sustainable engineering practices; represent BAS at Innovation Directorate, Science Management Team and Digital Strategy Group; contribute to future digital infrastructure; work with Finance and Research Services on agreements, budgets and allocations.
2. Outward‑facing: Represent BAS RSE at conferences and technical meetings; scan technology horizons.
2. People level
1. Inward‑facing: Motivate the team; set professional standards; coach and mentor; line‑manage senior RSEs; balance skill sets; recognise contributions for appraisals and fair career development.
2. Outward‑facing: Network externally; co‑lead new projects; manage recruitment; liaise with partners such as the Government Office for Technology Transfer, the Alan Turing Institute and ARIA.
3. Action level
1. Inward‑facing: Build the team culture and processes; manage the RSE project pipeline; act as PI and technical lead on collaborative programmes; lead the BAS cloud strategy working group; plan resources and budgets; design and review solutions and code, ensuring best practices.
2. Outward‑facing: Build a pipeline of collaborative projects; prepare grant applications and source funding; develop digital twins and other technology projects; organize collaboration meetings; contribute to NERC and UKRI policies on digital research infrastructure; pursue technology transfer.
Skills, Qualifications and Experience
Essential
* Experience with software engineering in Linux and HPC environments.
* Well‑articulated motivation to be a Research Software Engineering Team Lead.
* Demonstrable experience developing one of the following:
o Machine Learning libraries
o Workflow management systems
o Cloud and Distributed infrastructures
o DevOps
o Numerical modelling
o Operational data management
* Experience in architecting scalable, reliable, efficient and maintainable software systems.
* Proven best practice for reproducible research, sustainable software and large‑dataset handling.
* Experience securing funding.
* Excellent written and oral communication; proficient in English.
* Organisational skills to assign, track and manage resources (time, money, people) to meet goals on schedule.
Desirable
* Computing or science academic qualification (BTEC, Degree, PhD).
* Experience in training and guiding others in software engineering.
* Experience with community‑led software development.
* Experience with one or more technical areas:
o Linux system administration
o Multiple programming languages
o UK HPC environments
o Cloud computing
o Web front‑end or back‑end development
o Small board computer and microcontroller‑based systems
* Strong collaboration skills with external institutions and ability to communicate complex problems to non‑IT audiences.
* Stakeholder management – negotiate partner needs against RSE practicalities.
* Team building – bring new people into a collaborative environment.
* Empathy – understand personal and professional goals of colleagues.
* Advocacy for RSE roles (e.g., raising awareness).
Flexible and Hybrid Working
The role holder will receive full consideration for flexible and part‑time working arrangements (reduced hours, compressed hours, job sharing). Hybrid working is also offered where the nature of the role permits.
Security Screening
The role holder must obtain the appropriate level of security screening/vetting. UKRI reserves the right to run or re‑run clearance throughout the employment period.
About Us
UKRI – UK Research and Innovation – delivers and operates world‑leading research facilities, bringing together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. We support innovative projects, bridging fundamental research with societal benefit. For more information, visit www.ukri.org.
Equal Opportunities and EDI
UKRI provides equal opportunities for all, respecting diversity of thought and experience. We are a Disability Confident employer and provide reasonable accommodation. Please contact us to request accommodation.
How to Apply
Applicants should submit a CV and cover letter outlining how they meet the criteria and their motivation for UKRI and this role. Include the job reference number in the filename of each document. The application will be assessed only on the cover letter and CV.
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