Background/Overview:
Purpose:
The Research Software Engineering Team Lead is an essential role to deliver the British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) vision to be a world-leading centre for polar science and polar operations. They lead the Digital Innovation Team (DIT), a team of Research Software Engineers (RSEs), who achieve impact through digital innovation and development of new technologies which are key to our success.
The RSE Team Lead works collaboratively with end-users and researchers in cross-functional project teams to put application-focused digital innovation into the hands of our stakeholders. We go beyond research code, building high quality digital assets that typically deploy into production environments. Our innovations range from supporting the deployment of a low power magnetometer sensor network in the remote and hostile Antarctic environment, scaling environmental forecasting models, operationalising the polar maritime navigation tool, PolarRoute, onboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough and developing modern digital infrastructure for the operational data management of airborne atmospheric instrumentation. RSE activity in BAS works across a wide range of computing environments including HPC and public cloud. RSEs also work comprehensively across the organisation’s science and operations programmes, with various software stacks, on tasks including AI/machine learning libraries, data-intensive processing pipelines, workflow management systems, numerical modelling and operational data management.
Duties:
The RSE Team Lead’s role is to build an effective delivery team, strengthening collective skills, interests and purpose. They have external and internal facing responsibilities in three activity levels with both inward and outward perspectives: 1) Information level, 2) People level, 3) Action level.
1. Information level:
· Inward-facing:
Disseminating information at DIT meetings and via informal channels
Cross-pollinating ideas, instilling sustainable software engineering practices in the team’s activities throughout BAS
Escalating team concerns at meetings of the Innovation Directorate, Science Management Team and Digital Strategy Group (DSG) and via management hierarchies
Contributing to the future direction of digital infrastructure to support the needs of BAS science and operations
Working with Finance and Research Services teams on project collaboration agreements, team finance and allocations
· Outward facing:
Represent RSE and BAS digital agenda at relevant conferences and technical meetings
Technology horizon scanning to keep abreast of the rapidly evolving software engineering and technology domains
2. People level:
· Inward facing:
Motivating and inspiring their team and collaborators setting standards of behaviour and professional conduct, monitoring team performance
Bringing out the energy within the team, developing staff through coaching/training/mentoring, pastoral care and representing the interests of team members
Line managing the senior RSE team members and providing senior line management for more junior team members where needed
Understanding the needs of both the team and BAS including ensuring the correct balance of RSE skills
Recognising and genuinely understanding team and individual technical contributions and performance for subsequent appraisals, awards, performance management and fair career development without bias based on technical meritocracy
· Outward facing:
External networking and outward facing duties including:
Establishing and co-leading new projects and collaborations that further the strategic digital innovation ambitions of BAS
Representing BAS at meetings with external partners such as the Government Office for Technology Transfer, the Alan Turing Institute, Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA)
Managing recruitment of new team members in response to forecasted project staffing requirements
3. Action level:
· Inward facing:
Building the Digital Innovation Team by developing our culture, core support processes, and skills so that it operates as an effective technology focussed team delivering across BAS. Inward-facing actions include:
Managing the RSE project pipeline to help ensure a balanced profile and financial sustainability of the team
Principal Investigator and technical lead on a range of collaborative programmes of work
Leading the BAS cloud strategy working group
Working with Finance/Research Services to allocate resources and budgets, frequent resource planning
Decision making such as profiling and assigning the appropriate staff resource and skills to projects
Contributing to projects at a technical level through designing of appropriate solutions, reviewing solutions, contributing high-quality code, and instillation of best practices & design patterns
· Outward facing:
Liaising with stakeholders to build a strong pipeline of collaborative projects
Preparing grant applications and identifying suitable funding that helps deliver the BAS mission and vision
Developing and implementing new technology projects (e.g. digital twins) with BAS colleagues and partner organisations
Organising project collaboration and scoping meetings
Designing wider programmes of work that align with projects, helping the organisation develop its digital capability, and delivering BAS and NERC long term goals
Considering and contributing to NERC and UKRI policies on digital research infrastructure relevant to BAS activities
Engaging in technology transfer activities to pursue adoption of digital developments beyond BAS
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 in developing one of the following
Machine Learning libraries
Workflow management systems
Cloud and Distributed infrastructures
DevOps
Numerical modelling
Operational data management
Demonstrable experience of architecting and designing software systems that are scalable, reliable, efficient, and maintainable
Exemplify best practice for reproducible research, sustainable software practices and working with large datasets
Experience in securing funding
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Proficient in written and spoken English.
Ability to effectively organise, assign, and track the use of resources (such as time, money, and human resources) within a project or a team to ensure goals are achieved efficiently, within scope, and on schedule
Desirable:
Computing or Science related academic qualification (BTEC, Degree, PhD)
Experience of training and guiding others in software engineering
Experience of community-led software development
Experience with one or more of the following:
Linux System Administration
Multiple programming languages
UK HPC environments
Cloud computing
Web frontend or backend development
Small board computer and microcontroller-based systems
Ability to work collaboratively with others at external institutions
Ability to understand and explain complex problems with people who are not knowledgeable of IT systems
Ability to manage expectations of different stakeholders (e.g. partners and PIs), negotiation between partner needs and RSE practicalities
Ability to bring new people on board, foster a positive and collaborative environment that strengthens relationships, improves communication, and enhances teamwork within a group
Ability to empathise with and gain insight into the personal and professional goals of others, allowing for better collaboration, conflict resolution, and alignment within teams
Advocating for issues, e.g. raising awareness of RSE roles
We will give full consideration to requests for flexible and part time working, such as reduced hours, compressed hours or job sharing. We also offer hybrid working and recognise the many benefits this brings. The nature of the role will determine if flexible and hybrid working options are possible.
The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.