The German Climate Computing Centre (DKRZ) is the central simulation and data processing facility for the German climate and Earth system modelling community and one of the leading institutions in this field worldwide. DKRZ not only operates supercomputers of the highest performance class and one of the largest data and archive systems, but also participates in many national and international projects aimed at improving the software and infrastructure for climate modelling. Here we are offering a position as


Research Software Engineer (all genders)
GPU-programming

Your tasks


As part of a team of HPC experts and research software developers, you will work to improve state-of-the-art climate models and prepare the software for use on existing and future supercomputers. In particular, high-resolution climate simulations require the efficient use of the latest HPC systems that use GPUs as accelerators. The challenge is therefore to use and optimise climate models, which are still largely written in Fortran and use the OpenACC standard, on these
systems. At the same time, the codes need to be modernised, both in terms of software engineering and the underlying programming language. Together with international expert teams of Earth system researchers and computer scientists, you will work closely with compiler and hardware vendors to realise these tasks for our users. You will regularly discuss and review adjustments and optimisations to the codes and the HPC environment to ensure that the climate
simulations run as efficiently as possible on the DKRZ systems.

Qualifications / Experiences
  • Academic degree with a background in computer science, applied mathematics or equivalent training and knowledge
  • Strong experience in parallel programming for HPC systems (MPI, OpenMP) using C/C++ and/or Fortran
  • Experience in GPU programming using standards like CUDA, HIP or OpenACC
    Confident handling of tools such as Git, Spack, shell scripting
  • Very good communication skills and knowledge of English
  • And of course you should enjoy programming and working with state-of-the-art supercomputers
Employment conditions

We offer work in interdisciplinary teams and excellent connections to national and international research networks. In addition to specific implementation and support requirements from our users and project partners, your work will be characterised by the freedom to work creatively at the interface between applied computer science and the development of scientific applications. Participation in international conferences, project meetings and hackathons enables further training and presentation of your own results.

We are based in Hamburg, but want to create a suitable working environment by offering flexible working hours and location (up to 100% work from home within Germany). Remuneration will be based on the candidate's qualifications according to TVöD-Bund. You can ideally start in March 2025, but the exact starting date can be agreed individually. The position is initially limited to five years.

Interested applicants are requested to compile a single pdf document containing a cover letter, a detailed CV and any additional documents (e.g. professional references). Applications should be sent to the following address, quoting reference DKRZ-16_2024: YmV3ZXJidW5nZW5AZGtyei5kZQ==

Application deadline: Open until filled. Priority will be given to applications received by 31 January 2025.

Questions? Dr. Hendryk Bockelmann (Ym9ja2VsbWFubkBka3J6LmRl) will be happy to answer them in advance.