1. Position information
Vacancy No.: VN15-16
Department: Copernicus Services
Grade: One A3 and two A2
Services: CAMS/C3S
Job Ref. No.: STF-PL/15-16
Reports to: Senior management of the Copernicus Services Department (A3) and User Support Team Leader (A2)
Closing Date: 30 April 2015

2. About ECMWF*
ECMWF is both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating
numerical weather predictions to its Member States. ECMWF carries out scientific and technical
research directed to the improvement of its forecasts, collects and processes large amounts of
observations, and manages a long-term archive of meteorological data. Satellite and in situ
observations provide the information for up-to-date global analyses and climate reanalyses of the
atmosphere, ocean and land surface.

For details, see www.ecmwf.int/.

ECMWF has been entrusted to operate the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and
the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on behalf of the European Commission until the end
of 2020. Copernicus is the European Union (EU) flagship Earth-observation programme. The
programme ensures operational monitoring of the atmosphere, oceans, and continental surfaces,
and will provide reliable, validated information services for a range of environmental and security
applications.

3. Summary of the role
The User Support Team will provide first- and second-level user support for both the Copernicus
Atmosphere Monitoring and Climate Change Services. This new team will play a vital role in
supporting the Copernicus user community by providing advice on the use of the services and
through swift diagnosis and resolution of technical and procedural problems. The role requires a
good understanding of both the users’ needs and the services offered as part of CAMS and C3S.

Three positions are vacant, one User Support Team Leader (Grade A3) and two User Support
Officers (Grade A2). The A3 post-holder will report directly to the senior management of the
Copernicus Services Department. The A2 post-holders will report to the User Support Team Leader.

4. Main duties and key responsibilities

•  To provide technical advice and support on the handling of data and products provided by CAMS and C3S
•  To work through support cases and prioritise them appropriately
•  To develop and maintain web-based documentation, how-to articles, FAQ, etc.
•  To monitor the quality of the user support function
•  To develop scripts and tools to facilitate the use of Copernicus services
•  To liaise with users and other sections within ECMWF
•  To organise technical training courses

5. Personal attributes

•  Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, listening to and respecting the views of others
•  Ability to communicate with and understand the complex requirements of scientists, engineers and professional staff in the use of scientific data and software
•  Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both non-technical and technical staff
•  Good analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach
•  An interest in identifying, investigating and resolving technical problems and articulating an appropriate solution
•  Ability to work under pressure and to interact with demanding users
•  Flexibility to adapt to changing organisational priorities and user needs
•  Ability to work collaboratively, sharing expertise and lessons learnt with colleagues
•  Dedication and enthusiasm to work within a small team 

In addition, candidates for the A3 position will have:

•  Ability to drive, motivate and develop a high-performing team
•  Experience in delegating and prioritising tasks within a support team
•  Ability to proactively monitor user responses to identify issues, suggestions and trends
•  Aptitude for communicating and working across teams to implement changes and improvements that impact user satisfaction
•  Experience in managing a small team with a diverse workload and multiple assignments

6. Qualifications and experience required
Education
A university degree, or equivalent, in a scientific discipline (e.g. meteorology, atmospheric physics, applied mathematics, computational science).

Experience
At least two years of recent experience in a scientifically-oriented computer
centre, preferably providing user support for scientific data.
Experience in supporting users in the use of scientific data obtained by
accessing a data portal.
Experience in using application packages used to access and process scientific
data.
Strong background in Unix and/or Linux.
Good knowledge of scientific programming and high-level programming
language, including Fortran or C/C++ and shell scripts.
Good knowledge of a modern scripting language, such as Perl or Python.
Experience in handling data in GRIB or netCDF would be desirable.
Experience of using or maintaining and supporting scientific codes would be
desirable.
Basic knowledge of atmospheric physics or climate science would be desirable.

Language
Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and interviews will be
conducted in English.
A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or
German) would be an advantage.

7. Other information
Grade remuneration
User Support Team Leader: Grade A3, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations.
User Support Officers: Grade A2, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations.
For the A3 position, the annual basic salary will be £67,589 net of tax. For the A2 positions, the
annual basic salary will be £54,776 net of tax. These positions will be assigned to the employment
category STF-PL as defined in the Staff Regulations.

Full details of salary scales and allowances are available on the ECMWF website at
www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs, including the Centre’s Staff Regulations regarding the terms and
conditions of employment.

Starting date: As soon as possible.
Length of contract: Four years.
Location: The positions will be based in the Reading area, in Berkshire, United Kingdom.

8. How to apply
Please apply by completing the online application form available at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs.
ECMWF has an Equal Opportunities Policy and applications from all suitably qualified candidates are
welcome.

Staff are usually recruited from among nationals of the Member States and Co-operating States.
Staff from non-ECMWF States may be considered in exceptional cases where there is a strong need
for a particular competency.

Interviews for these positions will take place in early June 2015.

* The ECMWF Member States are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.

The ECMWF Co-operating States are Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, Romania and Slovakia.