Environmental Research Software Engineer

Join the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) as an experienced Environmental Research Software Engineer join and become part of a vibrant team of over 600 scientists, engineers and technical experts working to tackle complex environmental challenges.  

We are seeking an Environmental Research Software Engineer to support our Water Resources science area, contributing to the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) project. In this role, you’ll work alongside developers, data scientists and technical specialists to design, build and maintain software systems that manage and analyse environmental sensor data.  

Your work will involve developing IoT integrations, structured data storage solutions and scalable APIs, contributing across the full software development lifecycle—from design and prototyping to deployment and ongoing support. You’ll also help enhance our cloud-based research platforms (hosted on AWS) and environmental data services, enabling high-impact scientific research. 

Your main responsibilities will include:  

• Designing and developing new software systems and digital infrastructure, with a focus on environmental monitoring solutions 
• Liaising with field engineers to designing, develop and support integrations of cloud platforms with field monitoring equipment  
• Working in an Agile development environment to deliver software as part of a larger team of developers and infrastructure engineers  
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs, then developing software tools to meet those needs  
• Contributing to management and maintenance of cloud infrastructure. 
• Keeping up to date with the latest developments in software engineering and data management. 

For the role of Environmental Research Software Engineer, we’re looking for somebody who has:  

• A degree in Geography, Environmental science, Physics, Mathematics or Computing, or equivalent  
• Experience in designing, developing and maintaining software applications, preferably within an agile environment  
• Experience of commercial cloud environments 
• Experience designing and optimising databases and file stores (SQL, NoSQL) for scalable, high-performance data storage  
• Demonstrable knowledge of software development best practices, with a strong emphasis on Python as the primary language, including proficiency in version control, testing, DevOps, and documentation.  
• Experience with IoT development would be beneficial  
• Previous experience of the use and management of environmental or other data would be beneficial  

You’ll be joining a leading independent, not-for-profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH. 

Working for UKCEH is rewarding 

We appreciate the continuous dedication and contributions of our staff, which is why we provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes financial incentives and wellbeing-oriented perks, such as: 

• 27 days annual leave (rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service) plus 3 days for Christmas closure    
• 10% employer pension contribution   
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (role dependant)  
• Peer reward and recognition scheme  
• Dental insurance, gym/fitness discounts, retail discount portal 
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave   
• 24-hour, 365-day support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues and much more...  

Apply today! 

If this opportunity resonates with you and aligns with your personal career goals, the team would love to receive your application. Please apply by submitting your CV along with a covering letter that highlights any qualifications, skills or experience you believe are relevant to this role.  

We welcome applications from international candidates; however, at present, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role. 

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

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