Senior Scientific Application Programmer - Warn-on-Forecast System Developer

Overview

Lynker is seeking a senior scientific application programmer to support development and operational transition of NOAA’s Warn-on-Forecast Systems (WoFS) under the Precipitation Prediction Grand Challenge (PPGC) program at the National Weather Service (NWS) Office of Modeling and Development (OMD). The successful candidate will develop, integrate, and optimize scientific software and workflows for high performance numerical weather prediction systems to improve forecasts of precipitation and other high impact weather. The candidate will support the operational transition of the cloud-based WoFS Version 1, built on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model and the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) data assimilation system. The candidate will also collaborate with the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and other partners on the development of the next-generation WoFS (Version 2), based on the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) and the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration (JEDI), with an emphasis on scientific software development, workflow automation, and high-performance computing.

Responsibilities

Duties of the Senior Scientific Application Programmer - Warn-on-Forecast System Developer will include the following:

Successful candidates will support the operational transition of WoFSv1 and the development of WoFSv2 in a cloud computing environment, focusing on scientific software development, workflow automation, system integration, testing, optimization, and operational implementation. Specific responsibilities include:

• Develop, integrate, test, and optimize scientific software to support the operational transition of the cloud-based WoFSv1 system.
• Design and maintain workflows that integrate model preprocessing, data assimilation, forecasting, post-processing, product generation, and visualization.
• Implement, test, and optimize new scientific applications and forecast products for high-impact weather prediction.
• Support the development, integration, and testing of the MPAS-JEDI-based WoFSv2 system.
• Conduct verification, benchmarking, performance evaluation, and retrospective and real-time testing to ensure forecast skill, computational efficiency, and operational readiness.
• Develop and maintain GitHub repositories, software documentation, and version-controlled code to support collaborative scientific software development.

Qualifications

The Ideal Senior Scientific Application Programmer - Warn-on-Forecast System Developer will have the following:

• Education: M.S or higher in Atmospheric Science, Meteorology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Experience in software development, code management (e.g., GitHub), and integrating complex numerical modeling and data assimilation components.
• Experience in assimilating weather radar, satellite, conventional, mesonet and conventional observations with GSI or JEDI to improve initial conditions for rapid-fresh, convection-allowing ensemble short-range weather prediction systems is preferred.
• Knowledge of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) modeling of convective and mesoscale meteorology, ensemble data assimilation, and atmospheric physics and dynamics.
• Experience in developing weather forecasting systems built on WRF and MPAS
• Programming Skills: Strong proficiency in Fortran and modern scripting languages, particularly Python (including scientific packages for AI/ML training and verification). 
• Experience in working within cloud High Performance Computing environments is highly desired.
• Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills with a proven ability to work both independently and within a multi-disciplinary team.

About Lynker

Lynker is a growing, employee owned business, specializing in professional, scientific and technical services. Our continually expanding team combines scientific expertise with mature, results-driven processes and tools to achieve technically sound, cost effective solutions in hydrology/water sciences, geospatial analysis, information technology, resource management, conservation, and management and business process improvement.

We focus on putting the right people in the right place to be effective. And having the right people is critical for success. Our streamlined organization enables and empowers our talented professionals to tackle our customers' scientific and technical priorities – creatively and effectively.

Lynker offers a team-oriented work environment, and the opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled professionals who embrace sound science and creative solutions. Lynker's benefits include the following:

• Comprehensive healthcare for the employee at no monthly cost
• Healthcare benefit covers medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision
• Personal Time Off (PTO) Policy plus paid holidays
• Highly competitive compensation plan regularly calibrated against industry and location benchmarks
• 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) – we're all company owners!
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life and accident insurance
• Tuition assistance/Training/Workforce improvement reimbursement per year
• Spot bonuses for exceptional performance
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards with bonuses
• Employee Referral Program
• Free centralized, self-directed Learning Management System to learn at your own pace
• Personalized career growth plans for every employee

Lynker is an E-Verify employer.

Lynker is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local laws.

⚠️ Fraud Alert: Recruitment Scam Warning: Lynker has been made aware of fraudulent individuals posing as Lynker recruiters and offering fake job opportunities. All legitimate Lynker job postings are listed on our official careers page. Communication from Lynker recruiters will come from an official @lynker.com email address.