Research Software Engineer (all genders) Coupled climate models on GPU-based HPC systems

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) Coupled climate models on GPU-based HPC systems

Your tasks

DKRZ is heavily involved in projects that advance Earth System Modelling (ESM) and the development of digital twins of the Earth. In this context, one key challenge is to ensure that increasingly complex climate models and software stacks can be efficiently ported to and operated on current and upcoming EuroHPC systems. This requires continuous work on application portability and performance across heterogeneous hardware architectures, including GPU-based systems, as well as the integration of modern programming models for performance portability.

As part of a team of Research Software Engineers (RSEs), you will work closely with application developers and Earth system scientists to improve the portability and performance of applications within the operational Destination Earth Climate DT system. You will support the adaptation of codes to different EuroHPC architectures, contribute to performance analysis and optimisation, and help guide the development of new applications with portability in mind. A particular focus of the work will be on preventing critical components from becoming performance bottlenecks. In addition, you will contribute to porting the Climate DT models to the new EuroHPC system JUPITER, enabling testing of model configurations, developments, and new protocols and preparing the basis for future operational simulations on this platform.

For this position, we are looking for candidates who are interested in interdisciplinary work at the interface of climate science, HPC, and software engineering, and who want to apply and further develop their programming skills in the context of high-performance computing and performance-portable Earth system applications.

Qualifications / Experiences

● Academic degree in computer science, applied mathematics, computational physics/engineering or related fields with a focus on scientific computing

● Strong interest in and experience with high-performance computers, parallel programming with MPI/OpenMP and OpenACC for GPU programming

● Knowledge of programming with C/C++ and/or Fortran under UNIX/LINUX and scripting languages

● Previous experience in algorithms, data structures and design of scientific software is welcome

● Experience of setting up & running scientific model experiments on EuroHPC systems would be an advantage

● Very good communication skills and knowledge of English

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 August 2026, but the exact starting date can be agreed individually. The position is financed by third-party funded projects and is initially limited to two 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) DKRZ 04_2026D. Applications must be submitted via the portal https://dkrz.softgarden.io/de/vacancies.

Application deadline: Open until filled. Priority will be given to applications received by 07 June 2026.

Questions? Dr. Claudia Frauen (frauen@dkrz.de) and Dr. Hendryk Bockelmann (bockelmann@dkrz.de) will be happy to answer them in advance.