Hydrological Data Scientist

Based at Wallingford, Oxfordshire

The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), is the UK’s Centre of Excellence for research in the terrestrial and freshwater environmental sciences.

A Data Scientist is needed to provide support to the Data Acquisition and Data Analysis functions of theNational River Flow Archive (NRFA).  The NRFA is the UK’s focal point for hydrometric data, providing stewardship of data for over 1400 river gauging stations nationally. These data are taken on from the UK Measuring Authorities (e.g. the Environment Agency), and then quality-controlled, archived, and disseminated to a large community of users through publications and the internet. The NRFA is also responsible for reporting on hydrological conditions, to inform UK government, the public and the media; this assumes particular importance in times of flood or drought (as is currently the case in 2012).  Another major role of the NRFA is in analysing these data holdings to detect long-term change (for example, to assess the potential impact of climate change on river flows).

A key responsibility of the role of the Data Scientist will be to coordinate the data acquisition processes of the NRFA, working with a team of regional experts and liaising with our counterparts in the hydrometric measuring authorities, to investigate and resolve hydrological data problems and ensure that the data loaded to the archive is up-to-date, quality controlled and fit-for-purpose.  The role will also involve managing the NRFA data retrievals system, working with others to answer hydrological enquiries from the user community (including academics, consultants, and the general public) and provide them with data as appropriate. 

The Data Scientist will also help analyse the data holdings on the archive: the successful applicant will assist in the production of monthly National Hydrological Summaries (one of the most important outputs of the NRFA) as well as for occasional reports produced during drought episodes or in the wake of major floods.  The post-holder will also contribute to other data management and research activities conducted by the NRFA, and will be expected to take responsibility for acting as NRFA specialist in one region of the UK (with opportunities for regional field visits to monitoring locations). 

The successful candidate should be numerate, with a degree in the earth/environmental sciences; familiarity with hydrology would be a distinct advantage.  The role will require good organisational skills and the ability to work on your own initiative to solve problems. Strong team working and collaboration skills will also be important, as the post involves working closely with others both within CEH and in our partner organisations.  Sound IT skills are required; some experience of database management (e.g. Access, Oracle/SQL) and exposure to a programming language (e.g. R, VBA, Fortran) would be an advantage, but is not a prerequisite. The post-holder will have the opportunity to gain further skills through training in hydrology/hydrometry and environmental data management.

Salary

The salary for this post is in the range £19,540 to £23,150 per annum depending on skills. In addition you will enjoy a rewards package that includes access to NERC’s public sector pension scheme, 30 days’ annual leave and 10.5 days public and privilege holiday per annum.

Closing date for applications: 15 June 2012

Applications are handled by the RCUK Shared Services Centre; to apply please visit our job board at https://ext.ssc.rcuk.ac.uk and complete an online application form.  Applicants who would like to receive this advert in alternative format (e.g. large print, Braille, audio or hard copy), or who are unable to apply online should contact us by telephone on 01793 867003.  Please quote reference number IRC55905.