About

• British Antarctic Survey
• BAS reference: BAS 26/21
• Contract type: 1 Year Fixed Term Assignment
• Location: BAS Cambridge
• Salary band:£37,841
• Closing date: 12th February 2026
• Interview date: 25th February 2026

Purpose

• A Research Software Engineer (RSE) is required to join the Digital Innovation Team (DIT), a team producing best-practice, innovative technological solutions for operational, scientific and technical departments groups within the organisation.
• The team is tasked with helping the organisation develop its digital capability, helping deliver BAS and NERC long term goals. These include reaching net zero; building environmental digital twins; developing world-class digital research infrastructure; advocating for research and software sustainability; and delivering impact through the creation of enterprise-level solutions.
• The successful applicant will work with the support of more senior DIT staff (Senior RSEs, Principal Software Engineer) to develop solutions in collaboration with the BAS IT department, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab, Mapping and Geographic Information Centre (MAGIC), Polar Data Centre (PDC), engineering departments and researchers. The RSE will also be expected to support developers and solutions in these groups, communicating the importance of software engineering. In addition, there will be opportunity to collaborate with BAS partner institutions including The Alan Turing Institute, Universities, Centre for Polar Observation and Monitoring, and the Centre for Doctoral Training in Earth Observation and AI for Environmental Risk.
• The role requires an individual who can deliver complex technical projects. The DIT offers software engineering capability for other departments that support BAS operations, so individuals must be collaborative and capable of both teamwork and self-directed progression of projects.

Duties

• · Work with researchers to improve the performance and reproducibility of their research code.
• · Promoting reproducible research and open source tooling. Be an advocate for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) principles for all digital assets.
• · Developing tools for other digital groups, to support all parts of BAS science and operations.

· Deliver high-quality, efficient and maintainable software by applying structured development approaches. Provide value add to these development process by incorporating (not exclusively)

• o Writing clear and comprehensive documentation
• o Developing robust testing suites
• o Following common conventions that improve software quality (code styling, semantic versioning)
• o Promoting collaboration with version control, code review, and writing of issues and reproducible examples
• o Considering sustainability and maintenance of software within expected deployment scenarios
• · Collaborate with BAS HPC team and IT department to improve digital services that support the needs of researchers and operations.
• · Work with other BAS departments (PDC, MAGIC, Web Applications, AI Lab, Science) on joint software engineering projects and to promote best practices for software development.
• · Work with the rest of the DIT to run events, training and workshops in line with RSE community best practices, for the benefit of BAS students and staff.
• · Engage with the wider community, such as the RSE community (RSE society, Software Sustainability Institute and others) UKRI/NERC and others (e.g. Alan Turing Institute) to promote the value of best practice software
• in BAS, share knowledge, introduce integration possibilities, and stay appraised of technical developments from industry, academia and research.
• · Understand and have awareness of the environmental impact of research software.
• · Support proposal writing efforts for BAS-led projects.
• · Undertake other duties as appropriate as requested by the BAS Director.
• Whilst the possibility of working in the Antarctic or Arctic and at sea is not guaranteed, the opportunity may arise for candidates who are capable of going south.

Qualifications and Experience

• The job is based in Cambridge although remote working options are available. For candidates that are physically capable and medically fit to work in Antarctic conditions, opportunities may arise for travel to the Antarctic or Arctic or working at sea on the BAS research ship, though that is not a major part of this role.
• Essential to the role is experience with software engineering in Linux and HPC environments. Essential also is demonstrable experience in developing with at least one of: machine learning libraries, workflow management systems, cloud and/or distributed infrastructures, numerical modelling, and operational data management. A key requirement is the ability to interpret and share knowledge by understanding researcher requirements and guiding others.
• Highly desirable is experience or a willingness to learn and communicate good practice for reproducible research, sustainable software practices and working with large datasets. Also desirable is experience of community-led software development, including but not limited to the use of tools such as GitHub/GitLab. The ability to manage projects is also desirable, but no formal qualifications are required.
• Experience/knowledge of the following would be an advantage: Linux System Administration; multiple programming languages such as Python, R, C/C++, Fortan, Julia, Matlab; cloud infrastructure; DevOps technologies; UK HPC environments or HPC computing in the cloud; web frontend or backend development; and small board computer and microcontroller-based systems.
• There are no formal educational requirements for this role, but candidates should be able to demonstrate and discuss their technical abilities in an interview. Willingness, adaptability and enthusiasm in taking on new tasks are key qualities we’ll be looking for.
• Skills, Qualifications, and Experience
• Essential
• Experience with software engineering in Linux and HPC environment
• Demonstrable experience in developing with at least one of the following
• o Machine Learning libraries
• o Workflow management systems
• o Middleware and distributed
• infrastructure
• o Numerical modelling
• o Operational data management
• Ability to interpret requirements and propose solutions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Fluent in written and spoken English language
• Able to work as part of a team. Must also be able to work independently
• Desirable
• Able to work as part of a team. Must also be able to work independently
• Experience of training and guiding others in software engineering
• Understanding best practice for reproducible research, sustainable software practices and working with large datasets
• Experience of community -led software development
• Experience in project management and governance

Demonstrable experience in at least one of

• o Linux system administration
• o Scientific programming languages
• o Cloud infrastructure development / DevOps
• o UK HPC environments and/or HPC computing
• o Web frontend or backend development
• Ability to work collaboratively with others in external institutes
• Experience with stakeholder engagement or funding application processes
• Ability to show initiative and to tackle problems independently
• Able to understand and explain complex problems

• UKRI - UK Research and Innovation
• UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.
• Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.
• More information can be found at www.ukri.org.
• Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.
• How we support EDI in the workforce
• At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.
• Disability Confident Employer
• As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
• How to apply
• Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.
• UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.
• The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

• British Antarctic Survey (BAS) delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. Our skilled science and support staff based in Cambridge, Antarctica and the Arctic, work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our understanding of Earth as a sustainable planet. Through our extensive logistic capability and know how BAS facilitates access for the British and international science community to the UK polar research operation. Numerous national and international collaborations, combined with an excellent infrastructure help sustain a world leading position for the UK in Antarctic affairs. British Antarctic Survey is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC is part of UK Research and Innovation www.ukri.org
• We employ experts from many different professions to carry out our Science as well as keep the keep the lights on, feed the research and support teams and keep everyone safe! If you are looking for an opportunity to work with amazing people in one of the most unique places in the world, then British Antarctic Survey could be for you. We aim to attract the best people for those jobs.