CIRES/ NOAA Weather Prediction Center, Winter Weather Experiment Facilitator

Job Summary

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder is seeking a Professional Research Assistant (Associate Scientist) to provide scientific and meteorological expertise for the NOAA Hydrometeorological Testbed (HMT), which is jointly organized by the NWS/Weather Prediction Center (WPC) and the OAR/Earth Systems Research Laboratory (ESRL). The incumbent will serve as the primary HMT facilitator for WPC’s Winter Weather Experiment.

The position will be based at the WPC in College Park, MD, within the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP). The NCWCP is a highly collaborative environment containing several NOAA organizations, including the Environmental Modeling Center (EMC), Ocean Prediction Center (OPC), and Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The incumbent will interact with HMT staff, NOAA scientists and forecasters, CIRES employees working at WPC, and externally funded researchers to facilitate the transition of new science to NWS forecast operations for hazardous winter weather. Areas of particular need and interest to be addressed include the forecasting of winter storms and atmospheric rivers. Additional areas of focus include the use of ensemble model output and forecaster generation of probabilistic products, as well as exploring future roles of weather forecasters.

The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) is an internationally recognized leader in innovative environmental science and research and is located at the University of Colorado Boulder. At CIRES, more than 800 environmental science professionals work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people’s relationship with the planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and our areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. Our vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal understanding of the Earth system.

The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is America's Go-To Center for high-impact precipitation events and forecast guidance out to 7 days for a Weather-Ready Nation.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• Serve as the primary HMT Facilitator for the Winter Weather Experiment (WWE) testbed at WPC.
• Collaborate with Principal Investigators (PIs), HMT staff, WPC/NWS forecasters, NWS field offices, academia, and outside partners to ensure successful testing of experimental tools in testbeds.
• Serve as PI/co-PI on various projects to facilitate the successful development and testing of various novel winter weather tools.
• Develop training materials to assist in the transition of new tools and techniques into operations.
• Draft final reports for experiments and provide input on reports for funded projects.
• Perform independent, operationally relevant research and/or development inspired by and consistent with the goals of the HMT and WPC.
• Develop synergy and shared accomplishments with other NOAA Testbeds such as the NWS/Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, MO and the NWS/Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK.
• Assist, as needed, in planning and execution of HMT experiments involving heavy rainfall and the extended range forecast experiment.
• As needed, represent the HMT effort by contributing to formal scientific publications, and/or attending off-site conferences, symposia and hazardous-weather-related outreach events.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

What You Should Know

• Please note that those applicants requiring visa sponsorship now or in the future will not be considered for this position.
• Applicants must be currently authorized to legally work in the United States on a full-time basis.
• The targeted start date for this position is October 1, 2022 or November 1, 2022.
• Normal working hours will be observed except for occasional irregular hours during data collection, warning/forecast experiments, or workshops conducted at remote sites. Incumbent will receive training and gain expertise in warning and forecasting decision-making.
• The new hire will be employed by CIRES with technical oversight provided by WPC management. The incumbent will work under general supervision but is expected to work independently and determine action to be taken in handling all but unusual situations. The incumbent is expected to serve as a leader of scientific or technical experiments, groups, or teams; therefore strong teamwork and leadership skills are necessary.
• This position is based at the WPC in College Park, MD, but partial remote work will be considered.
• Selected finalists will be required to pass a federal background check for site access.
• Willingness to abide by all federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate guidance stated for contractors/affiliates working within a federal facility.
• All University of Colorado Boulder employees are required to comply with the campus COVID-19 vaccine requirement . New employees must provide proof of vaccination or receive a medical or religious exemption within 30 days of employment.

What We Can Offer

• CIRES can offer a generous compensation package. Salary is commensurate with education and experience and determined based on our CIRES internal career track classification.
• The annual hiring salary range for this position is $65,000 - $95,000.
• Relocation funds are available for this position following CIRES and the University of Colorado’s relocation processes and procedures.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder .

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Be ambitious. Be groundbreaking. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• A Master’s in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science or related area and at least one year experience in operational meteorology or applied research; additional relevant post-graduate education may be substituted for experience.

What You Will Need

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong ability to work in a collaborative team environment.
• Strong analytical skills with excellent programming skills (e.g. shell scripting, Python, etc.).
• Familiarity in working with interrogating large meteorological data sets (e.g. GRIB, netCDF, etc.).
• Familiarity with working in a Linux environment.
• Knowledge or willingness to participate in web development.

What We Would Like You To Have

Please note that while the position details both required and preferred skills and experience, we invite applicants to apply even if they do not have the preferred skills and experience outlined in this “What We Would Like You To Have” section. If you have a Master’s degree, meet the minimum requirements, and have passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply. We encourage on the job training for any additional skills or knowledge that become relevant to the position.

• Experience with winter weather forecasting and research applications.
• Experience with ensemble prediction systems and their application to hazardous weather diagnosis and prediction.
• Experience with the creation and dissemination of probabilistic hazard information.
• Experience with ArcGIS.
• Experience with facilitating groups of people, encouraging open discussion, and innovative thought.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. Resume or CV
2. Cover letter addressed to the Search Committee briefly describing your qualifications, professional goals, and specific interest in this position.
3. Although not required at the time of application, please be prepared to submit contact information for 3 professional references, 1 of whom must be/must have been a supervisor or professor. If you are selected as a finalist, we will ask you to contact your references so that they can complete a SkillSurvey questionnaire on your behalf. SkillSurvey is an online automated reference check solution. This information will be kept confidential and viewable only by the search committee.

If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources department using an approved online vendor. If your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit a translated version as an optional attachment.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Positions will remain posted until finalists have been identified.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs .

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: James Correia

Posting Contact Email: james.correia@noaa.gov