Meteorologist and Data Scientist Developer

Overview

Lynker is seeking a talented Meteorologist and Data Scientist Developer to support a long term contract at the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) and will have direct interaction with scientists within NOAA as well as partners outside of NOAA. This includes: NCEP centers, NWS weather forecast offices, NOAA research facilities, academia, and the NWS Science and Operations Officer community.  In this capacity the incumbent will work with these partners to develop and implement verification methods to gauge the effectiveness of new forecaster tools applied to operational and experimental forecasts. The work will also strive to build the capacity to enhance impact decision support services (IDSS), effectively building a Weather Ready Nation. The role will also focus on leveraging machine learning techniques to enhance forecasting capabilities. This includes leading projects that apply advanced AI algorithms to predictive modeling.

In addition, the incumbent will work to provide enhancements that build upon current forecaster tools as well as work to develop new services and forecaster tools.  Promising work will be transitioned to operations. The incumbent will provide training materials on the enhanced forecaster products and tools. The incumbent will specifically employ machine learning models to improve existing tools and pioneer new, data-driven services. 

Areas of particular need and interest to be addressed include developing forecaster and verification tools for hazardous weather. Additional areas of focus include the use of ensemble model output to aid forecaster generation of probabilistic products. A key focus will be integrating AI and machine learning workflows to optimize the processing of ensemble model output and other complex meteorological datasets. This also entails applying neural networks to enhance high-resolution numerical weather prediction models.

The ideal Meteorologist and Data Scientist Developer will be able to identify pertinent datasets (satellite, land use, and meteorological) and develop forecaster tools which may be implemented on web pages or within the forecaster platforms.  Assignments are typically received in terms of expected outcomes, and incumbents are expected to act independently to develop methodologies, and to provide sound analyses and recommendations.  Assigned projects may include analysis, application development, or other areas specific to the assignment. The ideal candidate will also leverage AI-driven data pipelines to automate the ingestion and preprocessing of vast meteorological datasets.

Responsibilities

Duties of the Meteorologist and Data Scientist Developer will include the following:

• Collaborate with meteorologists at NCEP, NWS field offices, academia, and outside partners to develop forecast tools for short to medium range time frames regarding hazardous weather.
• Use scientific and technical meteorological expertise to develop tools for determination of hazard information.
• As appropriate, contribute to formal scientific publications, and/or attending off-site conferences, symposia and hazardous-weather-related outreach events.
• Collaborate to transition forecaster tools developed at WPC and elsewhere within NOAA into operations at WPC and other NOAA offices.
• Develop web applications using modern industry languages and tools such as, GIS, Python, and PHP.
• Develop training materials to transition new tools and techniques into operations.
• Perform related duties as assigned.
• Design and train machine learning models to identify precursors to hazardous weather events.
• Implement AI-based anomaly detection systems to identify errors or gaps in real-time forecast data.

Qualifications

The Meteorologist and Data Scientist Developer selected should have the following:

• A degree (e.g. B.S. or B.A.) from an accredited institution in Atmospheric Science, Oceanography, or other Geophysical Sciences, Engineering, Computer Sciences, or Mathematics and have at least 2 years of experience in related areas.
• Experience applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques to analyze and model complex environmental or meteorological datasets.
• Experience with software development support in a team environment
• Experience with Python and Unix shell scripting within a UNIX/Linux Environment.
• Knowledge of deterministic and ensemble prediction system data sets and their application to hazardous weather diagnosis and prediction.
• Knowledge of weather forecasting - short to medium range
• Ability to organize, plan, and complete projects
• Excellent written and oral communication skills for documentation and presentations
• Ability to support team initiatives, demonstrate respect for team members, and seek team consensus

The Ideal Meteorologist and Data Scientist Developer will have the following:

• Experience with development Frameworks for web based map applications ( e.g. ArcGIS, JavaScript, API) 
• Proficiency in data science frameworks and libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn, and experience with deep learning applications in weather prediction.

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.