Physical Scientist – HAFS Developer

Lynker

Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer supporting NOAA hurricane forecast systems development and evaluation. Engaging with NOAA scientists to enhance operational hurricane model capabilities.

Posted 5/13/2026full-timeRemote • Maryland • 🇺🇸 United StatesJuniorMid-Level💰 $80,000 - $120,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Python

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

The Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer will perform the job duties in a high-quality, independent, and collaborative way, assisting in managing projects and developing and applying innovative methods for the primary work areas.
The candidate will work with NOAA scientists and external collaborators to develop and evaluate the current and future operational hurricane forecast systems, as well as to design, develop and evaluate HAFS ensemble analysis and forecast for downstream applications.
The candidate will work with advanced UFS infrastructure and multi-scale modeling framework, improving hurricane specific physics, data assimilation, dynamics, and high-resolution telescoping and moving nest techniques.
Detailed responsibilities will include at least two aspects or more of the following areas:
Implement and advance hurricane-specific physics schemes within the UFS framework.
Develop and advance inner-core storm initialization and data assimilation techniques for hurricane forecasting.
Develop and improve UFS-based dynamics and moving-nesting for high-resolution hurricane modeling.
Develop and advance UFS-based earth system (atmosphere, land, ocean, wave, storm surge, etc.) coupled modeling system for hurricane forecasting.
Develop advanced scripts for flexible end-to-end system integration and automation, and allow for additional functionalities.
Design, setup, and conduct pre-implementation tests for experimental and operational hurricane model upgrades.
Explore, develop, test and evaluate the HAFS based ensemble forecast system.

Requirements

What you’ll need

A Master’s Degree or higher in atmospheric sciences or meteorology, oceanic, mathematics, or related physical science
2+ years of experience in the area of hurricane and tropical cyclone (TC) modeling.
Advanced knowledge of tropical meteorology and experience in developing hurricane numerical weather prediction (NWP) systems for operational implementation.
Excellent knowledge and skills of modern programming languages and object-oriented languages, such as FORTRAN90 and Python.
Skills and knowledge of the High Performing Computing environment.
Proficient with modern software development practices and version control software.
Demonstrated skill in communicating effectively with scientists of diverse backgrounds on technical details of the work plan and present results accurately and clearly in both oral and written form.
Ability to work independently on complex problems in a team and fast-paced environment and demonstrated skill in performing tasks requiring organization and attention to detail.
Ability to support team initiatives, demonstrate respect for team members, and seek team consensus
Familiarity with operational NWP and/or an operational forecasting environment.
Experience with UFS applications and knowledge of earth system modeling.
Experience in high-resolution model development in various infrastructures (ESMF, FMS, CCPP, JEDI, etc.).
Familiarity with advanced TC data assimilation systems/algorithms.
Experience/knowledge of hurricane model evaluation and verification.
Familiarity with agile software development practices.

Benefits

Comp & perks

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

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Hard Skills & Tools

hurricane modelingtropical cyclone modelingnumerical weather predictionFORTRAN90Pythonhigh-performance computingdata assimilation techniquesUFS applicationshigh-resolution model developmentadvanced TC data assimilation systems

Soft Skills

effective communicationindependent problem solvingteam collaborationorganizationattention to detailrespect for team membersconsensus buildingadaptability in fast-paced environments

Certifications

Master’s Degree in atmospheric sciencesMaster’s Degree in meteorologyMaster’s Degree in oceanic sciencesMaster’s Degree in mathematicsMaster’s Degree in related physical science