Data scientist

Do you want to work at the forefront of next-generation weather forecasting as a machine learning scientist? High-quality and reliable weather forecasts and weather impact assessments are essential for a safe and livable society. Rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are changing the way weather forecasts are created. Sounds like something for you? Read our vacancy and apply directly!

How you contribute
The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) is an international leader in AI/ML research and development for weather forecasting. To support and accelerate this transition, we are looking for a data scientist to help realize the AI/ML ambition of the KNMI.

The KNMI helps various countries in the global south in their challenge to adapt to climate change and the impacts it can have on extreme weather, for example by issuing warnings for extreme weather so that preventive measures can be taken. Within the KNMI Global Programme, collaboration focuses on improving weather forecasts and making early warning systems more effective, among other things.

Your activities

• Within this context, you will work on the development of robust and accessible early warning solutions for Sub-Saharan Africa. The KNMI is already developing and implementing a high-resolution, regional machine learning weather model, as well as observation-based models with a focus on extreme weather conditions.
• You will join the scientists in the KNMI DataLab who are working on this, while also collaborating across departments (e.g., the R&D Satellite Observations department)
• You will investigate whether a machine learning model can be deployed for Sub-Saharan Africa by developing countries.
• You will explore the possibilities and train an initial version of the model. In doing so, you will provide proof of concept or even a minimum usable version that can be deployed quickly.

Your team
The KNMI DataLab is a driven team of scientists with expertise in Data Science and AI/ML. They work on the research and development of data-driven applications. This aligns with the KNMI's ambition to invest in the development and application of AI/ML, and to achieve the optimal combination of AI/ML, physical models, and human interpretation.

We strive for a strong collaborative culture, within the team and with the rest of the KNMI, but also externally: nationally and internationally. An example is our contribution to the Anemoi framework, which is being developed jointly with various European weather institutes, as well as contributions to MLCast. Regularly participating in workshops or hackathons, including in other European countries, may be part of the work.

MLOps Engineer

Do you want to work at the forefront of next generation weather forecasting? At the KNMI, you contribute directly to high quality and reliable weather predictions and impact models that are essential for a safe and livable society. Rapid developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) are fundamentally changing how weather forecasts are created. The KNMI is internationally leading in AI/ML research and is now moving these innovations into operational use. To accelerate this transition, we are looking for an MLOps engineer who will help bring research into production and further develop a scalable machine learning platform. Want to build technology that truly makes an impact? Apply now.

How you contribute
You ensure that AI/ML models are production ready, scalable and reliable. You help translate research into operational value and contribute to the development of systems that support early warning capabilities and societal impact. As an MLOps engineer, you will be part of the MLOps team responsible for designing, building and maintaining the machine learning platform of the KNMI. You play a key role in bringing models from research to operations and ensuring they run reliably in production environments. Within this role, you focus on the operational side of the R2O cycle and work on scalable infrastructure, automation and monitoring.

Your activities

• design, build and maintain end to end AI/ML pipelines from data ingestion and training to deployment and monitoring
• bring AI/ML models from advanced research stages into operational environments
• build and maintain CI/CD pipelines for AI/ML workflows
• design and improve infrastructure for scalable and reliable model execution
• implement monitoring, logging and validation for model performance and reproducibility
• collaborate closely with AI/ML researchers, engineers, data scientists and stakeholders across product chains
• contribute to improving ways of working, automation and platform maturity

Your team
You will join the MLOps team within the department R&D Observations and Data Technology department. The team focuses on building a reliable and scalable platform for training and inference of complex machine learning models. You will work in a multidisciplinary environment with software engineers, data specialists, AI/ML scientists and domain experts. The department consists of around 40 professionals working in agile teams with a strong DevOps mindset. The working environment is Linux based, with a strong preference for open source and open standards. The team is international and diverse. English is the primary working language.

Scientist climate change

Are you fascinated by how atmospheric processes shape extreme rainfall and how these extremes evolve under climate change? Do you want to contribute to high impact scientific research while working in an international team? At KNMI, you will have the opportunity to deepen our understanding of hydroclimatic extremes and help society better prepare for future risks. For a 4 year research position, we are looking for a scientist climate change based in De Bilt. Do you want to work on cutting edge climate research with real world impact? Apply now.

How you contribute
You contribute to advancing scientific knowledge on extreme rainfall and climate change. Your work helps improve forecasting systems and strengthens society’s ability to anticipate and respond to extreme weather events.

You will work within the Extreme-Futures project, part of a Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship led by Professor Fowler of Newcastle University. The project focuses on improving forecasts of hydroclimatic extremes such as flash floods and prolonged storms, supporting climate resilience and adaptation.

At KNMI, you will work with the Future Weather system, which simulates extreme events across past, present and future climate conditions using pseudo global warming approaches. You will explore how mesoscale atmospheric processes evolve with warming and how these changes affect rainfall patterns across different scales.

Your activities

• design and perform experiments using the Future Weather system
• extend modelling applications towards higher resolution simulations
• tailor model setups to improve understanding of physical processes
• analyse large scale and high resolution model output
• write and publish scientific articles
• collaborate with international researchers across the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands
• contribute to integrating small scale process knowledge with large scale drivers of extremes

Your team
You will be part of an international research collaboration and work within the department research and development of weather and climate models.

The department focuses on developing and applying models for weather prediction, air quality and climate research. Topics include physical processes, data assimilation, long term projections and extreme event analysis. You will collaborate with scientists, developers and external partners such as universities and international research consortia.

Within the KNMI, you will work in a multidisciplinary environment with strong international connections and a clear link between research and operational applications.

NWP scientist

Do you want to contribute to accelerating Europe’s energy transition? We have a vacancy as numerical weather prediction (NWP) scientist at KNMI where you can make this happen. Ready to make a difference? Keep on reading and apply.

How you contribute
KNMI is taking part in the Copernicus project ‘Accelerating Europe’s Energy transition through a tailored Copernicus web portal’, led by the German Weather Service (DWD). One of the tasks in this project is the production of a one-year high-resolution demonstration reanalysis. This dataset, based on Copernicus reanalyses, will incorporate effects of offshore wind farms – an essential factor currently missing from operational products and a major source of uncertainty for the energy sector. By resolving convective clouds, the dataset will also offer considerable added value for the solar industry. The reanalysis will be created using the most recent version of HARMONIE-AROME on a 1-2 km spatial resolution, including 3DVAR data assimilation.

Your activities
In your role as NWP scientist, you will contribute to the following:

• set up HARMONIE-AROME reanalysis suite with latest model version
• work on integrating wind turbines into the model
• test and evaluate the setup of HARMONIE-AROME at various resolutions/domains
• perform the necessary adaptation to feed output to downstream applications
• monitor long-term simulations and deliver and communicate the data to the project
• set up and maintain the code repository in git

Your team
You will join the enthusiastic team working on this project, will be part of the Research and Development of Weather and Climate models (RDWK) department, and will be involved in the larger project consortium.

More information
For any questions regarding the vacancies, you can contact Ben Wichers Schreur, manager, at +31 6 81 33 68 49. Or find out more about what it’s like to work at the KNMI here.

Managementondersteuner

Weet jij de agenda van de manager moeiteloos te organiseren in een snel veranderende omgeving? Als managementondersteuner is dit een van de taken waar jij je mee bezighoudt. Je stelt prioriteiten, neemt proactief zaken op je en denkt graag vooruit. Hierdoor speel je een essentiële rol in de communicatie van de vakgroep en loop je voor op de manager als het gaat om planning en organisatie. Zelfs in uitdagende situaties weet jij met jouw proactieve aanpak altijd tot een passende oplossing te komen. Herken jij jezelf hierin? Lees dan zeker verder!

Hoe jij bijdraagt
Je draagt bij door de vakgroepmanager en de vakgroep op een brede manier te ondersteunen en te faciliteren. Dit doe je door niet alleen administratieve en organisatorische taken op te pakken. Je bent verantwoordelijk voor verschillende taken die gericht zijn op het ondersteunen en faciliteren van de vakgroepmanager.

Je organiseert agenda’s, stelt prioriteiten en neemt proactief taken op je. Je denkt vooruit en zorgt dat alles soepel verloopt, ook wanneer omstandigheden of werkzaamheden veranderen. Dankzij jouw flexibiliteit en organisatietalent ben je een onmisbare schakel in de ondersteuning van het management.

Jouw werkzaamheden

• Je bent verantwoordelijk voor het beheren van de agenda van de vakgroepmanager, en voor het plannen en organiseren van afspraken, vergaderingen en evenementen.
• Jij hebt een cruciale rol in de communicatie tussen het management en andere medewerkers, en externe belanghebbenden. Jij fungeert als schakel tussen de manager en de vakgroep en zorgt dat de juiste informatie bij hem of haar terechtkomt.
• Je speelt een rol in de on- en offboarding van nieuwe medewerkers en draagt daarnaast zorg voor jubilea.
• Verder houd je je bezig met documentbeheer, waarbij je zorgt voor het beheer en de archivering van documenten, rapporten en andere belangrijke informatie.
• Ook weet je de vakgroep te ondersteunen en te adviseren over diverse systemen en werkprocessen.
• Je bent verantwoordelijk voor het aanmaken en accorderen van betaalopdrachten (lightinkopen) binnen het systeem.

Jouw team
Je ondersteunt een manager van een vakgroep en werkt samen in een team van ondersteuners van alle andere vakgroepen en directie. Op hen kun je altijd terugvallen. Jullie zorgen onderling, in verband met continuïteit, voor elkaars achtervang.

Als managementondersteuner maak je onderdeel uit van deze pool van ondersteuners en bied je ondersteuning aan één of meerdere managers binnen de organisatie. Afhankelijk van de behoefte kan dit in de loop van de tijd veranderen.

Meer weten?
Is jouw interesse gewekt? Dan ontvangen wij graag jouw sollicitatie. Wil je eerst nog een even sparren over de functie? Neem dan gerust contact op met Jantina de Waal, teamleider, via 06 15 09 39 19.

Meer weten over werken bij KNMI? Je leest meer op onze website over hoe wij – al meer dan 170 jaar – het weer en andere verschijnselen in lucht en aarde begrijpen en duiden.

Hoe solliciteer je?
Je kunt op deze vacature reageren via de sollicitatieknop op deze pagina. We ontvangen dan graag jouw cv. Let op: wij vragen voor de functie geen motivatiebrief. Ter vervanging van de motivatiebrief lezen we graag jouw antwoord op de volgende 2 vragen:

1. Omschrijf in 200 woorden jouw affiniteit met de rol van managementondersteuner.
2. Beschrijf een situatie waarin je proactief moest handelen: wat heb je gedaan en wat was jouw rol?