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High-Performance Computing Consultant III

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
life insurance, parental leave, paid holidays, tuition assistance, relocation assistance
United States, Colorado, Boulder
Jul 23, 2026

Visa Sponsored Job:

No

Relocation Assistance Eligible:

No

Job Location:

Boulder, Colorado

Position Type:

Part time, Term - 6 months or more (Fixed Term)

Compensation Range:

Hiring Salary Range $111,246- $139,056

*Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, skills relevant to the role.*

Job Description SummaryNSF | NCAR - Computational and Information Systems Lab (CISL) is seeking a part-time, term High-Performance Computing Consultant III. This individual will provide technical consulting and software engineering expertise on the use, performance optimization, and application development for the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL)'s multi-vendor High-Performance Computing (HPC) & High-Performance Storage (HPS) environments and large-scale scientific application codes. The consultant is expected to have in-depth experience in designing and developing software for relevant application domains in scientific computing, demonstrated expertise in the tools and technologies applied in HPC including the development and maintenance of the HPC user environment, and to apply this experience to Consulting Service Group (CSG) activities. This consultant will assist in CISL's system procurements and planning and contribute technical leadership, including leading team efforts to resolve difficult application and system problems, contributing as a subject-matter expert for user documentation. The HPC Consultant is a strong advocate for the needs and best interests of the user community. The HPC Consultant strongly contributes to the High-Performance Computing Division (HPCD) and CISL leadership teams for architecture, vendor relationships, and general policy direction as pertains to the use and usability of CISL's high-performance computing and high-performance storage resources, including leadership of special projects related to the user-facing environment. Job Description

Application Deadline:

  • This position will be posted until 11:59:59 pm MDT on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.

Required application materials: (preferably uploaded as a PDF)

  • Resume
  • Questionnaire response - embedded in application

Background Checks: Conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more.
Work Location: Regardless of flexible work arrangements, UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

This position will likely work ~10 hours week for a 6-month term. There is a possibility of term renewal based on funding availability and performance.

What You Will Do

Here is a brief summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

  • Application Performance and Optimization: Profiles and evaluates performance of user applications or benchmark codes to ensure efficient use of CISL resources, and may provide code modifications as required. Debugs and profiles parallel programs (primarily Fortran, often in C/C++, Python, Matlab, and R), especially MPI and OpenMP/OpenACC applications, including general purpose graphical processing unit (GPGPU) scientific applications.
  • Technical Issue Resolution: Technical Issue Resolution: Serves as a reach-back technical expert within CSG to resolve difficult technical problems with the CISL multi-vendor HPC and storage production environment, which often requires working with vendors, NCAR and CISL software engineers, HPC systems engineers, and scientists in a team environment, exchanging ideas and providing programming support.
  • User Support: Provides expert-level consulting in a "tiered" help desk environment as a reach-back resource available to other full-time consulting staff.
  • Software Installation and Development: Builds and maintains local software packages and provides expert compiler support for the user-facing HPC software environment through collaboration with full-time consulting staff
  • System Testing and Benchmarking: Participates in creating, enhancing or running benchmark test suite of applications after system software installations and upgrades and for acceptance testing of new systems.
  • Documentation: Gathers technical information and supports the development of user documentation on complex topics such as parallel compilers, profilers, and debuggers.
Who We'd Love To Join Our Team

Successful candidates will ensure their application materials speak to the following criteria:
Education and Experience:

  • Master's degree in computational science, atmospheric science, or engineering, and extensive and progressive relevant experience, which is typically gained by eight to twelve years of work experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

  • Proven experience with programs composed in C/C++ and/or Fortran 90 programming languages.

  • Proven experience with the OpenACC programming paradigms and/or the CUDA parallel computing platform.

  • Proven experience with multiple Linux-based or Unix-based operating systems.

  • Demonstrated knowledge of GPGPU application development.

  • Proven experience with MPI and knowledge of advanced MPI concepts such as MPI-IO and hybrid MPI+Threads.

  • Demonstrated experience with OpenMP and OpenACC directive-based programming paradigms.

  • Experience supporting multi-user Python installations for HPC and scientific applications.

  • Familiarity with building and maintaining software packages using versioning systems, makefiles and shell scripting

  • Experience developing software in a team environment with software engineering tools and processes.

  • Familiarity with one or more tools for plotting scientific data, including Matlab, R, NCAR Graphics, NCL, or IDL.

  • Demonstrated skill in applying software analysis, design, and development methodologies to computing applications and/or programming problems.

  • Experience developing software for more than one scientific application domain.

  • Ability to evaluate, interpret, and apply new technical knowledge.

  • Skill in building and maintaining software packages using versioning systems, makefiles and shell-scripting.

  • Skill with upgrading the hardware and software stack on HPC and HPS systems

  • Demonstrated skill and good judgment in working with a variety of people including users, colleagues, vendors, and experts external to UCAR, in a problem-solving context.

  • Extreme reliability in timely follow-up with users, vendors, and support teams.

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

  • Demonstrated skill in developing and making short presentations on complicated computing topics.

DESIRED (but not required):

  • Experience running or working with one or more of NCAR's flagship codes-for example, CESM or WRF-or other large application codes.

  • Familiarity with the technological challenges associated with Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) workflows, particularly in a HPC environment.

  • Experience developing software in a team environment with software engineering tools and processes.

  • Experience with parallel development tools such as profilers, optimizers, and debuggers.

  • Knowledge of numerical analysis or differential equations.

  • Skill with HPC and HPS networking, high-performance interconnects

  • Skill with HPC and HPS benchmarking

  • Knowledge of and experience researching innovative high-performance computing, storage, file systems, Cloud, and tape archive technologies

  • Skill with analyzing user and data workflows and developing enhanced user and data transfer workflows

Benefits Overview

UCAR affirms its commitment to employees through competitive benefits. In addition to medical, dental, vision, retirement, and life insurance, UCAR offers a variety of programs focused on work-life balance and professional, and personal development. These include:

  • Tuition Assistance, time off allowance to attend classes, and other professional development opportunities.

  • UCAR contributes 10% of your eligible pay into your retirement account; 100% fully vested on day one.

  • Starting minimum accrual of 20 days of personal time off each year (prorated for less than full-time positions).

  • 10 paid holidays.

  • 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

  • Short-term medical leave paid at 100% of your regular salary.

  • EcoPass for local Colorado residents to use the Denver and Boulder-area transit system at no cost.

Commitment to Job Application Fairness

Applicants are not required to provide age or age-related information and may redact information related to age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution from any submissions during the initial application process.

Some Final Considerations

At NSF NCAR| UCAR | UCP, you will work alongside a dedicated team of professionals conducting critical research and community outreach to solve complex Earth system science problems including climate change, air pollution, extreme weather, floods, drought, wildfires, and space weather, all with the goal of improving human life and reducing economic loss. Each of us, from scientists to the professionals who support their work, serves the public and a collaborative community of scientists in our mission to understand the complex processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor to the Sun's core.

Flexible Work

At UCAR, we are committed to supporting our mission by giving staff the flexibility to find the schedule and location that works best to maintain their own work-life circumstances and reach their full potential as professionals. Many positions within our organization are eligible for fully on-site, hybrid (three days per week) and/or flexible work hours.

Equal Opportunity Employer

UCAR is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy.Whatever your intersection of identities, you are welcome at UCAR.

Export Control

All positions are required to comply with U.S. export compliance regulations and work location requirements regarding access to facilities and research systems.

Work Location

UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

AI Software

ChatGPT and similar AI software are powerful tools that are changing theway society receives, processes, and leverages information promptly. While we acknowledge its benefits and do not restrict leveraging it with job applications, we highly encourage a majority of the applicant material to be original work.

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