Environmental Research Software Engineer (IoT)

UK CENTER FOR ECOLOGY & HYDROLOGY; Crowmarsh Gifford; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Join the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology as an Environmental Research Software Engineer. In this hybrid role, you'll design and develop software systems that manage and analyze environmental data, contributing to significant research projects. This position offers a competitive salary, a supportive work environment, and a comprehensive benefits package, including flexible working arrangements and a strong commitment to inclusivity.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

10% employer pension contribution

Flexible and hybrid working arrangements

Peer reward and recognition scheme

Dental insurance

Gym/fitness discounts

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

24-hour support for health and financial issues

Qualifications

• Experience in designing and maintaining software applications.
• Experience in commercial cloud environments.
• Demonstrable knowledge of software development best practices.

Responsibilities

• Designing and developing new software systems for environmental monitoring.
• Liaising with field engineers for cloud platform integrations.
• Working in an Agile development environment.

Skills

Python

Agile development

Database design

IoT development

Education

Degree in Geography, Environmental Science, Physics, Mathematics or Computing

Tools

AWS

SQL

NoSQL

Job description

Salary - £37,405 to £41,298
Hybrid working (50/50)
Permanent
Wallingford (Oxfordshire) based

Closing date for applications, 15th June 2025. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

Join the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) as an experienced Environmental Research Software Engineer join and become part of a vibrant team of over 600 scientists, engineers and technical experts working to tackle complex environmental challenges.

We are seeking an Environmental Research Software Engineer to support our Water Resources science area, contributing to the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) project. In this role, you’ll work alongside developers, data scientists and technical specialists to design, build and maintain software systems that manage and analyse environmental sensor data.

Your work will involve developing IoT integrations, structured data storage solutions and scalable APIs, contributing across the full software development lifecycle—from design and prototyping to deployment and ongoing support. You’ll also help enhance our cloud-based research platforms (hosted on AWS) and environmental data services, enabling high-impact scientific research.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Designing and developing new software systems and digital infrastructure, with a focus on environmental monitoring solutions

• Liaising with field engineers to designing, develop and support integrations of cloud platforms with field monitoring equipment

• Working in an Agile development environment to deliver software as part of a larger team of developers and infrastructure engineers

• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs, then developing software tools to meet those needs

• Contributing to management and maintenance of cloud infrastructure.

• Keeping up to date with the latest developments in software engineering and data management.

For the role of Environmental Research Software Engineer, we’re looking for somebody who has:

• A degree in Geography, Environmental science, Physics, Mathematics or Computing, or equivalent

• Experience in designing, developing and maintaining software applications, preferably within an agile environment

• Experience of commercial cloud environments

• Experience designing and optimising databases and file stores (SQL, NoSQL) for scalable, high-performance data storage

• Demonstrable knowledge of software development best practices, with a strong emphasis on Python as the primary language, including proficiency in version control, testing, DevOps, and documentation.

• Experience with IoT development would be beneficial

• Previous experience of the use and management of environmental or other data would be beneficial

You’ll be joining a leading independent, not-for-profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH.

Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.

Working for UKCEH is rewarding

We appreciate the continuous dedication and contributions of our staff, which is why we provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes financial incentives and wellbeing-oriented perks, such as:

• 27 days annual leave (rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service) plus 3 days for Christmas closure

• 10% employer pension contribution

• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (role dependant)

• Peer reward and recognition scheme

• Dental insurance, gym/fitness discounts, retail discount portal

• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

• 24-hour, 365-day support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues and much more...

Apply today!

If this opportunity resonates with you and aligns with your personal career goals, the team would love to receive your application. Please apply by submitting your CV along with a covering letter that highlights any qualifications, skills or experience you believe are relevant to this role.

At UKCEH, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone—regardless of background, identity, ability, or circumstance—has the opportunity to thrive. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from neurodivergent candidates and those with disabilities. We are happy to provide any adjustments or support you may need throughout the application process—please don’t hesitate to reach out. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we’d love to hear from you anyway. You may be just the right fit for this role or another within our wider team.

We welcome applications from international candidates; however, at present, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role.