Senior HPC Software Engineer

Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE); England; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense organization in the UK is seeking a Senior HPC Software Engineer to develop and deploy software for high-performance computing. The successful candidate will work primarily on-site with limited remote flexibility. A market-leading compensation package is offered, including a 9-day working fortnight and significant professional development opportunities.

Benefits

9-day working fortnight

Market leading contributory pension scheme

Family friendly policies

Professional career development opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Life Assurance

Discounts on everyday spending

Special Leave Policy

Qualifications

• PhD with at least 4 years or BSc/MSc with 6-8 years experience.
• Ability to work in a changing environment with tight deadlines.
• Strong written communication skills for technical documents.

Responsibilities

• Porting codes to new platforms.
• Designing, coding, and maintaining software modules.
• Researching advanced techniques for multi-physics problems.

Skills

Programming in C, C++, Fortran

Knowledge of computer architectures

Familiarity with parallel programming concepts

Software testing

Familiarity with scripting languages

Education

PhD in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics

BSc/MSc in relevant field

Tools

Unix/Linux environment

Performance analysis tools

Job description

Overview

Senior HPC Software Engineer

Closing Date: 2nd October 2025

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Due to the classified nature of the work involved, there are limited opportunities to work from home in this role. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will spend the majority of their time working on site at AWE Aldermaston.

Package: £47,860 - £65,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience). A relocation package may also be available with this role (terms & conditions apply).

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

Ready to play your part?

At AWE, it\u2019s not just a job, it\u2019s far more than that. Our shared purpose is to help keep the nation safe. Could this role be the opportunity for you to play your part?

Would you like to work on an industry leading high-performance computing platform?

An opportunity is now available for a Senior HPC Software Engineer to provide computer science support, through development and deployment of software techniques and solutions.

Responsibilities

• Providing appropriate assistance for porting specific codes to new platforms.
• Designing, coding, testing, installing, and maintaining software modules.
• Producing suitable online documentation.
• Interacting with vendors, universities, and US laboratories on leading-edge research.
• Undertaking research level investigation of advanced novel techniques for solution of multi-physics problems.
• Developing relevant benchmarks for assessing current and future systems.
• Maintaining an awareness of current and future developments in the HPC field.

Qualifications

We do need you to have the following:

• A PhD in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or other numerate discipline plus at least 4 years relevant experience.

OR

• A BSc/MSc Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or other numerate discipline plus at least 6-8 years relevant experience.

Desirable experience

• The ability to programme in C, C++, Fortran, or a similar high-level language.
• Knowledge of computer architectures, in particular, parallel architectures (including accelerators such as GPUs) and their applicability to running large scientific calculations.
• Familiarity with parallel programming concepts - both threading and MPI style parallelism.
• An understanding of software development life cycles.
• An interest in processing technologies: software, hardware, and algorithms together with their use and application.
• Experience of using debuggers and performance analysis tools would be advantageous.
• Knowledge of open-source software.
• Experience of working in Unix/Linux environment.
• Ability to capture software requirements and produce appropriate implementations.
• Software testing experience.
• Familiarity with scripting languages - e.g., bash, python.
• Ability to write in clear and concise language on technical matters and summarise and present such material effectively.

You\u2019ll need to have the ability to work calmly and constructively in a priority changing environment and be able to manage your own workload. You will also have initiative, enthusiasm, a flexible approach, and ability to work to tight deadlines.

Benefits

• 9-day working fortnight - meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
• Discounts - access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

The Working at AWE page on our website is where you can find full details in the AWE Benefits Guide.

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