Job opening(s): Scientific Software Developer | ReaxFF / COSMO-RS / DFTB / DFT Specialist | All-round Computer Scientist

18 August 2015

SCM is a growing and profitable scientific software company in Amsterdam, developing and marketing software in computational (quantum) chemistry and materials science.

For further expansion of our activities beyond DFT software, we now create at least one job opening with prospect of permanent employment, for one or more of three possible profiles:

A versatile and flexible scientific software developer.
A specialist in one or more of the following: ReaxFF, COSMO-RS, DFTB, DFT.
An all-round computer scientist.

The ideal candidate for profiles 1 and 2 will have relevant broad user and developer experience with several widely-used (open source and/or commercial) software packages in materials science, theoretical chemistry or (solid-state) physics. And advanced knowledge of one or more of the following is considered a strong plus: (Reactive) Molecular Dynamics, DFTB, COSMO-RS, materials science software. A specialist in one of these methods may develop into a leading specialized developer related to that area which may also involve external open-source packages.

Candidates for profile 3 must possess advanced experience with high-performance computing (parallel, GPU), high-throughput, advanced scripting, cloud computing, databases and other technical aspects of modern computational atomistic research. Such expertise is also a strong plus for profiles 1 and 2.

The successful candidate will be involved in a broad variety of software development projects, each typically a few days up to a few months, to further improve the user-friendliness and capabilities of SCM’s software. User support is also part of the job.

Often projects require interfacing or merging external academic or commercial software into the ADF suite, speeding it up, and making it available in user-friendly documented form to a broad user audience.

The focus will be more on software than on developing new science and on writing code rather than publications.

Job Requirements

The different job profiles share similar requirements, though weighted differently:

1. Scientific Software Developer

Requirements:

Excellent software development skills – experience in writing modular, reusable, efficient quality code in various programming languages (including modern Fortran and python) is crucially important.
Knowledge of methods in relevant fields of science, such as computational materials science, quantum chemistry, electronic structure theory (DFT or approximate methods), and (reactive) molecular dynamics.
MSc or PhD degree in relevant field (e.g. computational physics, materials science, or quantum chemistry), with several years of method and software development experience.

Desirable additional knowledge and experience:

Experience with programming in a team, in a large-scale software package (>100,000 lines of code).
Working knowledge of Fortran(90,2003) and python and preferably several additional languages.
Experience with one or more of: high-performance computing, parallel programming, porting code to other platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux).
Experience in GUI development (e.g. Tcl/Tk).
All-round technical skills (UNIX, debugging, website, Javascript, drupal, etc.).
Team player, with good two-way communication skills, self-motivated and independent worker.

2. ReaxFF / COSMO-RS / DFTB / DFT Specialist

Requirements:

Expertise in one or more of the following: (reactive) molecular dynamics, quantum chemistry based equilibrium thermodynamics and electronic structure theory (DFT or approximate methods).
Software development skills – experience in writing modular, reusable, efficient quality code in various programming languages.
MSc or PhD degree in relevant field (e.g. computational physics, materials science, or quantum chemistry), with several years of method and software development experience.

Desirable additional knowledge and experience:

Experience with programming in a team, in a large-scale software package (>100,000 lines of code).
Working knowledge of Fortran(90,2003) and python and preferably several additional languages.
Experience with one or more of: high-performance computing, parallel programming, porting code to other platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux).
Experience in GUI development (e.g. Tcl/Tk).
All-round technical skills (UNIX, debugging, website, Javascript, drupal, etc.).
Team player, with good two-way communication skills, self-motivated and independent worker.

3. Computer Scientist

Requirements:

Excellent software development skills – experience in writing modular, reusable, efficient quality code in various programming languages (including python) is crucially important.
Experience with one or more of: high-performance computing, parallel programming, porting code to other platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux), GUI development (e.g. Tcl/Tk).
All-round technical skills (UNIX, debugging, website, Javascript, CMS, etc.).
BSc, MSc or PhD degree in relevant field (e.g. computer science), with several years of software development and/or IT experience.

Desirable additional knowledge and experience:

Experience with programming in a team, in a large-scale software package (>100,000 lines of code).
Working knowledge of Fortran(90,2003).
Team player, with good two-way communication skills, self-motivated and independent worker.
Familiarity with Physics and Chemistry.

What we offer

This position will initially be for one year but with prospect of extension and permanent employment in case of mutual satisfaction.

The position is available immediately but there is flexibility concerning the starting date.

Salary and secondary benefits (including pension fund) will be competitive and will be at least at the level of such a position at a Dutch university.

Tax benefits (30% of salary tax-free) may be applicable in the Netherlands (depending on circumstances) for a successful candidate from abroad.

A variable team bonus may be awarded. This is a full-time (preferred) or part-time (at least 0.7 FTE) position based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

About SCM and ADF

Scientific Computing & Modelling NV, SCM, is an independent spin-off company of the VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

SCM develops, maintains, and markets the Amsterdam Density Functional (ADF) package, consisting of the molecular ADF program, the periodic structure program BAND, the reactive molecular dynamics program ReaxFF, approximate DFT (DFTB) software, the COSMO-RS module for thermodynamics of mixed liquids, and their respective graphical interfaces.

The SCM development staff consists of senior PhDs focusing on software / method development, and with typically more than 10 years experience in ADF / BAND scientific software development.

In addition there are various EU fellows (PhD students and post-docs) working on specific scientific projects.

The atmosphere at SCM is that of an informal small team (approximately 15 people) of PhDs and PhD candidates doing intellectually challenging work.

SCM shares office space and closely interacts with the large and well-known Theoretical Chemistry (TC) group led by professors Bickelhaupt and Visscher, and also collaborates with other institutions in Amsterdam such as the Amsterdam Center for Multiscale Modeling (ACMM), the Netherlands eScience Center and SURFsara (the Dutch national high-performance computing and e-Science support center).

SCM cooperates with a large number of academic method developers around the world and is increasing its scope to atomistic simulations in a broader sense.

SCM is a financially solid (debt-free, growing and profitable) science-focused company which has been around for over 20 years.

We are located in Amsterdam, the very lively, internationally oriented, and enjoyable capital of The Netherlands.

Thanks to their high quality of living, The Netherlands and Amsterdam in particular consistently rank near the top of worldwide liveability rankings:

The Netherlands “performs well in many measures of well-being relative to most other countries” in the OECD Better Life Index.
Amsterdam is the 4th best place to live according to The Economist Intelligence Unit 2015 Index of indexes, thanks to its outstanding performance across several EIU indexes (e.g. ranking 5th and 8th in the Safe Cities and Liveability indexes, respectively).
Amsterdam was elected as “top city to live and work in Europe”, beating Paris and Berlin, and it’s widely considered a great place for “expats”.

Eligibility

SCM is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants can have (almost) any current residence and nationality – unless export restrictions apply for our software.

Further information, applying

Detailed information on SCM and its software can be found at http://www.scm.com.

Those interested in this position are encouraged to contact us at jobs at scm dot com, tel: +31-20-5987626, for further information.

Job applications can be sent by E-mail to the same address until Sept. 20th, 2015, but preferably sooner.

Applications should contain a CV, a cover letter explaining the motivation for applying and, if applicable, a list of publications or software projects worked on (with own contribution specified).

References and source code may be requested at a later stage. The accompanying E-mail should briefly stress already a few key reasons why you might be the most suitable person for one of these positions.