Job opening: scientific software developer

SCM is a growing and profitable scientific software company in Amsterdam, developing and marketing software in computational quantum chemistry and materials science for over 25 years. We have grown quite rapidly to around 20 developers over the last few years. To strengthen our core team, we now create a job opening with intention of permanent employment for a scientific software developer.

Job description

Together with our current team of developers, you will work on extending and improving the functionality, speed and user-friendliness of the Amsterdam Modeling Suite. You will implement methods published in the literature, but also develop your own solutions to yet unsolved problems. The core of our software is written in (modern) Fortran, but we have a growing body of Python source code around it. You will work on the full stack of technologies, so experience with both compiled and scripting languages (as well as their mutual interoperability) is required.

The Amsterdam Modeling Suite is developed in close collaboration with academic developers and other science-focused software companies all around the world. You will be in contact with academic developers, provide technical support and help them integrate their work into the main version of AMS.

The scientific basis of our software is always developing and the position will require you to keep up to date with the latest developments, and judge how promising new methods from the academic world are. To this end you may attend relevant scientific conferences.

Job requirements

  • PhD (or MSc) in theoretical physics or theoretical chemistry, with excellent mathematical skills
  • A good overview of the methods and algorithms used in atomistic modeling software, both at the driver level (molecular dynamics, optimization, transition state search, …) as well as models to calculate atomic forces, e.g. DFT, semi-empirical methods, (reactive) force fields, …
  • Proven hands-on experience working collaboratively in large codebases using standard software development tools such as version control, debuggers, profilers, etc.
  • Experience with compiled languages (modern Fortran, C++, C) as well as Python scripting
  • A passion for clean, reusable and modular code

Desirable knowledge and experience

  • Experience with high-performance computing and associated libraries/tools: e.g. MPI, OpenMP, multi-threading, Slurm, …
  • Experience with GUI development in Python/Qt

We will primarily consider experienced applicants but may also consider candidates who are finishing their MSc studies soon, in case of suitable background and talents.

What we offer

  • This position will initially be for one year but is intended to be extended and become permanent.
  • The position is available immediately but there is flexibility concerning the starting date.
  • Competitive salary related to experience, bonus, as well as relocation costs and secondary benefits (including ABP pension fund)
  • 34 holidays per year on top of national holidays.
  • Flexible working hours and the ability to occasionally work remotely.
  • This is a full-time (preferred) or part-time (at least 0.7 FTE) position based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Tax benefits (30% of salary tax-free) are often applicable in The Netherlands (depending on circumstances) for a successful candidate from abroad.

The working environment at SCM

SCM is a science-focused company which has been around for more than 25 years. The friendly working atmosphere at SCM is that of an informal small team of PhD-level researchers and scientific software developers doing intellectually challenging work. This environment provides much freedom and responsibility for shaping your own work. Originating as a spin-off company of the VU University, Amsterdam, SCM has its office space on the VU campus, at walking distance from the Amsterdam-Zuid train station. We also extensively collaborate with a growing number of academic groups and household-name industrial partners worldwide.

Thanks to its high quality of living and dynamism, Amsterdam has been elected as best European tech city and 4th most dynamic European city to work in, “best city for Millennials to live”, it consistently ranks high in Mercer’s annual Quality of Living surveys (11th best in the world, in 2019), and voted runner up in the best city survey by Time Out in 2021. The Netherlands is also number one on the English proficiency list of 100 countries.

Further information, applying

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

Those interested in this position are encouraged to contact us at jobdev@scm.com for further information. Job applications can be sent by email to the same address until 30 September, 2021 (preferably sooner) or until the position has been filled. Applications should contain a CV, a cover letter explaining the motivation for applying and, if applicable, a list of software / ML projects worked on (with own contribution specified). References and source code may be requested at a later stage. The accompanying email should briefly stress already a few key reasons why you might be the most suitable person for the position.

Key concepts