Laboratory / Division

Software Development Technology Unit
Operations and Computer Technologies Division
RIKEN Center for Computational Science
(Unit Leader: Hitoshi Murai)

Outline of Laboratory / Division

The RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS), led by Center Director Satoshi Matsuoka, are threefold, centered around supercomputing: one is to target high performance computation itself as a scientific objective, or namely, the "Science of Computing"; another is to apply the enormous computational power thus obtained to solve difficult scientific problems, or namely the "Science by Computing"; finally, to collaborate with other scientific disciplines that contribute to advances in both sciences, or namely, the "Science for Computing." Our goal is to be recognized as one of the global leadership research centers to advance high-end computational science in this regard.

The Software Development Technology Unit is recruiting technical employees to carry out a new theme. The research overview of the laboratory is shown below.

Our laboratory aims to develop an excellent software environment that maximizes the capabilities of the supercomputer Fugaku and the other supercomputers operated by R-CCS, such as RIKYU and ROQUO. Such a software environment includes compilers; tools (performance profilers, debuggers, etc.); mathematical libraries; and communication libraries. We also promote the use of open-source software (OSS) on Fugaku and contribute to the development of the Arm ecosystem, and we support the performance evaluation and enhancement of software developed at R-CCS. Furthermore, in the development project for the next-generation computing infrastructure (Fugaku NEXT), we conduct research and development of programming environments for accelerator-equipped computing systems and carry out application performance evaluation.

Job title and Job description

Job title

Senior Technical Scientist or Technical Scientist: a few positions

Position-specific tasks are as follows:

Senior Technical Scientist

Assist Laboratory Heads; provide guidance to technicians and other personnel at corresponding laboratories; autonomously develop and advance technologies needed to conduct research projects and other activities. Also be involved in developing, enhancing, and maintaining technic/technology required for the research.

Technical Scientist

Develop and advance technologies needed to conduct research projects and other activities in corresponding department. Also be involved in developing, enhancing, and maintaining technic/technology required for the research.

Job description

Research and development of programming environments for supercomputers, in particular for accelerator-equipped computing systems including Fugaku NEXT. Also, research and development related to AI-driven software development. Furthermore, in cooperation with other research teams at the Center for Computational Science, other RIKEN centers, and related institutions in Japan and abroad as needed, in addition to this Unit, the position promotes research and development. In addition to the above, the position will also be responsible for tasks that contribute to research promotion within the Unit and the Center, including young researcher development such as hosting interns, as well as various contracting procedures such as drafting specifications.

The job description may be changed during the contract period or upon contract renewal to the extent described above.

Qualification

Common to all positions

A person who is able to dedicate themselves to the job by communicating, coordinating and collaborating smoothly with people in and out of the laboratory.

Senior Technical Scientist

A PhD holder (or expected to obtain a PhD before starting the position) in a field related to the Job description. Or, a person recognized as having equal ability with 5 or more years of work experience in a related field, who is also able to provide guidance to laboratory members.

Technical Scientist

A PhD holder (or expected to obtain a PhD before starting the position) in a field related to the Job description. Or, a person recognized as having equal ability with 5 or more years of work experience in a related field.

Work location

RIKEN Kobe Campus South Area
7-1-26, Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, JAPAN

RIKEN may order the employee to change work locations, if necessary, in accordance with RIKEN regulations.

Salary and benefits

• 1.A one year fixed-term employment contract, renewable based on evaluation, up to a maximum of 7 years of employment.
• 2.RIKEN may adjust the above maximum period of renewability based on a) the employee’s abilities, workload at the time of contract completion, performance and work attitude and b) the continuation of the employee’s center, laboratory or project and RIKEN’s management situation and budget at the time. In principle, employment contracts will not be renewed for individuals older than 70 years.

RIKEN has indefinite-term positions. Any scientists, including fixed-term employees who have been hired through this open call, are eligible to apply to open calls for indefinite-term positions.

In principle, the first two months of employment are considered a trial period.

Salary will be an annual salary based on experience, ability, and performance, and will consist of a base salary and a variable salary. The variable salary will be determined each fiscal year based on experience, ability, and performance. Discretionary work, commuting and housing allowances will be provided. Social insurance will be applied.

The approximate amount of salary at the time of employment:

The total amount of the monthly discretionary work allowance and the monthly salary at the time of hiring will be 595,235 JPY or more for Senior Technical Scientist, and 536,065 JPY or more for Technical Scientist.

RIKEN has implemented a telecommuting system that allows employees to work from home or other locations permitted by RIKEN. Our laboratory actively utilizes the telecommuting system. The post currently being offered may be carried out through telecommuting (full-remote work) within Japan for the entire specified work period, provided that the required procedures are completed and approval is obtained from RIKEN. For more information, please get in touch with the hiring staff at kobe-jobs@riken.jp.

This position falls under the specialized duties discretionary work system; one working day will be calculated as 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Days off include Saturdays and Sundays, public holidays, New Year's holidays (Dec. 29 – Jan. 3), and RIKEN Foundation Day.
Paid leave includes annual paid leave (up to 20 days depending on the month of employment), special paid leave (caring for a sick child, family nursing care, etc.), and work life balance holidays (up to 7 days depending on the month of employment).
There are also additional leave systems such as maternity leave, childcare leave, and family nursing care leave.
Smoking is entirely prohibited on site.
These and other provisions are in accordance with RIKEN regulations.

Mandatory membership in the RIKEN Mutual Benefit Society (RIKEN Kyosaikai).

• *Eligible to apply for the MEXT Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi).
• *RIKEN is actively undertaking initiatives to promote gender equality and diversity, and moving forward with the establishment of a diverse and vibrant research environment. If multiple candidates are found to have the same aptitude following a fair assessment, active efforts will be made to recruit female candidates.
• *The Kobe Campus has an on-site daycare, Po-I Kids Kobe. For details, please send an email to kobe-kosei@ml.riken.jp.

Application and required documents

Required documents

Please prepare the following documents either in English or in Japanese.

• 1.Complete CV or CV
  • *Email address, Application Number [26-1586] and position to apply (e.g.: Technical Scientist) are required.
  • *Format is free. Or the format attached is available.
• 2.List of technological achievements (including ResearcherID or Google Scholar ID, if available)
  Include not only peer-reviewed papers but also a list of patents, a list of invited lectures. Also include quantitative measures for evaluation such as the Google Scholar citation index, whenever possible.
• 3.Copies of up to five most important publications (Please mark the papers on the list of publications.)
  When the original publications are not in PDF format, scan the papers and save them as PDF documents prior to submission.
• 4.List of competitive funds acquired, awards received, and other achievements including, contributions to university/institution operations, contribution to society through activities in academic societies, joint research projects, technology transfers, etc.
• 5.Description of previous technological development, future technological development plans, and career goals: No format specified, approximately three to four A4 pages in total. It is desirable that a diagram describing the technological development is provided.
• 6.At least one letter of recommendation from a person who can evaluate your work
  • *In principle, the letter of recommendation should be from the applicant’s current supervisor. When it is difficult to do so, a letter of recommendation written by a third party may be accepted.
    If your current affiliation is the laboratory you apply for, the referee should be a person who does not belong to the laboratory you apply for including the supervisor.
  • *The letter of recommendation must be sent directly by the referees.
  • *The letter of recommendation should be addressed to R-CCS Director. Digital signature image can be embedded in the letter of recommendation within the PDF file. Or please specify the referee’s contact information (name, affiliation, job title, phone number, and email address) in the letter. Please make sure to write the date.
• 7.Agreement on handling of personal information (Handling of personal information based on the Hiring Privacy Policy)
  Please review the following web page before submitting the consent form.:
  • *Hiring Privacy Policy
  • *Privacy Policy

How to apply

Combine the above documents except the letter of recommendation into a single PDF file and upload them to the following link:

Applications for R-CCS Software Development Technology Unit

• The file name of the PDF should contain the job ad number “26-1586, R-CCS Software Development Technology Unit” and the applicant’s name.
• Please write the job ad number and the name of the position that you apply for if there is an “Add additional information” box on the website.
• After you uploaded the PDF file, please let us (r-ccs-recruit@ml.riken.jp ) know the file name of the uploaded file.
• The email subject line when reporting the submission of application documents should be as follows: “[Applicant’s name]_26-1586_R-CCS Software Development Technology Unit_[Position applied for] Application Documents”.

The letter of recommendation must be directly submitted from the referees to the link mentioned above with the subject line "Letter of recommendation for [applicant’s name], [name of the position], R-CCS Software Development Technology Unit”. Please tell them to email us (r-ccs-recruit@ml.riken.jp ) that they have uploaded the PDF file and to specify the applicant's name, referee's name and contact information in the body of the email.
If a confirmation email is not received within 7 days after submission, please contact: r-ccs-recruit@ml.riken.jp.

Note: None of the submitted documents will be returned.

Deadline

Open until the position is filled

Handling Personal Data

Submitted documents are strictly protected under the RIKEN Privacy Policy and will be used only for the purpose of applicant screening at RIKEN. Personal information will not be disclosed, transferred or loaned to a third party under any circumstances without just cause.

Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Job Seekers

To ensure a safe and proper environment throughout our recruitment process, RIKEN has established the Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Job Seekers and strictly enforces compliance among all staff members.

Selection process

Selection will be made based on application screening and interview. After documents screening, only successful applicants will be invited for interview (2 interviews for Senior Technical Scientist and Technical Scientist positions). No inquiries on the selection process and results will be answered.

Notification of hiring decision

The notification of hiring decision (conditional offer of employment) regarding this selection shall be carried out through the presentation of an Employment Contract or a Conditional Offer of Employment issued by RIKEN.

Start of Employment

As early as possible

Contact Information

For inquiries regarding this open position, please contact below by email:
Computational Science Promotion Division, RIKEN
r-ccs-recruit@ml.riken.jp
Inquiries are accepted by email only. When making an inquiry, please begin the subject line with “[26-1586] Software Development Technology Unit - Recruitment for [position applied for, e.g., Technical Scientist]”.

For inquiries on research conducted by the Unit, please contact the Unit leader by email:
Hitoshi Murai
Software Development Technology Unit, Operations and Computer Technologies Division
RIKEN Center for Computational Science
Email: h-murai@riken.jp