Metadata Specialist

This position is located at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), working in the Data Stewardship Division (DSD) in the Data Archive Branch. This position is significant to the NCEI mission because it requires unique skills and experience with data archive and metadata generation and management.

The position can be onsite at any of the four NCEI locations (Asheville NC, Stennis MS, Boulder CO, Silver Spring MD) with up to 80% telework.

Requirements

Responsibilities include:

• Work remotely on a geographically dispersed team, and collaborate with multiple teams and partners in remote settings.
• Follow established processes to plan and manage data stewardship projects.
• Collaborate with representatives and stakeholders to develop documentation for use cases, workflows, requirements, data specifications and architecture descriptions.
• Create and maintain associated SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
• Negotiate technical agreements with stakeholders to transfer and steward data.

• Represents technical viewpoints in meetings and forums.
• Travel to related conferences and meetings as appropriate.

Required Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Skilled at writing and managing documentation for environmental data.
• Understanding of metadata standards, such as ISO 19115, ISO 19139, and/or FGDC CSDGM.
• Experience with metadata generation and management.
• Familiarity with an Agile/Scrum framework.
• Familiarity with applying version control with tools such as Git in a team environment.
• Understanding of data curation processes including DOIs and data citation principles.
• Understanding of data and information management.
• Skilled at using Windows OS and Google Workspace.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Atlassian Jira and Confluence.
• Experience with file transfer protocols.
• Familiarity with traditional scientific data file formats such as GRIB, netCDF, and HDF5, as well as cloud-optimized data file formats such as Zarr, Parquet, etc.
• Experience with standard application programming interfaces (APIs) and protocols such as REST.
• Programming experience with XML/XSLT, Linux Shell, and/or Python scripting.
• Familiarity with the NOAA observing systems, programs and data.
• Familiarity with basic scientific concepts in meteorology, climatology, geophysics and/or oceanography.
• Understanding of the OAIS-RM framework.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Mathematics, Atmospheric Science, Computer Science, Library or Information Science, or a related discipline. Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.

Benefits

Riverside offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Attractive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage that begins on date of hire
• Company paid short-term disability, long-term disability, and group life insurance
• 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Flex/health spending accounts, pet insurance, and tuition reimbursement