Software and Product Manager (f/m/x) - Digital Twin for Bird Diversity (BirdTwin)

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH - UFZ

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) with its 1,100 employees has gained an excellent reputation as an international competence centre for environmental sciences. We are part of the largest scientific organisation in Germany, the Helmholtz Association. Our mission: Our research seeks to find a balance between social development and the long-term protection of our natural resources.

Software and Product Manager (f/m/x) – Digital Twin for Bird Diversity (BirdTwin)

The job Biodiversity loss is an emerging risk for society, business, and finance. Within the BirdTwin project, the Software and Product Manager will coordinate the design, development, implementation, and provision of a digital twin for bird diversity across Germany and Europe, with the aim of developing software products that can be used for societal, business, and financial decision-making. The Software and Product Manager is part of the larger TripleBird project at the UFZ and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). The BirdTwin digital twin will use species distribution models based on long-term bird monitoring data from Germany and Europe to compare different policy scenarios and their impacts on bird diversity. Outputs will provide predictions of bird abundance and diversity under past, present, and future conditions, as well as a spatially explicit Bird Diversity Monitor – a tool reflecting the current state of bird diversity. These models will form the foundation for application products that can be used in societal, business, and financial decision-making processes. The BirdTwin Manager will play a key role in bridging ecological data, modeling and IT, ensuring that outcomes are both scientifically robust and practically relevant. Core responsibilities include coordination and interface management between ecological modeling, research data management, IT operations, and external development partners, as well as stakeholders from business, finance, and conservation. As part of the BirdTwin, BirdFuture, and BirdBusiness teams, the manager will lead and coordinate an interdisciplinary group of data scientists, ecological modelers, and software developers. Strong management and communication skills are essential to align diverse stakeholders and foster collaboration with external users and partners, such as the Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten. Your tasks

• Responsibility for coordinating the development of the BirdTwin digital twin for bird diversity at the German and European level
• Coordination, personnel, and interface management between research data management, IT operations, modelers, and external development partners
• Survey, prioritization, and coordination of the implementation of requirements for the software product (e.g., integration into cluster and IT infrastructures, interfaces to monitoring data from the Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten, involvement of external partners), as well as the translation of scientific requirements into technical solutions and ensuring sustainable implementation
• Design, further development, and coordination of a software product roadmap, including architecture, in close coordination with the BirdFuture and BirdBusiness projects as well as other internal and external partners
• Ensuring quality standards, documentation, and reusability of the developed solutions

We offer

• The freedom to master even the most demanding challenges between basic research and practical application
• The chance to work in interdisciplinary, international teams and benefit from a variety of perspectives
• First-class integration into national and international research networks to work together on global challenges
• Excellent research infrastructure and research data management to optimally support your work
• Flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and care responsibilities through our family office
• Competent support and advice for international colleagues arriving at the UFZ from the 'International Office'
• Special annual payment, capital-forming benefits and subsidised Germany Job Ticket
• A workplace in a vibrant region with a high life quality and social and cultural diversity

Your profile

• Completed university degree (Master’s, Diploma, or Doctorate) with a focus on information technology or a comparable field in the natural sciences
• Several years of experience in software development and product management and/or IT project management in science-related or technology-oriented projects, including experience in managing and successfully implementing complex projects
• In-depth knowledge of stakeholder and requirement management in product design as well as collaboration in interdisciplinary teams (science, IT, external partners)
• A basic understanding of ecological quantitative modelling principles and processes, and the willingness and ability to work closely and proactively with modelling experts
• Experience with agile methods (e.g., SCRUM, Kanban) and common tools (e.g., Atlassian Jira/Confluence, GitLab) and a willingness to use them intensively
• Understanding and practical experience in the following areas:
  • Interface and API development as well as metadata management
  • Containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and connection to HPC or cloud infrastructures
  • Use and adaptation of modeling environments (e.g., R, Python, Julia, Rust, Fortran)
  • Integration of research data infrastructures and development of monitoring and visualization solutions
• Excellent organizational skills, strong communication skills, and the ability to understand complex scientific and technical issues and convey them in an understandable way
• Very good written and spoken English skills; German language skills are an advantage

Please note that external consultants will also be involved in the selection process for this position alongside UFZ employees.