Senior C++ Developer

Senior C++ Developer – Ecological/Scientific Modeling (COMPASS Model)

The Client's Ecology Division maintains the COMPASS (Comprehensive Passage) model — a 230,000-line C++ ecological simulation that predicts how dam and reservoir operations on the Columbia River affect juvenile salmon and steelhead survival. The model directly supports federal hydropower and endangered species management decisions. You'll be the dedicated developer on this codebase, working closely with Client's scientists to complete the GUI, build out the adult fish passage module, implement new ecological features, and keep the model fast and maintainable.

Key Responsibilities

• Complete development of the Qt-based graphical user interface, including parameter editing, environmental data editing (flow/temperature), and building the Windows installer package
• Complete the adult passage module: upstream migration, dam passage timing, tailrace delay, fishway/ladder movement, reservoir travel time and survival, fallback over dams, and harvest losses
• Calibrate model parameters to radio-telemetry and PIT tag data in collaboration with project scientists
• Implement model modifications requested by Client's West Coast Region, including scenario analyses supporting litigation and ESA/Magnuson-Stevens Act decisions
• Perform routine maintenance, optimize runtime and memory usage (current: 5–30 sec per scenario-year; Monte Carlo runs of tens of thousands of scenario-years over 24–48 hrs; 200 MB memory footprint)
• Maintain parity-based acceptance tests; document all changes; update user documentation
• Participate in scheduled team progress meetings and provide weekly-to-monthly written progress reports

Required Qualifications

• Degree in computer science or a closely related field
• 10+ years of applied programming experience
• Expert-level C++ proficiency (C++17), demonstrable through completed projects
• Experience with large object-oriented C++ codebases and Git