Software Engineer

Position Description:

Position Summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a prestigious research and development organization that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The Observatory is a hub for technological and scientific collaboration, operating state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. The Observatory has been instrumental in the study of black holes, galaxies, and the early universe.

The NRAO is seeking a full-time software engineer to design, develop and maintain code for their radio interferometer data reduction and analysis pipeline. The pipeline is used for the majority of data processing by users of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. ALMA is now entering a very exciting phase. Over the next several years, ALMA will be undergoing a major upgrade of the arrays components the ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU). The objective is to increase the system bandwidth by at least a factor of two (and a goal of a factor of four), as well as to improve the sensitivity of most receivers and improve the digital efficiency throughout the signal chain.

The position will be based either at our headquarters in Charlottesville, VA; at the Science Operations Center in Socorro, NM; our office in Albuquerque, NM; or at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. A remote workstation within the United States may be considered for candidates with sufficient experience, who can work independently while still communicating effectively with the team.

What You Will be Doing:

The ALMA Pipeline Software Engineer is responsible for all aspects of the software engineering lifecycle, from requirements derivation through design, development, testing and maintenance of code used in telescope data processing. You must be capable of formulating complex technical solutions suitable for operational deployment from broad scientific objectives in a research environment. You must possess both software engineering domain knowledge as well as the educational background and ability to understand the basic scientific concepts of radio interferometry.

A key responsibility for this position will be improving ALMA quality assurance (QA) processes and the common pipeline infrastructure. All Pipeline development uses a a common infrastructure written in Python, which serves as the foundation of all essential aspects of the Pipeline functionality, including, heuristics-driving data calibration/imaging, weblog-based presentation of workflow and data quality assessment, as well as the final science data product delivery.

Work Environment

The successful candidate will join a team of professionals engaged in research and development in the fields of science, engineering, software development, and education. Work is typically performed in a research or development environment. Must be able to operate a personal computer. May occasionally work at high altitudes. Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Who You Are:

Education

• You have a Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, scientific or related field; highly relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a Bachelor's degree.
• While not required, you may have an advanced degree in a related field.

Experience

• Minimum of three years of experience in the development of software applications;

Skills and Competencies

• An understanding of formal software engineering principles including design, documentation, ticketing systems, version control and testing frameworks
• Experience with large development projects in Python
• Experience writing code for data visualization and web presentation
• Familiarity with basic astronomical principles and data reduction
• Demonstrated ability to learn new scientific concepts and apply them to engineering implementation, ideally in radio astronomy and interferometry
• Experience with scientific software development, numerical processing techniques, and mathematical packages such as Python/numpy
• Experience with CASA (or similar data reduction package)
• Familiarity with High Performance Computing and Big Data concepts including distributed data storage, parallel I/O, parallel processing, and memory caching
• Familiarity with software development in Linux, Python, and with version control software

Additional Requirement

Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States. The Observatory presently cannot sponsor H-1B Visas for this position.

Total Rewards:

Compensation

The starting salary of this position is between $79,000 and $120,000. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include; education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications of the successful candidate, as well as internal equity and labor market conditions.

Benefits:

Associated Universities, Inc (AUI) offers a comprehensive benefits package addressing the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment, subject to eligibility requirements. AUI provides:

• Excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days)
• Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment.
• AUIs retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participants base pay with no required employee contribution.
• Click Total Rewards for more information.

Application Instructions:

Select the Apply button above. Please be prepared to upload your current CV/Resume and a cover letter describing interest and suitability for the position.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

AUI is an equal opportunity employer. To view our complete statement, please visit If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to View email address on click.appcast.io. PM20

Compensation details: 79000-120000 Yearly Salary

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