Software Engineer I - III

Position Description:

Position Summary 

Would you like to write mission-critical software for one of the most famous and accomplished scientific instruments on the planet?  Would you like to be part of a highly skilled team of software engineers and scientists pushing the boundaries of our knowledge of the universe?  Join the development team that created and maintains software for National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) telescopes. The NRAO develops and maintains software used by the astronomy community for proposing, planning, scheduling, and analyzing observations performed with these telescopes 

NRAO is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to join the Scientific Support and Archive (SSA) development team. The SSA team is responsible for some of the most visible user-facing software at the observatory, including the Proposal Submission Tool and the NRAO Science Archive.  

The position will be based in Albuquerque, NM, Socorro, NM, Charlottesville, VA or Green Bank, WV. For well qualified candidates, a remote work arrangement, operating in the US/Mountain time zone, may be considered. 

This position will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of the next generations of tools critical to the Observatory, for both the current telescopes and the next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA). In addition, there are numerous opportunities for improving the existing tools, such as providing wizards for the creation of observations, providing more intuitive graphic displays, and making the tools generally more user friendly.   

What You Will be Doing: 

The primary focus of this position will be on delivering a new toolset to help astronomers and other scientists work with radio astronomy observations more easily, thereby expanding the impact of our data. You will have the opportunity to apply your skills and technical knowledge to developing more modern and streamlined user experiences. You will also be responsible for designing and delivering key components of this toolset. 

Additional duties of the SSA members include both the maintenance and necessary upgrades of the existing software as well as developing new products to meet the challenges posed by the new observing paradigms necessary for the Observatory to remain at the cutting edge of science and technology.   

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. Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. 

Who You Are:

●        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.  

●        While no minimum professional experience is required, you may have three or more years of experience in the professional development of software applications; candidates with progressively more work experience will be considered for a higher-level position ranking. 

●        Your expertise will include:

• Experience developing software using Python, SQLAlchemy, and other toolkits
• Experience with web front end technologies: Angular, webpack, bootstrap, sass and others
• Familiarity with containerization strategies and technologies such as Docker, Docker Swarm, Docker Compose, and/or Kubernetes
• Understanding of object-oriented design and development
• Understanding of object-relational mapping
• Demonstrated ability to learn and apply new software languages
• Experience with version control software, testing methodologies and CI/CD
• Experience debugging and profiling software systems
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills
• Experience with relational databases, including database normalization and administration
• Experience integrating software components into a functioning, maintainable system
• Familiarity with basic astronomical principles and data reduction
• Ability and interest in working as part of a team in a Scrum environment

Competency Summary 

The ability to design, develop, modify, and support complex user-facing systems, interfacing with other systems and DBMS 

Total Rewards:

The NRAO offers a comprehensive total rewards package for this position, subject to eligibility requirements. We are committed to serving our employees and their families with an extensive and competitive compensation and benefits package that supports our employees’ overall well-being and career growth. 

Compensation 

The NRAO strives to attract and retain dedicated, highly qualified, competent, and motivated employees by offering competitive compensation and recognition for performance.  

Factors which may affect starting pay may include; education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications of the successful candidate, as well as internal equity and labor market conditions.

For open rank positions, the starting salary/hourly rates for each level is between:      

●        Software Engineer I ($25.00-$35.85 per hour)  

●        Software Engineer II ($60,400-$92,500 per annum)  

●        Software Engineer III ($78,800-$120,835 per annum

Benefits: 

NRAO’s benefits package addresses the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment. NRAO provides excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days and 15 sick days, additional time off for doctor/dentist visits, and 8 weeks of paid parental leave). Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment. NRAO’s retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay with no required employee contribution; we also offer an optional supplemental, tax-deferred plan for employee retirement contributions. 

Application Instructions:

Select the “Apply” button. 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. Women, Minorities, Vietnam-Era Veterans, Disabled Veterans, Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. To view our complete statement, please visit http://jobs.jobvite.com/nrao/jobs. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may submit your request by sending an email to [email protected].

The NRAO is an equal opportunity employer (M/F/D/V)