Software Engineer Group Lead - CASA

Position Description: 

Would you like to be part of leading and developing mission-critical software for some of the largest scientific endeavors on the planet? Would you like to be part of a highly skilled international team of engineers and scientists pushing the boundaries of humankind’s knowledge of the universe?

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is seeking a Lead for the CASA Group within the Data Management and Software (DMS) software division of NRAO. 

The CASA Group is responsible for the Common Astronomy Software Applications (CASA) package that supports the data post-processing needs of NRAO’s current generation of radio astronomical telescopes, ALMA and the VLA. The CASA software package provides the foundation upon which pipeline workflows are assembled and connected to observatory systems to allow automated data calibration and imaging.  CASA is committed to supporting the needs of the broader radio astronomy community as well and can process both interferometric and single dish data through customizable application interfaces. CASA is developed by an international consortium of scientists and developers based primarily at the National Radio Astronomical Observatory (NRAO), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), under the guidance of NRAO. 

A Radio Astronomy Data Processing System (RADPS) program is currently being initiated within NRAO’s DMS department to design and develop a next-generation suite of tools, infrastructure and interfaces to support the upcoming Next Generation VLA (ngVLA) telescope and ALMA’s Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU). Over the next decade, our software infrastructure is expected to evolve to support 2-3 orders of magnitude greater processing capability with scalable high performance and high throughput data reduction workflows for radio interferometry.   

Over the next few years, the CASA software is expected to support steady-state operations, while the team transitions into design and development efforts for RADPS. Commissioning of the ALMA-WSU and ngVLA telescopes will require support from CASA or early-RADPS over the next 1-5 years. Operations workflows are expected to transition from the current CASA software and its associated pipelines to RADPS over the next 5-10 years. 

As CASA Group Lead, you will oversee the future of the current CASA software, participate alongside RADPS leadership to define and realize the RADPS development model, and manage staff, resources and processes to implement the transition of development and operations from CASA to RADPS. 

The preferred location for the position will be based at one of the NRAO Sites – Charlottesville, VA; Socorro, NM; Albuquerque, NM; or Green Bank, WV. 

You will be responsible for personnel management for the software team, programmatic and technical oversight of the CASA software, and resource allocation across multiple projects (CASA and RADPS) that require expertise from the team. You will also take responsibility for regular reporting on management status and compliance with deadlines to senior management at NRAO and other participating organizations, and may be asked to present that status to other stakeholders or advisory bodies in formal or informal reviews. 

Personnel management involves building and maintaining a culture of trust, mutual collaboration, accountability, and excellence within the group and with the Stakeholders. This includes: 

•          Seeking to increase the diversity and inclusion of the group through robust recruiting and onboarding practices. 

•          Reviewing timesheets and periodic performance reviews, including interacting with the Human Resources and Business departments of the Observatory when necessary. 

•          With guidance from the Observatory Human Resource Department coordinates and advises on personnel matters, ensuring compliance with applicable policies such as affirmative action. 

•          Advises staff on technical and operational matters, instructs and orients new employees as necessary. 

•          Motivates direct reports by providing feedback and opportunities for skills development.

•          Ensures that staff have the resources they need to complete their work in an optimal manner. 

•          Interprets, implements, develops and/or recommends changes to rules, regulations, policies and procedures set forth by the Observatory. 

•          Proactive compliance with NRAO and government safety policies and procedures in their own work area is expected. 

Programmatic and technical oversight for CASA involves oversight of all aspects of the lifecycle of the CASA software for which the group is responsible. This includes:

•          For CASA, coordinate the requirements gathering process alongside a Project Scientist who will provide domain expertise, manage a science stakeholder group, and coordinate scientific validation.

•          Be responsible for assigning tasks, tracking progress, coordinating integration, testing, acceptance and release while fulfilling high standards of quality.

•          Maintaining effective communications with other development and support teams.

•          Defining the software infrastructure and deployment strategies for long-term CASA operations. 

•          Guiding the integration of software components as operations transitions from CASA to RADPS.

•          Maintaining a consistent view and quality of implementation across all of the software. 

•          Approving technical direction for the future of CASA, in conjunction with the RADPS program office. 

•          Interacting with a team of expert developers and improving on present practices whenever and wherever appropriate. 

Resource management across multiple projects (CASA and RADPS): 

•          Making staffing and scheduling choices to best support long-term maintenance and operations of CASA as well as RADPS development (scheduled as program increments). 

•          Engage with the RADPS Program office to negotiate developer resources.

•          Enabling technical training and learning opportunities across the team to best support the CASA to RADPS transition.    

Work Environment

Work is typically performed in a research and development office environment. Occasional travel (domestic and international) may be required.

Who You Are:

Minimum Education 

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, physics, astronomy, or related field. Advanced degree preferred. 

Minimum Experience 

At least seven years of experience in software development, with at least three or more years of experience managing a software group of five or more people. Equivalent relevant experience will be considered. 

Preferred Education 

An advanced degree in a closely related field.

Preferred Experience 

Relevant experience with radio astronomy data reduction and analysis software and procedures is preferred. Demonstrated leadership in complex environments and experience leading larger and geographically distributed software teams is preferred. Familiarity with Agile development methods within a complex multi-project environment is highly desirable. 

Additional skills & Abilities: 

•          Strong interpersonal and group communications skills, oral and written. 

•          Familiarity with a wide variety of technologies, such as C, C++, Python, testing frameworks, threading, parallelization. 

•          Ability to translate science requirements into software requirements. 

•          Understanding of software architecture and the implications it has for development. 

•          Must possess strong leadership and delegation capabilities. Ability to maintain and develop productive collaborations across organizations, anticipate and mitigate political and technical issues. 

•          Demonstrated strong initiative in refining and clarifying requirements, defining and implementing QA processes, plan definition and monitoring, defining technical direction, and facilitating alignment. 

•          Ability to learn new areas and apply learning. 

•          Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities. 

•          Familiarity with project management concepts and techniques. 

•          Familiarity with Agile methodologies is preferred, including Scrum and Scaled Agile. 

Competency Summary 

You will have demonstrated experience leading software development groups, preferably within the domain of astronomy. You will also have experience in leading a distributed team of developers and be familiar with management, planning, and reporting aspects. You should be prepared to deal with already ongoing activities, while also having the ability to formulate a long-term direction. You should have experience balancing the maintenance, improvement, and enhancement of operational software. Planning skills and appropriate management of a team of expert developers and scientists are essential. Competency and experience dealing with the development process from requirements gathering, to development, testing and the formalism needed to achieve an orderly process is also expected. You must be able to build strong and productive relationships with stakeholders who have complex and sometimes conflicting requirements, such as scientists, development partners, and operations organizations. Strong decision-making, consensus building, and communication skills are essential. Ideally, you have experience working within Agile software development frameworks, and have experience with the practical reality of serving multiple projects through a shared code base.

Total Rewards:

AUI 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. 

Benefits:

AUI’s benefits package addresses the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment. AUI 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. AUI’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 upload your current CV/Resume and a cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the position.

Equal Employment Opportunity 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]. PM20

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