Software Engineer III-IV, CASA Infrastructure Lead (4724)

Company: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Location: Charlottesville
Posted on: June 14, 2022

Job Description:

National Radio Astronomy ObservatoryPosition Description: Position SummaryThe National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is seeking to recruit a full-time CASA Infrastructure Design & Development Lead to provide technical direction and design oversight for the evolution of its software infrastructure towards improved development efficiency, scalability with data volume and compute needs, and improved compatibility with operational systems of next generation radio telescopes, while remaining consistent with the scientific requirements of our instruments and community. The CASA Group is responsible for the Common Astronomy Software Applications (CASA) package that supports the data post-processing needs of NRAOs current generation of radio astronomical telescopes, ALMA and the VLA. Additionally, CASA is committed to supporting the needs of the broader radio astronomy community, and will be the basis for data reduction for the future ngVLA telescope. CASA can process both interferometric and single dish data, and implements numerical algorithms for data inspection and manipulation, calibration, image formation, reconstruction and analysis. CASA is developed by an international consortium of scientists and developers. The CASA infrastructure consists of a suite of C++ tools bundled together under an iPython interface as a set of data reduction tasks or methods called from Python. The CASA pipelines add a layer of telescope specific heuristics, implemented in Python, connected to observatory systems to allow automated data calibration and imaging. A next generation CASA is being piloted using technologies such as Dask processing and xarray Datasets, with the goal of improving supportability, reducing development time, and scaling to handle larger data volumes. Recent experiments with GPUs have also yielded promising results for core compute areas. It will be the primary responsibility of the CASA Infrastructure Lead to define a coherent development and processing model that is consistent with the scientific/algorithmic needs of the domain, and lead the development of the infrastructure layers upon which the domain-specific algorithms may be built. This position will report to the CASA Group Lead.The preferred location for the position will be based at one of the NRAO Sites Charlottesville, VA; Socorro or Albuquerque, NM. Telework or remote work may also be considered. In addition to competitive pay, NRAO provides excellent paid time off benefits (vacation and sick leave). Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment. NRAOs retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participants base pay. No contribution is required of the employee; we also offer an optional supplemental, tax-deferred plan for employee retirement contributions.Job Duties SummaryResponsibilities will include, but are not limited to:Define and maintain a coherent infrastructure design for CASAs software development and operations. Work with the Group Lead, Stakeholders and Leads of other development teams within the Data Management Departments Software Division on shared system design and architecture definitions that address our scientific requirements, and ensure compatibility with/of CASAs infrastructure development and evolution choices.Lead the development team through a CASA-wide evolution of the infrastructure layers, aimed towards better development efficiency, modularity, maintainability and performance scalability to support next-generation telescopes. Participate in research and prototyping efforts with modern software frameworks and methodologies to identify potential savings in development time and complexity while providing a shorter path from scientific algorithm to production implementation;Work with the CASA Development team to streamline and evolve the code hierarchy and put in place new frameworks and methodologies that have been demonstrated to be effective.Work EnvironmentWork is typically performed in an office setting within a research or development environment. Domestic and international travel will be required.Position Requirements: Minimum EducationBachelors degree in computer science or a related disciplinePreferred EducationAdvanced degree and background that includes Physics or Mathematics is highly desired. Minimum ExperienceThree years of progressively more responsibility in software engineering applied to high performance computing frameworks and applications. Preferred Experience Five years of progressively more responsibility in software engineering applied to high performance computing frameworks and applications. Overall experience must cover the end-to-end development cycle from requirements through design, development, test and deployment. At least two years of experience must include architecture and design work with demonstrated decision making responsibilities. Candidates with progressively more responsible experience will be considered for a higher-level position ranking.Competency SummaryExperience with large development projects in C++ and Python and associated software life cycles.Experience in design and development using modern high performance computing platforms and frameworks such as Dask, Xarray, Numba/Numpy, CuPy or C++ for GPU acceleration, Docker/Kubernetes, Jupyter, Bokeh, etc.Experience with Big Data concepts including distributed data storage, parallel I/O, parallel processing, memory caching, cloud computing and hardware acceleration.Proven experience in leading a software development team.Experience in leading change in an established organization.Familiarity with scientific software development, numerical processing techniques, linear algebra, signal processing and reconstruction concepts.Familiarity with image processing in a scientific context (or a similarly complex technical domain) is desirable.An understanding of different software and system design approaches, advantages and disadvantages of each.Additional RequirementsThe Observatory requires staff to be fully vaccinated against covid-19 to access our facilities. An offer of employment will be considered contingent until the selected applicant provides proof of vaccination. A selected applicant may request consideration for an accommodation for a disability or for a sincerely held religious belief.Application Instructions: Click the Apply button below. You will need to be prepared to upload your current CV/Resume and a letter of application 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 resumes@nrao.edu.The NRAO is an equal opportunity employer (M/F/D/V)The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.PM20PI181761783

Keywords: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville , Software Engineer III-IV, CASA Infrastructure Lead (4724), IT / Software / Systems , Charlottesville, Virginia