Software Engineer III-IV, HPC Systems Engineer - UPDATED at National Radio Astronomy Observatory – Socorro, New Mexico

Position Summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is an exciting and prestigious research facility that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. The Observatory operates a variety of radio telescopes that span the globe, including the famous Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. These telescopes are among the most advanced in the world, allowing astronomers to explore the universe in unprecedented detail.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) announces an opportunity for a full-time Software Engineer - HPC Systems Engineer to work on the VLBA software development team. The engineer will be responsible for building out a new software correlator computer cluster, writing scripts and programs that maintain and monitor the cluster, and developing software for other VLBA telescope systems. Software will be written in a combination of bash, Python, and C/C++. The engineer will need to be fluent in RHEL system administration. The engineer will be responsible for writing and maintaining critical documentation including requirements, software design, and user documentation. The engineer must be a US citizen. The engineer will be a member of the New Mexico Systems (NMS) Group which is part of the Data Management and Software (DMS) Department.

This position is based at the NRAO Science Operations Center (DSOC) is located in Socorro, NM, on the campus of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (www.nmt.edu). A full-time telework arrangement may be considered for highly qualified candidates that reside within a commutable distance of the DSOC in Socorro. Periodic travel to the DSOC will be required.

• This position will be a one-year appointment, with the possibility of renewal subject to observatory needs, budget and mutual agreement.

What You Will be Doing:

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Designing, developing, and testing OS and software components of correlator computer cluster
• Writing installation, configuration and maintenance documentation for correlator computer cluster
• Designing, developing, testing and maintaining software for VLBA telescope systems
• Writing and maintaining critical software documentation including requirements, design and user documentation.

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 (or higher) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• A minimum of three years of professional hands‑on Linux system administration in a scientific or engineering setting. Software development experience is also a plus.

Competency Summary

A successful candidate will be able to:

• Architect and operate highly resilient clusters.
• Use monitoring/log‑aggregation platforms (Prometheus/Grafana, ELK/Graylog) to detect and remediate faults.
• Design scalable, secure data‑center networks: VLAN segmentation and routing/ACL policies.
• Program enterprise switches (Arista, Cisco) for high‑throughput, low‑latency HPC traffic.
• Apply security hardening (STIGs, RMF) using infrastructure-as-code.
• Plan rack layouts, power distribution, and cable management.
• Perform server, storage, and networking equipment installation, labeling, and validation.
• Clear oral and written communication; ability to produce runbooks, design documents, and incident reports.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting abilities across hardware, OS, network, and application layers.
• Ability to lift datacenter equipment up to 40 lbs.

Eligibility

You must be a U.S. citizen, possess a valid driver’s license, and be eligible to obtain a Common Access Card (CAC) and pass a basic background check. Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States.

Total Rewards:

Associated Universities, Inc. (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

AUI 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 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:

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 Now” 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. To view our complete statement, please visit https://public.nrao.edu/careers/. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to resumes@nrao.edu.PM20