TA7vP-Z6X nzE 7kFmCENSSAd8 - 100% Remote — United States

About the Role

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is seeking a mid-level Software Engineer with strong front-end web development skills to join its Archive Team within the Science User Applications Group (SUA). You will work on the NRAO Science Archive, a key user-facing application that helps astronomers around the world access and work with radio astronomy data.

Your initial focus will be improving the application's user interface, developing new front-end features, and enhancing performance, accessibility, and test coverage. You will collaborate with backend developers, scientific users, and other team members to design and deliver software that supports the Observatory's current telescopes and the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA).

About the Organization

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a research and development organization dedicated to the study of the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), a nonprofit organization, manages and operates NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The Observatory operates advanced radio telescope facilities used by the international scientific community and develops software that supports the proposing, planning, scheduling, and analysis of astronomical observations.

Key Responsibilities

• Modernize and streamline the NRAO Science Archive user interface to improve the overall user experience.

• Build new front-end features and components that help scientists find and work with radio astronomy data.

• Improve front-end performance, accessibility, and test coverage.

• Collaborate with backend developers to design and consume APIs and improve overall system performance.

• Design and deliver key application components in collaboration with teammates and scientific users.

• Understand scientific users' needs and translate them into effective software solutions.

• Maintain and upgrade existing software.

• Develop new tools that support the Observatory's evolving observing methods and scientific requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field; highly relevant experience may be considered in place of a bachelor's degree. An advanced degree is welcome but not required.

• At least one year of experience in software application development.

• Familiarity with standard software engineering concepts, practices, and procedures through academic training or internship experience.

• Professional experience building front-end web applications using Angular and TypeScript.

• Strong command of HTML, CSS/Sass, and JavaScript, with experience using Bootstrap or similar frameworks.

• Experience with build and bundling tools such as webpack.

• Experience consuming and designing RESTful APIs.

• Experience with version control, front-end testing methodologies, including unit and end-to-end testing, and CI/CD.

• Ability to debug and profile web applications, including browser performance.

• Understanding of object-oriented design and the ability to build maintainable, well-structured software.

• Demonstrated ability to learn and apply new programming languages and frameworks.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability and interest in working as part of a team in a Scrum environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least three years of professional web application development experience, preferably with a significant focus on front-end development.

• Experience with Python or Java and backend development sufficient to work effectively across the stack.

• Familiarity with relational databases and object-relational mapping tools such as SQLAlchemy.

• Familiarity with messaging systems such as RabbitMQ.

• Familiarity with containerization technologies such as Docker, Docker Compose, Docker Swarm, or Kubernetes.

• Experience with accessibility standards and responsive design.

• Familiarity with basic astronomical principles and data reduction.

Location and Work Arrangement

The position may be based in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Socorro, New Mexico; Charlottesville, Virginia; or Green Bank, West Virginia. A remote work arrangement may be considered for well-qualified candidates.

The work is typically performed in a research or development environment alongside professionals in science, engineering, software development, and education.

Compensation and Benefits

Starting salary: $96,588–$120,000 per year. Starting pay may vary based on education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications, internal equity, and labor market conditions.

Associated Universities, Inc. offers a comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees and their families, with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment.

Paid time off, including 13 holidays and annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days.

Medical, dental, and vision plans effective on the first day of employment.

Retirement benefit equal to 10% of a qualified participant's base pay, with no required employee contribution.

Additional Requirements

Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States. The Observatory is currently unable to sponsor new H-1B visas for this position.

Application Process

Applicants should submit a cover letter describing their interest in the position along with a current resume. The Observatory reserves the right to close the posting before its listed expiration date based on the volume and quality of the applicant pool.

Equal Opportunity and Accommodations

Associated Universities, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates who require reasonable accommodation during any part of the application or hiring process may submit a request by emailing ••••••••.