National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Title: Data Architect - Software Engineer III-IV (109)

Location: Green Bank Observatory, PO Box 2, GREEN BANK, West Virginia, United States of America• NRAO Array Operations Center, PO Box 0, SOCORRO, New Mexico, United States of America• NRAO Albuquerque Office, 800 Bradbury Dr SE Ste 235, ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, United States of America• NRAO Headquarters, 520 Edgemont Rd, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, United States of America

Requisition Number: 109

Job Family: Software Engineer

Pay Type: Salary

Required Education: CPP

Position Description:

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 (GBT) in West Virginia, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). These telescopes are among the most advanced in the world, allowing astronomers to explore the universe in unprecedented detail.

The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) is a transformative astronomical observatory designed to deliver science-ready data products to a broad community of users. The Computing and Software System (CSS) is the backbone of this vision, encompassing all the software and hardware required to control the telescope, manage the flow of data, execute processing pipelines, and provide user-facing services. The CSS is decomposed into several major systems, each with a distinct role in the data lifecycle, from observation planning to final data analysis.

The ngVLA project is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Data Architect to lead the design and development of a comprehensive data management strategy for the vast and diverse datasets generated by the observatory. The Data Architect will define how data will be stored, integrated, secured, and accessed across the computing systems. This role will be critical in ensuring the integrity, accessibility, and long-term usability of all ngVLA data, from raw telescope observations to high-level scientific products.

The Data Architect will work closely with various stakeholders, including scientists, engineers, and software developers, to understand their data needs and use cases and translate them into robust overall data architecture. The Data Architect will: select technologies and tools; set data standards, governance rules, and best practices; and create conceptual, logical, and physical data models. In future phases of the project, the Data Architect will work with data engineers, database administrators, and software engineers to implement the data solutions. This position requires a deep understanding of data architecture principles, data modeling, data governance, and experience with large-scale distributed data systems.

This position will be located at one of the NRAO facilities in Charlottesville (VA), Socorro (NM), Albuquerque (NM) or Green Bank (WV). Fully remote work may be possible for a highly qualified candidate.

What You Will be Doing

Interprets and delivers impactful plans for data integration, data quality, and data delivery in support of ngVLA and other NRAO projects and roadmaps.
Designs the structure and layout of secure data systems, including databases, warehouses, and lakes.
Participates in the selection and implementation of secure data management systems that meets NRAO’s needs by defining data schemas, optimizing data storage, and establishing data access.
Architect and design processes for the ETL process from various sources into the NRAO’s data systems.
Translates high-level business requirements into data models and appropriate metadata, test data, and data quality standards.
Matures and optimizes the existing data architecture, delivering reusable services and cost-saving opportunities aligned with the policies and standards of the DMS.
Defines and manages standards, guidelines, and processes to ensure data quality.
Identify and explore new data sources and analytical methods to support the requirements of ngVLA and other NRAO projects.
Evaluates and recommends emerging technologies for data management, storage, and analytics.

Work Environment

This position will be located at one of the NRAO facilities in Charlottesville (VA), Socorro (NM), Green Bank (WV) or Albuquerque (NM). 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.

Who You Are:

You have a bachelor’s degree in in Information Technology, Computer Information Systems, Data Management, Data Science or equivalent combination of education and experience required. You have at least three years of relevant experience in design and implementation of data models for data warehouse initiatives:
- Experience with data security.
- Experience in technically leading projects involving data warehousing, data modeling, and data analysis.
- Background in programming languages such as Java, Python, and C/C++
- Experience with data science languages/tools such as SQL, R, SAS, or Excel.
- Proficiency in the design and implementation of modern data architectures and concepts such as cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP), real-time data distribution (Kafka, Dataflow), and modern data warehouse tools (Snowflake, Databricks).
- Experience with database technologies such as SQL, NoSQL, Oracle, Hadoop, or Teradata.
- Understanding of entity-relationship modeling, metadata systems, and data quality tools and techniques.
- Ability to assess traditional and modern data architecture components based on business needs.
- Experience with business intelligence tools and technologies such as ETL, Power BI, and Tableau.
- Ability to collaborate and excel in complex, cross-functional teams involving data scientists, business analysts, and stakeholders.
- Strong work ethic and commitment to accomplish assigned tasks.
- All candidates must be authorized to work in the US.

Preferred Experience

Strong software development skills in Python or Java
Scripting experience with Bash
Experience with machine learning or data mining
Experience with data modeling tools
Understanding of object-oriented programming concepts
Linux system administration experience
Familiarity with basic astronomical principles, in particular interferometry, and observatory operations
Ability to work with international colleagues

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.

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

Position level 3 $79,000 and $120,000
Position level 4 $95,000 and $153,000

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

Compensation details: 79000-153000 Yearly Salary

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National Radio Astronomy Observatory

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Data Architect - Software Engineer III-IV (109)