Data Systems Development Team Lead

California Institute of Technology
vision insurance, parental leave, paid time off, sick time, tuition reimbursement
United States, California, Pasadena
Jan 03, 2025
Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community. Job Summary IPAC at Caltech has an opening for a Senior Applications Developer with a strong background in Unix software development to lead the Data Systems development team at the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA). Come be a part of the team that is helping astronomers and data scientists all over the world access and explore IRSA's petabyte archives of astronomy data! IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech (www.caltech.edu), provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to enhance discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. IRSA (http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu) is the steward of scientific data sets delivered by NASA's Astrophysics missions. We enable ground-breaking scientific research using data from these and other missions. IRSA ingests petabyte-scale imaging datasets, maintains multi-billion row databases, and develops a variety of tools for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing data from cutting-edge astronomical facilities. We are also preparing to support upcoming astrophysics missions including: SPHEREx, a NASA mission which will conduct a spectroscopic, infrared survey of the entire sky; Euclid, a European Space Agency (ESA) mission to study the geometry and nature of the dark Universe; and NEO Surveyor, a mission designed to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids that are near the Earth. Essential Job Duties As lead of IRSA's Data Systems Team, you will manage the activities of a group of IRSA scientists and developers who share the overarching goal of supporting community science with archival IRSA and other NASA data sets. Your development work may involve processing astrophysics space mission data, containerization & cloud technologies, large scale databases, and petabyte-scale storage. You will also work with scientists and other developers to help interpret and implement project requirements and document the work that you've accomplished. Essential job duties include: Estimating workforce, participating in hiring, and tasking team members appropriately to achieve deliverables on a schedule. Coordinating and strategizing with other IRSA team Leads. Representing IRSA and IPAC to multiple stakeholders and the astronomy community. Guiding IRSA's transition into the NASA cloud environment. Developing tools to help scientists combine, extract and exploit information from archived datasets. Building and operating efficient search and retrieval mechanisms for IRSA's petabyte-scale growing data holdings. Maintaining up-to-date databases and archive content. Basic Qualifications If you have the following in your background, then we want to hear about your interest in joining our team: Bachelor's or equivalent degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Sciences, or related field. 8+ years' experience as a professional software developer in a Unix/Linux environment. Proficiency in one or more of C, C++, or Python. 2+ years' experience working with cloud technologies like AWS or Google Cloud. Experience using relational databases with SQL. Familiarity with software configuration management principles and tools, source code version control (e.g., git/Github) and issue/bug tracking systems (e.g., Jira). Strong interpersonal and communication skills. Qualify as a United States (US) person as defined by ITAR regulations. Preferred Qualifications Beyond these basic qualifications, there are a set of skills and experiences which will add to your ability to contribute to the roles and responsibilities of an IPAC Applications Developer. The following might give you a head-start here, but even if these do not describe you or your experience, we would still like to hear from you: Experience overseeing projects involving multiple team members. Expertise in Linux systems administration, database architecture and operations, particularly in a large data environment. Master's or equivalent degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Sciences, or related field. Experience with web server administration and operation. Experience with software containerization and deployment technologies, such as Docker and Kubernetes. Database design for large scale data processing. Experience working with scientific data sets and use cases. Experience developing software for astronomical data analysis. Required Documents Resume. Cover letter. Applications are due by January 31st, 2025. Hiring Range $132,000 - $156,000 Per Year The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training. As one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non-benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks. EEO Statement We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Caltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. To read more Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) go to eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf. Disability Accommodations If you would like to request an accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Caltech Recruiting at employment@caltech.edu.