Rubin Observatory Campaign Management Services Developer

Job ID

5936

Location

SLAC - Menlo Park, CA

Full-Time

Regular

SLAC Job Postings

Vera C. Rubin Observatory is Hiring: Services Developer for Data Management

The Opportunity:

Join the Data Management (DM) team at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, one of modern astronomy's defining missions. With your team, you’ll develop and manage scalable services processing data for our groundbreaking mission: The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).

Your Impact:

• Develop automation services for our Campaign Management system, orchestrating our annual 40-400 million CPU-hour data releases and real-time alert production.

• Work on a petascale data challenge , managing hundreds of petabytes of data. The LSST will conduct an optical survey of the night sky, generating 15 TB of data nightly with its 8-meter mirror and 3.2 gigapixel camera. Once completed, the LSST will be the largest and most modern optical survey ever made.

• Directly contribute to a range of astrophysical discoveries , from discovering potentially hazardous asteroids to unlocking the mysteries of dark energy.

The Team:

You'll be part of a 100-strong, distributed team of scientists and engineers developing petascale data management systems. Our technology stack includes state-of-the-art image processing algorithms, large distributed databases, and the next-generation Rubin Science Platform (RSP). Our lingua franca is Python3, and we openly share our code on GitHub under an open-source license.

Your Role:

• Lead the development of automation services that launch and monitor data processing campaigns within the Campaign Management group.

• Orchestrate data releases and alert production , playing a key role in the observatory's output and scientific achievements.

• Enjoy a central role in operations, with a bird's-eye view of the observatory, image processing software development, and the hardware infrastructure.

The next few years will be exciting for Rubin Observatory as SLAC becomes its data production facility and images begin to flow from the telescope. Join us in making history at the Rubin Observatory as we embark on a decade-long journey to capture the universe like never before.

Given the nature of this position, SLAC is open to on-site, hybrid, and remote work options.

Your responsibilities will include the following:

• Lead the architecture and development of the orchestration system that coordinates large-scale processing of Rubin survey data in multiple data centers spread around the world (predominantly in Python).

• Drive design and develop code for both front end interfaces and back end supporting distributed systems.

• Ensure (by architecture and in practice) that services are scalable, robust, maintainable and secure.

• Manage DevOps-oriented deployment of services with best-of-breed distributed systems technologies (Kubernetes, knative, ArgoCD, Kafka, Redis, etc.) and modern development practices.

• Participate in the collective engineering activities of the team, including performing code reviews, acting as a troubleshooting buddy, and participating in design discussions based on a shared understanding of team needs. Engage with other members of the Campaign Management team to identify ways to improve the team’s tools and workflows.

• Write documentation to effectively capture and communicate architectural and implementation choices.

• Share responsibility with the rest of the team for the overall success of the data production.

To be successful in this position you will bring:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field and at least 8 years of relevant experience as a DevOps Engineer, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• Demonstrated familiarity with any of Kubernetes, cloud-native technologies, services, security; Python, Kafka, InfluxDB, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, knative, Helm, ArgoCD.

• Familiarity with contemporary distributed service architectures.

• Experience working with data at scale.

• Organizational and communication skills, with the ability to learn quickly and convey complex technical concepts effectively with a diverse population, such that you are able to work productively in a multinational team.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with colleagues working both locally and remotely.

• Dependability, flexibility, and willingness to take the initiative.

Applying for this position, you should know that:

SLAC is committed to increasing the diversity of its staff and to fostering an inclusive and respectful work environment, and we encourage applications from candidates who will diversify the lab’s workforce in scientific computing and fundamental physics. Above all we are looking for someone enthusiastic with a desire to learn and experiment in a highly supportive and collaborative environment.

SLAC offers an excellent benefits package including paid time off, competitive salary commensurate with experience, and an attractive, inclusive and collaborative work environment in the foothills of Silicon Valley. Relocation expenses will be covered. Remote work will be considered for locations within the United States.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but must be received by May 31, 2024 to ensure full consideration. You should direct questions to the Chair of the Search Committee, Fritz Mueller (fritzm@slac.stanford.edu).

SLAC Employee competencies :

• Effective Decisions : Uses job knowledge and solid judgment to make quality decisions in a timely manner.

• Self-Development : Pursues a variety of venues and opportunities to continue learning and developing.

• Dependability : Can be counted on to deliver results with a sense of personal responsibility for expected outcomes.

• Initiative : Pursues work and interactions proactively with optimism, positive energy, and motivation to move things forward.

• Adaptability : Flexes as needed when change occurs, maintains an open outlook while adjusting and accommodating changes.

• Communication : Ensures effective information flow to various audiences and creates and delivers clear, appropriate written, spoken, presented messages.

• Relationships : Builds relationships to foster trust, team collaboration, and a positive climate to achieve common goals.

Physical requirements and working conditions :

• Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

Work standards :

• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.

• Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for environment, safety and security; communicates related concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned. Meets the applicable roles and responsibilities as described in the ESH Manual, Chapter 1—General Policy and Responsibilities: http://www-group.slac.stanford.edu/esh/eshmanual/pdfs/ESHch01.pdf

• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu.

Classification Title: Software Developer 3

Grade: L

Duration: Regular Continuing

Job code: 4823

The expected pay range for this position is $88,900 to $186,000 per annum. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and supports diversity in the workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. All staff at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory must be able to demonstrate the legal right to work in the United States. SLAC is an E-Verify employer.