Job Title: Software Engineer I
Location: Boulder, CO
Type: Full-Time. This position will be posted
until 4 pm on September 13, 2017 or until a sufficient number of applications
have been received. Thereafter, applications will be reviewed on an
as-needed basis.
Term: 1-year term position with
possibility of extension.
No
relocation assistance is offered for this position.
U.S.
Citizenship, Permanent Residency, or other protected status under 8 U.S.C.
1324b(a)(3) is required for this position. UCAR/NCAR will not sponsor a
work visa (e.g., J-1, H1-B, etc.) for this position.
About the Organization:
Formed in
2005, the Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) is one of the seven laboratories of
NCAR, the National Science Foundation’s Federally Funded Research and
Development Center. As the successor of NCAR’s Atmospheric Technology Division
(ATD), the mission of EOL is to provide leadership in observing facilities,
field project support as well as research and data services needed to advance
the scientific understanding of the Earth system.
EOL manages the majority of NSF’s Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF)
and deploys them in support of observational field campaigns, ranging from
single investigator projects to large complex campaigns that involve multiple
investigators, agencies, and platforms, nationally and internationally. EOL
deploys its systems for research by scientists from universities, NCAR, and
government agencies, as well as for education. An integral part of EOL’s
mission is to develop the next generation of LAOF and to provide management and
archiving of data from past supported campaigns. In order to ensure
progress in the atmospheric sciences, EOL supports a widerange of research
areas within the Earth system science, ranging from microscale to mesoscale to
climate process studies, and employs LAOF platforms and systems that reach from
the surface of the Earth to the lower stratosphere and beyond.
The Data
Management & Services (DMS) facility of NCAR’s Earth Observing Laboratory
(EOL) provides data management services to a broad range of atmospheric
science research programs. As an active partner in NSF funded initiatives for
the archiving and dissemination of field project data, DMS has developed
software tools to collect and track data throughout the archival
workflow.
Please visit
EOL's website for more information, and our "Join our team" page for information on
working in EOL.
Job Overview:
The Data
Management and Services (DMS) Facility of NCAR’s Earth Observing Laboratory
(EOL) is an active partner in NSF funded initiatives for the archival and
dissemination of national and international field project data. DMS
provides a wide-variety of data management services (e.g., data processing,
data quality assurance, data archival, and long-term data stewardship, etc.)
and has developed software tools to collect and track data and metadata throughout
the archival workflow.
The primary
duties of this position are to assist with the processing, cataloging,
retrieval and distribution of data and metadata. The successful candidate
will have experience working with content management systems, developing web
pages, and working with metadata and data from a wide community of users.
The person
we are looking for has excellent organization skills with close attention to
details. The person can work independently, work well as part of a team and can
communicate clearly and tactfully.
Responsibilities:
·
Assists DMS staff in maintaining and updating EOL database
content, adding new datasets and resolving inconsistent or incomplete metadata,
under the direction of senior staff members. Uses existing internal DMS tools
to perform data and metadata entry. Writes detailed data documentation working
from the scientist’s submission and researching online, as needed.
·
Develops and/or uses existing software to convert incoming data to
common formats. Works under the guidance of senior staff to perform these tasks
as well as to quality assure scientific data. Documents software and the steps
and techniques used to process data while utilizing internal tools plus the EOL
Drupal content management system.
·
Assists DMS staff in developing, testing and maintaining current
DMS software tools used for ingesting, documenting, and distributing scientific
data and metadata. Works with the DMS team to provide direct customer support
to field project participants.
·
Works with DMS staff to create and maintain field project web
pages in EOL Drupal content management system.
·
Trains and assists DMS lower level staff on the entry of datasets
into the EOL Metadata Database and Cyberinfrastructure (EMDAC) system,
publications searching, data archival and the use of internal software tools
for tracking and archiving datasets, along with other miscellaneous tasks.
Qualifications:
·
Associate's degree in computer science or related field and 3-4
years’ experience; or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software
Engineering, Math or related field; or an equivalent combination of education
and experience.
·
Software development experience in a linux or UNIX-like
environment.
·
Working knowledge of bash/tcsh, Perl, Python or another scripting
language.
·
Working knowledge in a high-level programming language such as
Java, C++ or C.
·
Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and/or Javascript.
·
Working knowledge of basic software development processes.
·
Working knowledge with version control software (e.g., SVN,
Git/github)
·
Skill in creating detailed and clearly written software
documentation.
·
Basic knowledge of Google suite of tools (e.g.,gmail, drive,
spreadsheet, etc.) or using office suite software with spreadsheet,
presentation and word processing applications.
·
Willingness and ability to perform routine and repetitive tasks.
·
Ability to work on multiple, various projects while paying close
attention to detail in all tasks.
·
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
·
Ability to communicate effectively and tactfully, both written and
orally.
·
Ability to communicate technical concepts and requirements to
non-engineers.
Desired Skills
·
Working knowledge of modern metadata standards and best practices.
·
Experience in processing large geophysical datasets and
familiarity with general atmospheric science and data.
·
Working knowledge of XML.
·
Experience with a Content Management System (CMS) such as Drupal.
·
Experience with object-oriented programming.
Exposure to a dynamic language such as Ruby or Groovy.
·
Experience with a relational database management system such as
MySQL or PostgreSQL.
·
Supervisory skills sufficient to train and guide low-level staff
in lower level tasks.
