Software Engineer position in Boulder, CO

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.