Software Engineer - Science Operations Software

The Data Flow Infrastructure Group is responsible for the development and maintenance of software components which are critical for the end-to-end operation of the La Silla Paranal and ALMA observatories. DFI delivers operational tools and services to science operation groups, principal investigators and the ESO astronomical community at large.

Your first assignment will be the development and maintenance of a suite of software tools supporting Science Operations at the ALMA Observatory. You will frequently interact with the Subsystem Scientists, located at the ALMA Observatory in Chile or the ALMA Regional Centres in Europe, North America and Japan, for the specification and the validation of the tools. In collaboration with the observatory staff and your colleagues in the ALMA Computing Team and the Data Flow Infrastructure group, you will be able to operate independently, meet the agreed deadlines and proactively contribute to on-going process improvements. Depending on future needs, you may also work on VLT/ELT dataflow projects.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Interact with the Subsystem Scientists for the specification and validation of the assigned software tools. This task involves the translation of scientific requirements to software requirements and learning to understand and speak the Scientists' "language";
• Maintain and further develop the existing operational tools, with an emphasis on supporting the ALMA Proposal Review process;
• Collaborate with our partners at the ALMA Observatory in Chile and the ALMA Regional Centres to integrate and deploy the software tools, and monitor how they perform; short (~2 week) missions to Chile or elsewhere are foreseen once or twice a year;
• Participate in the general development activities in the ALMA Computing and Data Flow Infrastructure groups.

Skills and Experience:

• Minimum three years professional experience developing software in Java;
• Very good knowledge of relational databases and SQL;
• Experience in interfacing Java to relational databases using JDBC and high-level frameworks such as Spring and Hibernate;
• Solid background in Java Web programming (servlets, JSPs) and JavaScript single-page applications (jQuery, AngularJS)
• Familiarity and solid experience with modern software engineering practices and tools, including configuration control tools, incremental & iterative development, unit and integration testing;
• Good familiarity with the Linux environment and its command line usage;
• Experience in working in an international environment would be an asset.

Key Competences:

• Demonstrated capability of conducting small to medium size software projects throughout the entire software lifecycle up to successful deployment;
• Capability to adjust quickly to changing circumstances and being prepared to work on an already very advanced development;
• Very good oral and written communication skills, to be applied in an international, English-speaking multi-site environment;
• Right balance between maintaining the big picture and a hands-on attitude to get things done;
• Willingness to actively contribute to continuous process improvements.

Qualifications:

University degree in Computer Science, Astronomy, Physics, Engineering, or equivalent.

Language Skills:

A very good command of the English language - oral, reading and writing - is essential.

Reports to:

Head of the Data Flow Infrastructure Group.

Remuneration and Contract:

We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary (income-tax free), comprehensive pension scheme and medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial help in relocating your family and the possibility to place your child/children in day-care.

The initial contract is for a period of three years with the possibility of a fixed-term or indefinite extension based on performance and achievements. The title or grade may be subject to change according to qualification and the number of years of experience.

Starting Date:

As soon as possible

Duty Station:

ESO Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany. This position involves duty travel to the ESO sites in Chile and/or partner institutes in Europe, North America and Japan.

Career Path:

V

Application:

If you are interested in this position and ready to work in a stimulating international environment, please visit http://www.eso.org or http://almaobservatory.org for further details.

Please apply online at http://jobs.eso.org/. Your application must be completed in English and include a motivation letter and CV.

Closing date for applications is 16 March 2015.

No nationality is in principle excluded. However, recruitment preference will be given to nationals of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

The post is equally open to suitably qualified female and male applicants.