About Us:

Vera C. Rubin Observatory is a brand-new astronomical facility currently under construction near La Serena, Chile, with additional staff based in Tucson, Arizona. Rubin Observatory will undertake the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) which will be one of the largest and most comprehensive astronomy surveys of its kind. Rubin Observatory will enable countless discoveries in almost every area of modern astronomical research—discoveries made possible by the team that built the Rubin Observatory system, and by the global science community that Rubin Observatory serves.

We are seeking a talented and motivated Web Front-End Developer to help build the control interface for our next generation astronomical observatory. This position is part of the Telescope and Site Software group and requires a passion for all things web related and a willingness to go the extra mile. Experience designing, building, and supporting applications with an n-tier architecture and a strong understanding of best practices are required.

The Telescope and Site Software (TSSW) group is medium sized software team building and supporting the control software for all the components of the Simonyi Survey Telescope and its supporting observatory systems. Our goal is to build safe, accurate and accessible systems for the observatory while working hand in hand with engineers, scientists, operators and others.

The position may start remotely and then work a hybrid schedule based out of the offices at either Tucson, Arizona, or La Serena, Chile. While being based in either Tucson, Arizona, or La Serena, Chile is highly preferred, consideration may be made for the position to be performed remotely from Chile or the US states that AURA operates in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C.

About the Role:

As a member of our team, you will lead our frontend development efforts and be involved in decision-making processes related to UI & UX. You will report to the TSSW Software Manager and will work closely with other developers and scientists on our team. Our stack is a Django webserver running in a Docker container on a Kubernetes platform for the backend and a React.js app for the frontend. The system will handle data feeds from our middleware and will querying the Influx database for current and past data, with additional scientific data from other RESTful APIs.

This position will also include frontend work for our Human Logging system, our data analysis and observatory reporting system as well as our image processing system known as RubinTV. We expect this position to last through construction (end of 2024) with a possible transition to a role in operations.

Essential Functions:

• Implements design of web content and code.
• Implements other GUIs as appropriate.
• Builds and deploys applications on multiple platforms.
• Participates with team in reviews of code and reviews for code on other components.
• Provides component development plan inputs and reports progress against said plan.
• Communicates effectively with customers and fellow team members to ensure successful realization of project needs.
• Elicits and generates software design requirements, showing traceability to higher-level requirements.
• Participates in selection of software components, where appropriate.
• Develops detailed design to match requirements.

Required Education/Experience/Skills/Abilities:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a technical field such as Computer Science or Engineering or other STEM background
• Experience designing and delivering scalable, full-stack web solutions
• Expertise with JavaScript
• Expertise with front-end frameworks like ReactJS
• Experience with web servers such as Django
• Experience with Linux/Unix
• Experience with the following technologies:
• Git
• YAML, JSON, XML
• Python
• Graphical User Interface (GUI) development experience
• Ability to ensure cross-browser and platform compatibility for developed features
• Experience in algorithms development and data structures
• Working knowledge of responsive and reactive design principles
• Self-motivated

Preferred Education/Experience/Skills/Abilities:

• Experience working in an Agile software development team; Experience with JIRA and the Atlassian suite is a bonus
• Experience working with Docker containers
• Experience working with Kubernetes
• Experience developing with publish subscribe communication mechanisms, message queues or other middleware technologies (e.g. Kafka)

The position level will be based on the skills and experience of the selected candidate.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The work is mostly carried out in an office environment. Long periods of sitting and computer usage may be required.
• Some travel may be necessary both domestic and international

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at Rubin Observatory. Our managing organization, AURA, as a leader in the astronomical community, develops and supports programs that advance our organizational commitment to diversity, broaden participation, and encourage the advancement of diversity throughout the astronomical scientific workforce. Learn more at http://www.aura-astronomy.org/diversity.asp

AURA offers an excellent benefits package including paid time off and retirement plan contributions, competitive salary commensurate with experience, and a very attractive work environment.

Details on benefits can be found at https://hr.aura-astronomy.org/employee-benefits-guide/

Preference will be given to qualified internal candidates and qualified Native Americans living on or near the Tohono O'odham reservation.

Please list 3 professional references in your application (references will only be contacted later in the recruitment process) and attach: a cover letter and a CV or resume, PDF files preferred. Please name any attachments with the following format: Lastname Docname. Application documents that are not uploaded as part of the application may be sent to employment@aura-astronomy.org.

For full consideration, please submit your application by November 11, 2022.

Veterans, disabled individuals or wounded warriors needing assistance with the employment process should request assistance at employment@aura-astronomy.org

COVID-19 UPDATE: Effective December 8, 2021, AURA will require all U.S. based employees to be fully vaccinated, including being up to date with boosters, for COVID-19. Vaccination will be a condition of employment, with exemptions granted only for valid medical or religious reasons. This is requirement for all employees working onsite or from home (hybrid or remote work schedule). Currently the vaccination requirement does not apply to any future AURA employees working in Chile, regardless of their nationality or type of contract.

AURA currently offers a mix-model workspace (office & virtual) and stimulating environments for all, with most staff currently working virtually from home. The safety of our staff and community is our top priority. We will continue to interview and screen candidates virtually and offers of employment can be extended and new hires may onboard virtually. Employees are required to be residents in their base job location within a limited time from their start date.

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), is a consortium of over 40 US institutions and three international affiliates that operates world-class astronomical observatories. AURA’s role is to establish, nurture, and promote public observatories and facilities that advance innovative astronomical research. AURA is responsible for managing the operations of the NSF’s NOIRLab, the National Solar Observatory, and the construction of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory under cooperative agreements with the National Science Foundation and operations of the Space Telescope Science Institute under contracts with NASA.

As a recipient of U.S. Government funding, AURA is considered a government contractor and is subject to Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action regulations. As an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, AURA and all of the centers, do not discriminate based on race, sex, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity/gender identity expression, lawful political affiliations, veteran status, disability, and/or any other legally protected status under applicable federal, state, and local equal opportunity laws. The statements below as well as the requests for self-identification are required pursuant to these regulations. We encourage your participation in meeting these federal reporting requirements which are included for protection and to assist us in our record keeping and reporting. Your responses are kept strictly confidential.