Senior Scientific Software Engineer-Data Analysis Tools Branch

Position Overview

Support NASA missions at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)! The Data Management Division is seeking a Senior Scientific Software Engineer to advance state-of-the-art data pipelines and analysis tools for NASA’s flagship missions – with a focus on data visualization. You will develop analysis tools and Jupyter notebook environments in the cloud while contributing to software, algorithm development, user support, training, and process improvement. This role supports hybrid work onsite and at home; candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the local market (MD, DE, VA, PA, DC & WV). US Citizenship or Permanent Residence is required to meet ITAR requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and deploy software to assist astronomers in analyzing astronomical data.
• Collaborate closely with STScI’s technical and scientific staff.
• Maintain and extend existing software packages and build new packages as needed.
• Engage with the open-source community through development forums (e.g., GitHub).
• Contribute to scientific and technical papers and conference presentations.
• Develop and support Python notebooks for scientific use cases.

Required Qualifications

• Proficient in advanced Python programming.
• Experience with a compiled language (C or C++) is beneficial.
• Strong familiarity with Python constructs such as classes, context managers, exception handling, iterators, decorators, and lambda functions.
• Experience with multiprocessing, multithreading, and optimizing Python code performance for large datasets is a plus.
• Comfortable with writing unit tests and practice test-driven development.
• A minimum of 8+ years of experience in software engineering or scientific programming.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer/Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or Astronomy.
• Background in astronomy or research-based software development is advantageous.

Benefits & Perks

• Salary Range: $129k - 138k. Compensation is commensurate with education and experience.
• Employer retirement contribution – a direct 10% contribution of your salary from day one.
• 12 days of sick leave, up to 24 days’ vacation, and 10 paid holidays.
• Flexible work schedule ensuring work/life balance.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and prescription plans, among other benefits.