R&D Software Engineer II

R&D Software Engineer II (Lunar and Planetary Laboratory)

Posting Number
req22650

Department
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory

Department Website Link

Location
Main Campus

Address
Tucson, AZ USA

Position Highlights
This position is for a Software Engineer who will work with the Catalina Sky Survey, a world leader in discovering Near-Earth Objects, asteroids and comets that may pose an impact risk to the Earth. This Software Engineer will collaborate directly with scientists to design, build, and enhance algorithms for detecting moving objects, particularly asteroids, in astronomical images. The primary development will involve high-performance computing algorithms written in C, complemented by Python in a linux environment. Additional responsibilities include developing and maintaining telescope operation tools, GUI applications, and communication interfaces essential for survey instrumentation.
Candidate must be eligibility to comply with relevant observatory operational procedures, potentially including periodic night-time availability for observation support.

This position may be eligible for a hybrid work week.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more.

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Duties & Responsibilities

• Collaborate directly with CSS scientists to design, build, and enhance algorithms for detecting moving objects, particularly asteroids, in astronomical images. The primary development will involve high-performance computing algorithms written in C, complemented by Python in a linux environment.
• Develop and maintain telescope operation tools. Implement, maintain, and enhance GUI interfaces and applications written in TCL to support scientists and operations teams.
• Design, build, and support server-side communication software interfacing directly with camera hardware and other instrumentation used in astronomical observations.
• Develop and implement observational strategy planners using asteroid population models and large-field telescope parameters.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of operational software tools for telescope survey management and data processing tasks as required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Demonstrated proficiency in algorithm development and optimization, especially related to image processing or scientific data analysis.
• Strong programming skills in C, Python, and familiarity with scripting languages, especially TCL.
• Excellent applied mathematics skills, particularly in probability, statistics, geometry, and trigonometry.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Astronomy, or related field and 3 years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with data structures, optimization techniques, and data fitting, particularly the FITS file format.
• Experience writing software for Linux/UNIX, especially RHEL or derivatives.
• Experience with software development in C and Python.

FLSA
Exempt

Full Time/Part Time
Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week
40

Job FTE
1.00

Work Calendar
Fiscal

Job Category
Research

Benefits Eligible
Yes - Full Benefits

Rate of Pay
$86,870 - $112,932

Compensation Type
salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Grade
11

Compensation Guidance
The Rate of Pay Field represents the University of Arizona's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. The University considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity.

The Grade Range represent a full range of career compensation growth over time. The university offers compensation growth opportunities within its career architecture. To learn more about compensation, please review our Applicant Compensation Guide and our Total Rewards Calculator.

Career Stream and Level
PC2

Job Family
Research Engineering

Job Function
Research

Type of criminal background check required:
Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies
1

Target Hire Date
6/2/2025

Expected End Date

Contact Information for Candidates
David C. Fuls

Open Date
4/30/2025

Open Until Filled
Yes

Documents Needed to Apply
Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Cover Letter

Special Instructions to Applicant

Notice of Availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report
In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), each year the University of Arizona releases an Annual Security Report (ASR) for each of the University's campuses.Thesereports disclose information including Clery crime statistics for the previous three calendar years and policies, procedures, and programs the University uses to keep students and employees safe, including how to report crimes or other emergencies and resources for crime victims. As a campus with residential housing facilities, the Main Campus ASR also includes a combined Annual Fire Safety report with information on fire statistics and fire safety systems, policies, and procedures.
Paper copies of the Reports can be obtained by contacting the University Compliance Office at .