Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all qualified US citizens or perm residents. Selection maybe made at either grade. If selected at grade 14 candidate maybe promoted to the next grade level upon the recommendation of the of the supervisor based on classification requirements, satisfactory performance, qualifications of the employee and recommendation of the Promotion Review Committee for Engineers ( PRCE).

Provide expert engineering leadership and support, predominantly in software development, to the development of advanced instrumentation for ground-based and space-based astrophysical and astronomical data collection on various Central Engineering supported projects at CfA, with an initial assignment to the ngEHT project.

Duties at grade 14 may include but are not limited to:
1. Lead the development of the ngEHT Recorder subsystem, including preparing cost and schedule estimates, providing technical management of the resources required to accomplish the goals, defining the requirements and architecture, implementing and testing in a team environment, engaging vendors, prototyping, integration testing, and deploying in the field.
2. Architect and lead the development of software-based systems, subsystems, modules, and components on the astrophysics-based research, operational, and instrumentation projects which the Central Engineering department supports at CfA.
3. Collaborate with scientists and engineers of other disciplines on projects. Provide software expertise where needed to inform non-software design decisions. Incorporate feedback from colleagues of other disciplines into software designs.
4. Contribute to the development lifecycle of other key ngEHT software subsystems such as Monitoring and Control and Data Processing.
5. Manage several different projects and proposals simultaneously, spanning a range of computer and software engineering needs from instrumentation to data pipeline.
6. Document work in technical reports, memoranda, and/or scientific papers or presentations and ensure that final documentation accurately reflects modifications made in the field when applicable.
7. Participate in system-level design reviews and lead software design reviews at all stages of design, including preliminary design, critical design, assembly, system integration, and commissioning.
8. Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of software development best practices for Central Engineering, helping to foster a collaborative, modern, and sophisticated software engineering culture across CfA.
9. Mentor junior engineers, assigning appropriate responsibilities and tasks.
10. Travel, both domestically and internationally, to telescope sites, vendor facilities, NASA centers, and the facilities of other associated organizations in support of proposal, design, calibration, test, integration, and mission operations activities.
11. Perform other duties as assigned.

Duties at grade 15, in addition to the above, may include: 

1. Provide key input as a computer and software engineering authority to several different projects and proposals, spanning a range of needs from instrumentation to data pipeline.
2. Participate in cross-project code reviews to maintain a high standard of code quality across CfA.
3. Lead continuous improvement initiatives for software development best practices of Central Engineering, helping to foster a collaborative, modern, and sophisticated software engineering culture across CfA.

Conditions of employment

• May be required to serve a one-year probationary period
• Pre- and post-appointment background investigation
• Must participate in Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds for salary payment
• Must file Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interests

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Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
(A) Degree: professional engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or

(2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
OR
(B) Combination of education and experience--college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.

Basic qualification requirements can be found at https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/A/GS-PROF.asp and https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/B/GS0800/0800.htm.

In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicants must meet  the following requirements: 

Grade 14: One year of professional experience  equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to grade 13 level.  Specialized experience for this position would typically include:

1. real-time device control in an embedded or distributed system.

2. building and configuring high speed networks and data storage systems, and developing low level I/O software for optimal data storage rates.
3. being a responsible software project lead involving other team members where the project was executed to successful completion.

Grade 15: One year of professional experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to grade 14 level. Specialized experience would typically include:

1. real-time device control in an embedded or distributed system.

2. building and configuring high speed networks and data storage systems, and developing low level I/O software for optimal data storage rates.

3. being a responsible software project lead involving other team members where the project was executed to successful completion.

4. experience in advanced software project management.

5. defining and institutionalizing good software development processes and best practices as the software technical authority of an organization.

This position has a mandatory education requirement; you must furnish a copy of your transcript of college work completed (unofficial copy is acceptable) or a copy of your degree certificate. Non-submission may result in you being rated ineligible for the position.
 
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applications will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

At grade 14:

1. Mastery and skill in applying advanced theories, concepts, principles, and practices of computer engineering and/or software engineering in order to investigate, design, and provide consultative services to the development of a range of software-based solutions for ground-based and space-borne instrumentation for astrophysical data collection, as well as its associated test, calibration, and ground support equipment.
2. Ability to provide consultative and coordinative services in software-based systems design and analysis, system resource budgeting, documentation, proposal preparation, and test activities.
3. Ability to specify, design, code, test, integrate, install, operate, maintain, document, and lead the development of complex software systems.
4. Expert knowledge and skill programming in systems programming and scripting using languages such as C/C++, Rust, Go, and Python.
5. Advanced knowledge and skill in embedded and real-time software and systems (e.g., bare-metal and RTOS-based platforms and interfacing with wired and wireless hardware and devices), serial and networking communications protocols (e.g., SPI, I2C, RS232/485, TCP/IP, Ethernet) and networking concepts such as the OSI model, and high-speed networking and high-volume/high-rate data storage
6. Strong oral and written communications skills, including the ability to serve as a technical spokesperson for CfA in areas related to the software of advanced instrumentation.

At grade 15:

1. Mastery and skill in applying advanced theories, concepts, principles, and practices of computer engineering and/or software engineering in order to investigate, design, and provide consultative services to the development of a range of software-based solutions for ground-based and space-borne instrumentation for astrophysical data collection, as well as its associated test, calibration, and ground support equipment.
2. Expert ability to provide consultative and coordinative services in software-based systems design and analysis, system resource budgeting, documentation, proposal preparation, and test activities.
3. Expert ability to specify, design, code, test, integrate, install, operate, maintain, document, and lead the development of complex software systems.
4. Expert knowledge and skill programming in systems programming and scripting using languages such as C/C++, Rust, Go, and Python.
5. Expert knowledge and skill in embedded and real-time software and systems (e.g., bare-metal and RTOS-based platforms and interfacing with wired and wireless hardware and devices), serial and networking communications protocols (e.g., SPI, I2C, RS232/485, TCP/IP, Ethernet) and networking concepts such as the OSI model, and high-speed networking and high-volume/high-rate data storage
6. Strong oral and written communications skills, including the ability to serve as a technical spokesperson for CfA in areas related to the software of advanced instrumentation.