IT Specialist (Software Configuration Specialist) (IS-2210-11/12)

Smithsonian Institution•Cambridge, MA

43d•$83,742 - $130,488•Onsite

About The Position

The Information Technology Specialist (Configuration Management Specialist) is responsible for extending and maintaining the software configuration management infrastructure for the Chandra X-ray Observatory and to support the release and build cycles of the software team that supports the mission. This includes working with the existing configuration management team to modernize system infrastructure and procedures, maintain software development utilities, configure and deploy releases, and support the software system through all phases of the software development cycle

Requirements

Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations ;knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
Candidates for grade 11 must possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 9 in the normal line of progression for this occupation. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position such as developing and maintaining CM scripts, operational procedures, and internal documentation.
Candidates for grade 12 must possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 11 in the normal line of progression for this occupation. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position such as managing the configuration and licenses of various software development tools.
Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.
Knowledge of and the ability to configure and utilize distributed version control systems (e.g., Git)
Knowledge of and the ability to utilize scripting languages (e.g., Python, Bash) and Unix based operating systems
Knowledge of and ability to utilize and manage software support tools (e.g., Atlassian products such as Jira/Confluence).
Skill in organizing and utilizing continuous integration environments (e.g., gitlab, github actions) and containers (eg., podman, docker)
Skill in organizing and utilizing package managers (e.g., conda, pip)
Skill in developing new software, modifying existing programs, and planning, coding, testing, and maintaining programs that may present complex problems.

Responsibilities

Function as part of a team to maintain and improve the Data System internal software build, test, and deployment infrastructure.
Develop and maintain scripts, operational procedures, and internal documents following the software development lifecycle: requirements generation, design, code, verification and test, and maintenance; Generate all documentation according to Data System guidelines.
Monitor automated build and test pipelines/infrastructure routinely and for new releases. Validate the results and provide solutions when errors are encountered. Actively coordinate with the software team when the responsibility for solutions falls to them.
Build and deploy software releases; Coordinate configuration of test and release platforms with the system group; manage the deployment of software releases as part of the team.
Perform a regular inventory of 3rd party software with dependencies in the Data System (OTS, COTS, AOTS). Monitor and manage system infrastructure (OS, compiler, libraries) and licenses (JetBrains, Atlassian, GitLab) for the Data System. Coordinate upgrades that fit into the overall goals and schedule and perform those upgrades as part of an overall data system schedule and plan in coordination with the CM lead and supervisor.
Provide support to the software development team with portability, configuration, and compilation issues; Mentor team members, respond to problem reports, and use available systems (i.e., Jira) to record and monitor issues.