Software Engineer

Amentum•Huntsville, AL

42d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Software Engineer to support the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) project at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center within the Science and Technology Office. The SPoRT project is a NASA leader in translating NASA Earth Science research to real-time decision making through a proven Research-to-Operations (R2O) Paradigm. Tasked with developing and delivering unique satellite observations and research capabilities to stakeholders across the federal government, state and local governments, academia, and the private sector, SPoRT products are used for societal benefit. The successful candidate will create cutting-edge infrastructure solutions for meteorological research projects in collaboration with senior software developers and researchers. They will serve as the bridge between scientific discovery and operational deployment, designing systems that allow critical weather data to flow from NASA satellites to end-users. This role is pivotal in modernizing and maintaining the SPoRT project’s capabilities.

Requirements

Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Remote Sensing or a related technical field from an ABET-accredited university.
Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years’ experience (including intern/co-op experience).
Master’s degree with a minimum of 3 years’ experience
Unix/Linux Administration: Strong command of the Linux command line, shell scripting (Bash), and system configuration is essential for managing the research environment.
Python Proficiency: Extensive experience with Python for scripting, automation, and data processing; familiarity with the scientific python stack (Pandas, NumPy, Dask).
Version Control: Deep understanding of Git/GitHub workflows, including branching strategies, merge requests, and collaborative code reviews.
Dynamic Collaboration: Ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic environment, interacting effectively with scientists and engineers.

Nice To Haves

Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure, particularly in a scientific or data-intensive context.
Infrastructure as Code: Proficiency with Ansible, Terraform, or Puppet for automated provisioning.
Database Management: Experience with MongoDB, PostgreSQL, or cloud-native databases.
Web Programming: Skilled in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, AJAX, and responsive design for dashboard creation.
Security Principles: Knowledge of web security principles and DevSecOps best practices.
Scientific Domain Knowledge: Experience with Atmospheric Science, Physical Science data, or Machine Learning workflows is a distinct advantage.

Responsibilities

Infrastructure Automation: Design and implement "Infrastructure as Code" (IaC) solutions (using tools such as Ansible, Terraform, or CloudFormation) to manage on-premises and cloud-based computing resources, ensuring consistency and reproducibility across environments.
CI/CD Pipeline Management: Develop and maintain automated build, test, and deployment pipelines (e.g., GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions) to streamline the delivery of scientific software and ensure rigorous code quality standards.
Cloud Operations & Architecture: Architect and manage scalable resources within NASA’s Science Cloud environment (AWS/Azure), utilizing services like EC2, S3, Lambda, and container orchestration to support high-throughput data processing.
Containerization: Containerize scientific applications and data processing workflows using Docker and Singularity, enabling the portability of research code between local workstations and high-performance cloud clusters.
Web Application Support: Deploy and maintain web-based applications that convey scientific results to the public and stakeholders, ensuring high availability and responsiveness.
Operational Reliability & Monitoring: Implement robust monitoring and alerting systems (e.g., Splunk, Nagios, Prometheus) to ensure the continuous operation of real-time data feeds and identify performance bottlenecks.
Security Compliance (DevSecOps): Collaborate with security teams to integrate automated security scanning (e.g., SonarQube, Nessus) into the development lifecycle, ensuring strict adherence to NASA IT security standards and FISMA compliance.
Documentation: Write comprehensive documentation for software developed, system architecture, and operational procedures to support knowledge transfer and system maintainability.
Communication: Assist with leading discussions with both customers and end-users. These meetings include discussions on technical status updates, project management and planning, engaging with end-users, and collaborative efforts with other NASA teams and projects.