The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will be the world’s largest and most sensitive ground-based gamma-ray observatory. With a telescope array site in each hemisphere, one on La Palma (Spain) and one in Paranal (Chile), it will cover the full night sky, detecting high-energy radiation from the Universe with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity. Continental Europe will host its headquarters in Bologna (Italy) and the Science Data Management Centre (SDMC) in Zeuthen (Germany).
The Observatory is funded through a combination of in-kind-contributions and directly funded efforts, with more than 10 countries actively participating as shareholders, and more than 150 institutions from 25 countries taking part in the project. The CTAO was promoted to a “Landmark” on the European Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) Roadmap 2018, and was ranked as the main priority among the new ground-based infrastructures in the ASTRONET Roadmap 2022-2035. |
We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Software Developer for our project. The selected candidate will be part of the CTAO Array Control and Data Acquisition (ACADA) system team - ACADA is the software responsible for the supervision and control of telescopes and calibration instruments at both CTAO array sites. The ACADA team recently issued the first major product release and successfully tested the software in real operations at the Large-Sized Telescope prototype installed in La Palma.
The work tasks will be related to software development activities required for the continuation of the implementation, testing, integration, and deployment of the ACADA system. Working with the ACADA Lead Developer, the team of sub-system contributors, the ACADA Assembly, Integration and Verification (AIV) team, and other Computing department experts, the successful candidate will play a key role in the construction of the ACADA software for one of the largest astronomical installations ever built.
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Support the software development of the ACADA team members.
- Develop ACADA-level software, such as common libraries, APIs, and functions, which will often be based on the Alma Common Software (ACS) framework.
- Participate in the integration and enhancement of the software provided by the ACADA sub-task groups.
- Create and maintain continuous integration pipelines.
- Participate in code reviews and merge requests of contributor’s code.
- Creation of software packages, deployable artifacts, and containerization of ACADA applications.
- Produce technical documentation for the ACADA system, which includes, among others: use cases, test cases, specifications, software quality reports, and maintenance procedures.
- Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
You will be reporting to: CTAO ACADA Coordinator |
Your qualification and experience:
- Completed higher education in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, physics, mathematics, or equivalent knowledge.
- At least one year of technical work experience or a combination of education and relevant experience.
- Familiar with software lifecycle aspects: management, requirements, architecture, design, code, test, integration, deployment, and maintenance.
- Understanding of information technology approaches, applications (which may include scientific applications), tools, and methodologies.
- Good command of at least one of the following programming languages: C++, Java, and Python.
- Knowledge of object-oriented design principles and design patterns.
- Experience with containerization via Docker.
- Desirable to have experience working with git, continuous integration systems, unit testing, performance testing, and software quality assurance tools such as SonarQube.
- Ability to work effectively as a team player in an international, multicultural, distributed, and complex project environment.
- Willingness to learn and develop competencies related to software development in a scientific environment.
- Ability to understand and communicate complex technical information.
- Good communication skills and a command of English are essential.
Remuneration and Contract: CTAO offers an attractive remuneration package, including a competitive salary. The contract is an open term contract subject to successful completion of the probation period.
Duty Station: CTAO Science Data Management Center in Zeuthen (Germany) with visits to the CTAO Headquarters in Bologna (Italy) and contributor sites.
Deadline for applications: April 30, 2024
For more information on CTAO Computing and ACADA, please visit https://www.cta-observatory.org/project/technology/computing/, or contact the CTAO ACADA Coordinator Dr. Igor Oya igor.oya@cta-observatory.org.
Applications are accepted without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, gender identity, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation. |
