Senior SALT Astronomer

The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the National Facility for Optical and Infrared Astronomy of the National Research Foundation (NRF), with headquarters in Cape Town and telescopes at Sutherland. SAAO employs about 130 staff, including scientists and engineers, and operates the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) on behalf of the SALT Foundation. SAAO is Africa’s premier optical/infrared research facility, contributing to global science, outreach, and human capital development.

SAAO, on behalf of SALT Foundation (Pty) Ltd, invites applications for the position of Senior SALT Astronomer. The primary role is to support SALT operations.

Key Responsibilities:

* Conduct service observing (~1 week in 6) on queue-scheduled SALT
* Prepare and schedule observations for SALT users
* Liaise with SALT users and support pipeline data reductions
* Develop and maintain software for SALT Astronomy Operations
* Serve as an instrument scientist, depending on background
* Conduct personal research using SALT and other SAAO facilities
* Supervise students and/or participate in lecturing
* Actively contribute to scientific and operational activities at SAAO

Minimum Qualifications and Experience:

* PhD in Astronomy or related field
* Minimum 5 years postdoctoral experience in optical or near-infrared (NIR) astronomy
* Experience with optical or NIR spectroscopy
* Established publication record (minimum 5 papers) and/or instrumentation experience
* Programming experience in Python

Desirable:

* Strong preference will be given to candidates with proven experience in high-precision radial velocity (RV) studies, such as those applied in exoplanet science.
* At least 2 weeks of in-person observing experience would be an advantage.
* Experience in instrumentation or software development, including data reduction pipelines or web-based tools would be an advantage.
* Proficiency in some of the following programming languages: SQL, LabVIEW, Java, or shell scripting
* Student supervision or lecturing experience
* Strong teamwork and independent work skills
* Excellent written and oral English communication
* Interest in outreach and science communication, including social media