Controls Software Engineer

Controls Software Engineer

Carnegie Observatories is seeking a software engineer to join its Instrumentation Development Laboratory. We build state-of-the-art astronomical instruments for our telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Our development approach is based on close collaboration with the scientific and technical staff in order to promote a community of learning, innovation, and professional growth.

Instrumentation and related technologies developed are critical scientific research tools used to gather astronomical information and generate data for answering fundamental questions associated with extrasolar planets, nearby stars, the Milky Way and its neighbors, distant galaxies, and the cosmological structure and formation of the universe. Current projects include instrumentation for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey V, our 1-meter, 2.5-meter and 6.5-meter telescopes, and the 25-meter Giant Magellan Telescope.

The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science is a world-class astronomical research organization headquartered in Pasadena, California, where this position is based. Occasional travel to Las Campanas Observatory in Chile may be required, as well as other domestic and international travel. Carnegie Observatories encourages a healthy work-life balance, with work schedule flexibility and results-oriented performance evaluation.  

Job duties

• Work with scientists and engineers to define and design control architectures for astronomical instruments and telescope subsystems.
• Execute software development for hardware control of astronomical instrumentation (including customer interfacing, requirement development, configuration management, software testing and deployment).
• Maintain and upgrade existing control software.
• Design and implement user interfaces for control systems and observatory software.
• Document work through technical notes, design reports, user manuals, testing plans and verification results. 
• Prepare and deliver presentations at project reviews.

Required education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in software engineering, computer science or a related engineering or scientific field.
• Minimum three years of relevant work experience.
• Experience developing software for control hardware and user interfaces.

Required skills, knowledge, and abilities

• Understanding of open and closed control loop control schemes.
• Experience working with macOS and Linux, using objective-C and plain C programming.
• Effective written and verbal communications in English.
• Comfort collaborating within multidisciplinary, diverse, multicultural, and international teams and ability to perform some tasks proactively with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work at 8000 feet altitude.
• Willingness to occasionally travel domestically and internationally.

Desirable qualifications

• Experience working on astronomical instrumentation and/or telescopes.
• Experience working with programmable logic controllers, EtherCAT systems, and/or other hardware controllers and distributed I/O systems.
• Experience working with detector control systems.

Physical demands and working conditions:

• Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to travel occasionally both domestically and internationally with some overnight travel required. 
• Physical demands: 
  • Required to move about in an office and machine shop environment and sit for extended periods of time.
  • Required to move about in the community.
  • Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes, use of hand tools and simple grasping.
• Working conditions: 
  • Moderate noise level
  • Occasional exposure to prevalent weather conditions

Compensation: Expected annual salary range $90,000 - $150,000. Exact salary will be determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure, budget and internal equity.