Systems Engineer II-III

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is an exciting and prestigious research facility that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. The Observatory operates a variety of radio telescopes that span the globe, including the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA).

These telescopes are among the most advanced in the world, allowing astronomers to explore the universe in unprecedented detail.

The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) is a transformative astronomical observatory designed to deliver science-ready data products to a broad community of users. The Computing and Software System (CSS) is the backbone of this vision, encompassing all the software and hardware required to control the telescope, manage the flow of data, execute processing pipelines, and provide user-facing services. The CSS is decomposed into several major systems, each with a distinct role in the data lifecycle, from observation planning to final data analysis.

The ngVLA project is seeking a software-oriented systems engineer to bring systems engineering discipline to the design and development of the CSS. This person may be a software engineer or architect who has applied systems engineering practices on large projects, or a systems engineer with a strong software background. Working with system architects, software developers and subject matter experts, they will capture and manage the evolving software requirements, architecture, interfaces and designs, and make sure software deliverables trace to project requirements and meet project quality standards.

The role applies the project-level systems engineering management plan and software development plan in ways that fit modern software development practices.

This position will be located at the NRAO facility in Charlottesville (VA).

• Lead systems engineering for the CSS, adapting systems engineering practices to fit Agile software development.
• Maintain requirements traceability between CSS software and the ngVLA project-level requirements, and keep CSS processes aligned with the project.
• Develop and maintain CSS software requirements and interface definitions (such as APIs, data models and interface control documents).
• Work with projects and hardware teams to develop verification and validation plans focusing on external interfaces.
• Support verification approaches that use software practices such as automated testing, continuous integration and incremental delivery.
• Use model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and software modeling (such as SysML or UML) to document workflows, system models and interface specifications.
• Prepare for and support CSS design reviews, including the systems engineering documentation they require.
• Take part in configuration, change and document management, connecting project-level processes with software tools such as version control and issue tracking.

This position will be located at the NRAO facility in Charlottesville (VA). The successful candidate will join a team of professionals engaged in research and development in the fields of science, engineering, software development, and education. Work is typically performed in a research or development environment.

• You have a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, systems engineering, physical science, electrical engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• At least five years of experience in systems engineering on integrated project teams, preferably in scientific R&D environments.
• Experience working…