Software Engineer -II

155 Observatory Rd, Green Bank, WV 24944, USA •

800 Bradbury Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA •

Posted Friday, February 6, 2026 at 7:00 AM | Expires Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 5:59 AM

Position

Description:

Position Summary

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 famous Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) across North America, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile.

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

At NRAO, we are recruiting a Software Engineer to plan, design, and implement new systems to be initially used for the Radar project as well as projects in partnership with the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO). These systems will be used by both existing telescopes, namely GBT and VLBA, as well as new facilities such as next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA).

This position ideally will be based either in Albuquerque, NM, or Socorro, NM but could also be based at our Charlottesville, VA or Green Bank, WV locations. For well qualified candidates, a remote work arrangement may be considered after one year of employment.

What You Will be Doing

The primary focus of this position will be designing and developing cutting edge software for the Radar project, which will be used by the GBT, VLBA and eventually the ngVLA as part of the Common Domain Software group. This will include working with senior software engineers and stakeholders to refine requirements, designing systems and components to meet those requirements, performing trade studies, building prototypes, and producing documentation and reports summarizing your findings.

Immediate activities may include (but are not limited to):

• exploring messaging frameworks
• profiling and benchmarking passing of data between telescope sites
• building prototype backends for users to view shared data

This position will be directly involved in the early implementation and testing of key software features needed to support the Radar project, focusing on the system communication. The position will also participate in the full implementation during the construction phase.

Additional duties include:

• the maintenance and necessary upgrades of the existing software to support operations
• the development of new products to meet the challenges posed by the new observing paradigms necessary for the Observatory to remain at the cutting edge of science and technology.

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. Must be able to operate a personal computer. May occasionally work at high altitudes. Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Who You Are:

• You have a Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, scientific or related field; highly relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a Bachelor's degree.
• While not required, you may have an advanced degree in a related field.
• No previous related work experience is required; candidates with progressively more experience will be considered for a higher-level position.

Competency Summary

• The ability to communicate and collaborate with a diverse set of stakeholders about ongoing software activities.
• The ability to work with senior software engineers to produce a software architecture and design that meets stakeholder needs.
• Familiarity with messaging frameworks, such as Kafka, Pulsar, Rabbit
  
  MQ.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Familiarity with at least one object-oriented programming language;
  Java or C++ are desirable.
• Experience with Python.
• Willingness and enthusiasm for learning new programming languages when they are best suited to a particular domain.
• Experience with version control software,…