Scientific Instrumentation Software Engineer

Scientific Instrumentation Software Engineer

Software and Controls

• Full-Time

Hybrid

2508

Position code

The Giant Magellan Telescope is the most powerful ground‑based telescope ever engineered. It was designed to push the boundaries of human knowledge and discover the unknown. With unmatched image quality, seven of the world’s largest mirrors will launch our view into the universe to uncover the cosmic mysteries of dark matter, investigate the origins of chemical elements, and search for signs of life on distant exoplanets for the first time.

The 30‑meter class telescope is under construction at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the best locations on Earth to view the heavens. From this unrivaled vista into the southern sky, the Giant Magellan Telescope will produce the sharpest and most detailed images ever taken of our universe.

When complete in the early 2030s, the Giant Magellan Telescope will be the largest public‑private funded science project in history. The endeavour was founded by an international consortium of 15 research institutions representing Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, and is managed by the GMTO Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pasadena, California. Our culture is impactful, inclusive, and fearlessly innovative.

We solve the most difficult engineering challenges and scientific questions with talented individuals who share a passion for revolutionising humanity’s knowledge of the universe.

We invite you to join our team and leave your mark on astronomy’s future and beyond.

Software and Controls

Software and Controls Manager

The GMTO Software and Controls team develops the control systems, frameworks and applications that will enable the observatory to operate safely and efficiently, including telescope operation and control, observation scheduling and execution, data management, observatory configuration and monitoring, and operation user interfaces.

We are seeking a versatile and collaborative Scientific Instrumentation Software Engineer to support the development and integration of complex astronomical instruments for the Giant Magellan Telescope. In this unique role, you will work directly with external scientific instrumentation teams to help them design and build their instrument control systems using the GMT Software Development Kit (SDK) for successful integration with the Observatory Control System.

This position bridges software engineering, systems thinking, and scientific domain knowledge. You’ll contribute to the definition of control interfaces, participate in design reviews, support integration and testing, and ensure that instruments are successfully commissioned and operated as part of GMT. This role is ideal for someone with a background in both software engineering and astronomy or physics, who thrives on interdisciplinary collaboration and building reliable systems for scientific discovery.

• Collaborate with external instrument teams to develop and integrate their device control software using the GMT SDK and following the Software and Controls standards.
• Assist in the design and implementation of operations support packages, including data processing pipelines, calibration tools, proposal preparation tools and data analysis software.
• Assist in defining and documenting control system interfaces and integration requirements.
• Provide guidance and hands‑on support in implementing control and data acquisition systems for scientific instruments.
• Conduct code reviews, write unit tests, and participate in continuous integration to ensure software quality and adherence to coding standards and architectural guidelines.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation such as design documents, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), user guides, code examples, trade studies and test reports.
• Work closely with the Software and Controls team to integrate instrument software into the broader Observatory Control System.
• Contribute to software validation, integration testing, and commissioning of instruments at the observatory.
• Maintain up‑to‑date…