Senior Programmer Analyst

Overview/ Job Responsibilities

We are looking for a Senior Programmer Analyst to join a team of twenty software/system/network specialists supporting the operations and maintenance of the ground systems for NOAA’s environmental-monitoring satellite missions. Data from our missions is used in weather forecasting, climate research, forest fire detection, search and rescue, and much more. We provide full-time onsite IT support in collaboration with government technical leads at the Satellite Operations Facility, maintaining and improving the functionality and cybersecurity of the servers, workstations, software, and other devices.

This role is part software engineer, part programmer analyst with a focus on the continuous operation of mission software through bug fixes, feature enhancements, and integrating IT cybersecurity vulnerability remediation. The primary functions of the software under your purview are preparing and sending commands to the satellite; receiving, displaying, processing, and moving satellite data; and scheduling and transitioning primary control of these functions among the redundant servers at multiple sites.

This person will need to understand the system architecture, learn the use case of all servers and workstations in the inventory, and the user functionality of all software, both custom-developed and COTS.When operational issues occur, you will use your broad knowledge of the software to lead the troubleshooting by coordinating tests with system and network administrators. When a custom software package is the root cause, either from a bug or operator error, you will design and implement code modifications to reduce or eliminate potential recurrence of the issue.

Likewise, when cybersecurity vulnerabilities require updates or changes to the system/software configurations, you will be instrumental in assessing potential impacts to the ground system and coordinating the implementation, regression testing, and integration of the remediation. When users have difficulty with or finding inefficiencies in the functionality of the software, they will bring such complaints to you who might train the user in the usage or design and implement software or process changes to alleviate the issue.

Additional responsibilities include:

• System architecture and software design
• Troubleshooting and debugging real-time anomalies
• Integrating system cybersecurity vulnerability remediation
• Coding feature enhancements to improve efficiency or automation
• Deploying software in coordination with satellite operations

This position supports work at NOAA's Suitland, MD facility with limited telework permitted.

The salary range for this role is $100,/year.

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, related, or equivalent.
• 6+ years of relevant experience leading to the ability to successfully complete bug fixes, feature enhancements, and integrating IT cybersecurity vulnerability remediation.
• Must have strong communication skills with professional, well-developed interpersonal skills necessary for communicating with co-workers.
• Must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience in system development and maintenance, including proficiency with the full software development life cycle.
• Experience with extensive coding in languages such as Python, Java, C, and C++.
• Experience with using Git repository management for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Experience in working with Linux and Windows environments (experience with Red Hat desired).
• Experience with implementing OS level operations via scripting and automation (experience with secure file transfers desired).
• Experience working within Agile Methodology.
• Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to access applicable government information and systems.

We consider several factors when extending an offer of employment, including the location, scope, and associated responsibilities of the specific position, as well as a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.