Software Engineer III

Where You Will Work:

Located in Boulder, Colorado, UCAR Community Programs (UCP) offers a suite of innovative resources, tools, and services for the atmospheric and Earth science community. UCP was created in 1992 to manage a number of unique programs requested by the UCAR community.

Unidata is a diverse community of education and research institutions with the common goal of sharing geoscience data and the tools to access and visualize that data. For more than 30 years, Unidata has been providing data, software tools, and support to enhance Earth System education and research. Funded primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Unidata is one of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)’s Community Programs (UCP).

What You Will Do: 

Unidata is a diverse community of education and research institutions with the common goal of sharing geoscience data and the tools to access and visualize that data. For more than 30 years, the Unidata Program Center (UPC) has been providing data, software tools, and support to enhance Earth-system education and research across organizational boundaries and external organizations. This position will play a vital role in serving the community in those areas, and across all practical levels — support, documentation, development, and training. Unidata's small team environment provides for high levels of autonomy and responsibility with great opportunity to excel individually and contribute to the community's success.

For this position, we seek a software developer to join our open source efforts as related to the UPC’s Local Data Manager (LDM) package and community use of the LDM via the Internet Data Distributions (IDD) system.  Specifically, you will;

• Assist in the development and community use and deployment of the LDM software package
• Employ a working knowledge of software engineering practices in version control, build systems, release management, unit testing, continuous integration, and defect management
• Collaborate with community users on remote installation and troubleshooting of LDM/IDD issues
• Advise and resolve community support inquiries about the installation, configuration, and use of the LDM

Funded primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Unidata is one of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)'s Community Programs (UCP).

Responsibilities:

Software Design and Development:

• Collaborate with lead developer to test, maintain, enhance and evolve the LDM software
• Contribute to documentation of instrumentation, communications, and software systems and applications
• Work with end-users and other software developers to gather and implement solutions

User Support:

• Provide user support to technical and non-technical community members, on the use, functioning, and troubleshooting of the LDM and IDD
• Collaborate with user support staff to resolve user issues in a timely manner
• Diagnose, fix, and test solutions to issues encountered by users, including situations where remote system access is limited
• Contribute to training efforts, and investigate new, innovative methods for providing asynchronous training opportunities

Miscellaneous:

• Participate and/or lead collaborative efforts across program groups as necessary
• Provide input on progress reports and presentations for the Unidata advisory committees
• Foster interactions with our user community and other Unidata staff in an effort to anticipate and estimate current and future data and software needs
• Participate and present at scientific meetings to keep up-to-speed on community needs and to communicate directly with our stakeholders

What You Need:
Education and Years of Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in atmospheric or related sciences, mathematics or computer science with progressive, relevant experience which is typically gained by 8-12 years of experience with scientific applications and scientific data services; or equivalent combination of education and experience; master’s degree and 4-6 years experience is accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree and above experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Required:

• Demonstrated skill with C or C++
• Working knowledge of Unix network programming
• Proficiency in troubleshooting complex distributed systems
• Proficiency in a scripting language (sh, python, perl, …)
• Working knowledge of software engineering practices (version control, build, release management, unit testing, continuous integration, and defect checking)
• Ability to work both independently and in a small team environment
• Ability to organize and communicate technical, complex concepts to others of various technical backgrounds
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong desire to continue learning new skills, tools, and concepts
• Self-motivation

Desired, but not required:

• Experience or familiarity with earth science data
• Experience or familiarity with scientific data analysis and display systems
• Experience with Internet services transporting large volumes of data
• Experience providing support to a scientific community
• Experience in utilizing cloud computing resources

Applicant Notes:

• An Inclusion Statement will be required for all applicants advancing to an in-person interview. If requested, this statement should address past efforts, as well as future vision and plans to advocate for and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization and/or field of work.
• A pre-employment screening is conducted in conjunction with an offer for employment. This screening may involve verifying or reviewing any of the following relevant information: restricted parties screening, employment verification, performance records of internal candidates, education verification, reference checks, verification of professional licenses, certifications, and Motor Vehicle Records.  UCAR complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 
• The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer that strives to develop and maintain a diverse workforce. UCAR is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy.
  Whatever your intersection of identities, you are welcome at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). We are committed to inclusivity and promoting an equitable environment that values and respects the uniqueness of all members of our organization.