DevOps Network Engineer

BACKGROUND

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 vantage into the southern sky, the Giant Magellan Telescope will produce the sharpest and most detailed images ever taken of our universe, ten times greater than the famed Hubble Space Telescope and four times the James Webb Space Telescope.

When complete in the late 2020s, the Giant Magellan Telescope will be the largest public-private funded science project in history. The endeavor was founded by an international consortium of leading universities and research institutions representing five countries, 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 revolutionizing humanity’s knowledge of the universe.

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

The Universe Awaits.

 

JOB SUMMARY

The Giant Magellan Telescope’s (GMT) Software and Controls team is pursuing a proactive and highly skilled DevOps Network Engineer to work on the control networks and computer platforms.

Reporting to the Software and Controls Manager (based in Pasadena, CA), the DevOps Network Engineer will be responsible for specifying, designing, and building (1) the fiber optics control and safety networks and, (2) other software and hardware infrastructure required for the development and operations of the Observatory Control System (OCS) in all GMT sites (Pasadena, CA; La Serena, Chile and Santiago, Chile).

This position will work closely with all GMT subsystem teams, software engineers and all control network users and stakeholders to provide a reliable, efficient, cost-effective, and low-maintenance communications infrastructure able to support low-latency and high-bandwidth communications for the OCS.

In order to be able to recommend and implement innovative solutions, the DevOps Network Engineer is expected to keep up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends in fiber optics, high-performance computing, and low-latency communications, to perform detailed trade-studies and analyses on available and new technologies and to prototype critical design elements. This position will report to the Software and Controls Manager.

 

JOB DUTIES

• Create and review requirements for the OCS networks and DevOps platforms at all sites
• Detailed design of the OCS networks and DevOps platforms at all sites
• Collaborate with all the GMT subsystems to define OCS network interfaces
• Work with external contractors in OCS networks and DevOps aspects
• Deploy and support functional control and safety networks at all sites
• Deploy and support functional platforms for OCS development and operation
• Generate detailed design documentation and schematics
• Perform benchmarking tests and trade studies on critical hardware, software, and networking infrastructure to support design decisions and show compliance to applicable standards and requirements
• Debug and solve OCS network and DevOps platform related issues
• Oversee the contract, commissioning, and installation of the OCS network infrastructure
• Perform acceptance tests and generate test reports to validate the system after installation
• Develop a plan for transition to operations, including all necessary documentation and training for efficient operation and troubleshooting of the OCS networks

 

ESSENTIAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science or Electronics (or similar degree)
• 5+ year experience with network design and computer administration in telescopes or large science projects
• Fiber optics design, contract, installation, and maintenance
• Strong knowledge of the modern network protocols and network/computer equipment
• System and network administration experience on Linux, Windows and MacOS
• Experience with high-performance computing and low-latency communications
• Experience with high-bandwidth, high-speed storage networks and data archiving systems
• Experience with distributed computing platforms and control systems
• Experience with Ethernet-based Industrial fieldbuses (EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, etc)
• Experience with server hardware (x86 processor architecture, memory, BIOS)
• Experience with types of storage drives (S-ATA, SAS, NVMe, etc.)
• Experience supporting a team of software developers
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Willingness and ability to travel to foreign and domestic vendor, partner, and observatory locations as the need arise

 

DESIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

• Cisco or equivalent network equipment certifications
• Experience with safety-rated infrastructure for industrial environments
• Experience working with cloud computing infrastructure, such as AWS
• Experience in scripting languages, such as JavaScript and Python
• Experience with Agile development and continuous integration

 

APPLYING

To apply send your resume and a cover letter to [email protected].

If your skills and experience are a match for the position or if we need additional information, we will contact you. If we do not see a suitable match between your qualifications and the position, we will keep your information on file in the event future positions become available that are more suitable to your qualifications.

The GMTO Corporation is an equal employment opportunity employer.