Science Software Engineer

Job Summary

This role focuses on designing, developing, and maintaining scientific software that converts raw spacecraft data into high-precision data products used by astronomers worldwide. The position supports multiple space science missions and contributes to calibration pipelines, data processing automation, and data quality monitoring in a fast-paced, multi-mission environment.

The engineer will collaborate closely with scientists and developers to deliver reliable, accurate, and scalable software solutions. This role involves both internal development and external-facing support, requiring strong technical skills, problem-solving ability, and effective communication with diverse user communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain software for processing and calibrating astronomical data

• Build and enhance calibration software for space-based scientific instruments

• Contribute to automation of data processing pipelines and data quality monitoring systems

• Support development of scientific data formats and open-source astronomy libraries

• Collaborate with astronomers to deliver solutions for complex scientific problems

• Identify issues, implement fixes, and provide technical guidance to development teams and end users

Required Qualifications

• Strong expertise in Python software development

• Experience developing software in C

• Experience using open-source scientific libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, and Astropy

• Proficiency with Git and collaborative version-control workflows

• Familiarity with software testing tools and practices

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, planning, and organizational skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with data formats such as YAML, JSON, HDF5, or similar

• Experience working with astronomical data formats

• Educational background in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, astronomy, or a closely related discipline

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

2026 Feb 12th Virtual - Space Telescope Science Institute