Pipelines Developer x2 at SARAO - South African Radio Astronomy Observatory

Purpose of the Role

• The Pipelines Developer works within the Pipelines Team in the Data Processing and Pipelines department. The core purpose is to develop radio astronomy pipelines and data processing applications for ingest, calibration, and imaging, alongside tools for testing functionality, performance, and quality.
• This role contributes technically to all stages of the product lifecycle, from analysis and conceptualisation through to implementation, testing, deployment, operation, and maintenance. The position requires competency in either Radio Astronomy Pipelines & Data Processing or in High-performance scientific computing. The contributions are primarily implementation and execution focused.

Key Responsibilities

• Implementation of radio astronomy pipelines and data processing products (for ingest, calibration, and imaging) that meet system requirements.
• This implementation involves elements of science and algorithm analysis, software development, high-performance computing (HPC, GPGPU), data structures, and data formatting.
• Support analysis, integration, verification, and validation activities for pipeline products.
• Develop software to control, monitor, debug, and support the operation of developed products.
• Follow and support the Software Design Life Cycle (SDLC) and Systems Engineering processes.
• Support the deployment, maintenance, upgrades, operation, and decommissioning of products.
• Participate in generating technical system and product-related documentation.
• Participate in Research & Development initiatives to develop novel ideas for future products.

Key Requirements

Qualification

• B.Sc (NQF 7) in physics, mathematics, applied mathematics, or related sciences with 6+ years relevant experience, OR
• B.Sc (Hons) degree (NQF 8) in physics, mathematics, applied mathematics, or related sciences, with 4+ years relevant experience, OR
• MSc degree (NQF 9) in physics, mathematics, applied mathematics, or related sciences, with 3+ years relevant experience, OR
• B.Tech (Eng) (NQF 7) in Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or related field (focus on signal processing, software engineering/computer sciences) with 6+ years relevant experience, OR
• BSc.Eng, BEng degree (NQF 8) in Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or related field (focus on signal processing, software engineering/computer sciences) with 4+ years relevant experience, OR
• MSc Eng, MEng degree (NQF 9) in Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or related field (focus on signal processing, software engineering/computer sciences) with 3+ years relevant experience, OR
• Postgraduate (NQF 10) PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g., radio astronomy, computer science, data/signal processing) with 1+ years relevant experience.

Experience
The ideal candidate is either:

• A Software Developer experienced in scientific or high-performance computing, with exposure to or an interest in radio astronomy pipelines and/or data and signal processing, OR
• A Scientist / Science Developer with experience in Radio Astronomy and with fundamental software development experience.

Required experience for candidates with a Software Development background:

• Experienced in software development in Python or other modern, high-level languages.
• Experience with scientific computing frameworks and libraries.
• Experience with accelerated computing using GPUs (advantageous).
• Experienced in software development in a Linux-based and open-source driven environment.
• Experienced in software development testing practices and CI/CD frameworks.
• Experience working across many phases of the Software Design Life Cycle.

Required experience for candidates with a Scientist/Science Developer background:

• Theoretical or practical experience in radio interferometry (calibration and/or imaging).
• Understanding of signal processing techniques, algorithms, and implementation.
• Experienced in data analysis, signal processing, and other related techniques.
• Experience with common radio astronomy data processing packages (e.g., Obit, WSClean, CASA, Myriad) and their techniques.

General Experience Required:

• Scientific computing, particularly related to data analysis, signal processing, and data processing techniques.
• Writing technical documentation for product design or scientific results.
• Software development: Python (especially for scientific computing, e.g., numpy), or C/C++.
• Working with workflow and issue management tools (e.g., JIRA).
• Working with source code and version control tools (e.g., Git).

Knowledge

• Understanding of radio interferometry and radio astronomy instrumentation (advantageous).
• Signal processing.
• Scientific data analysis and related techniques.
• Software Development best practices.
• Software Design Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Systems Engineering.
• Software development and scientific computing using high-level languages.
• Data curation, management, manipulation, and transfer.

Additional Notes (Personal Attributes)

• A desire to continuously learn, problem-solve, and acquire new skills with cutting-edge technology.
• A clear and methodical approach to problem solving.
• High attention to detail and excellent organisation skills.
• Good communication skills (written and verbal).
• Ability to effectively transfer knowledge and skills to other team members.
• Eagerness to develop a technical specialisation and expertise.
• Willingness to travel both locally and internationally depending on operational needs.

Deadline:27th November,2025