Software Quality Engineer

At the SKAO we are coordinating a global effort to deliver one of the largest science facilities on the planet. The SKAO telescopes will be next-generation instruments that will help to answer key questions in astrophysics, drive technological innovation and support human capital development.

More than a dozen partner countries and over a thousand scientists and engineers around the world are already on board, making the SKA project an international collaboration like no other, and one of the most ambitious science and engineering endeavours of the 21st century.

Headquartered in the UK, with telescope sites in Australia and South Africa, the SKAO will be one observatory operating two telescopes, an endeavour spanning three continents. Multinational by design, in early 2021 the SKAO became an intergovernmental organisation, one of only a select handful of science infrastructures to do so worldwide.

Our Global HQ is located near the buzzing city of Manchester at the historic Jodrell Bank Observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Cheshire countryside. It is home to a rapidly expanding international team of more than a hundred, working in a highly collaborative and inclusive way, in coordination with SKAO teams in Australia and South Africa as part of a global astronomy and engineering community.

Being part of Team SKA means contributing to something extraordinary: a uniquely exciting project to advance human knowledge that will last for decades. In return, we offer a diverse multicultural working environment, 30 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme, visa and support with relocation (if applicable), regular social events, a family-friendly environment and much more. Come and join us!

The Role

The SRC Network is a distributed effort to set up the global network of regional centres that will enable the scientific community to publish and process data obtained from using the SKA telescopes. The SRC Network will be realised by active collaboration between many institutions, globally distributed and coordinated by SKAO.

Enabling flow and quality practices in delivering working software to the SKA science regional centres is our challenge. A strong understanding of DevOps practices and principles will be essential in identifying, communicating and implementing the strategies to be adopted in our environment. The Software Quality Engineer will work, alongside others, to establish the Continuous Delivery pipeline supporting a software system that will have to last, and be continually developed, for decades.

The outcomes of your work will also feed directly into the SKAO contribution to the EU-funded EVERSE project, that aims to create a framework for research software and code excellence, collaboratively designed and championed by the research communities across five EOSC Science Clusters and national Research Software Expertise Centres, in pursuit of building an European network of Research Software Quality and setting the foundations of a future Virtual Institute for Research Software Excellence. In particular, your area of focus will be the development of a technology watch for tools and services to assess, curate and improve scientific software, code and workflows quality in the Science Clusters.

At SKAO we support staff in their continuous professional development and this role presents the opportunity for training in the scientific and technical aspects of the role and to work closely with more experienced software engineers, as well as the opportunity to occasionally attend relevant international conferences and industry events.

This role is known internally as SRC Software Quality Engineer and will report to the SKAO Regional Centres Architect.

This role is a 3-year fixed term appointment based at the SKAO Global Headquarters at the iconic Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire, UK, and occasional international travel may be required to the EVERSE EU project events.

SKAO is committed to providing an inclusive and flexible working environment, meeting the requests of our Colleagues whilst also fulfilling the needs and objectives of the Observatory.

We encourage applications from under-represented groups such as women and individuals with disabilities, as well as open conversations during the recruitment process in relation to any specific requirements.

There may be occasions where this role requires the post holder to work across different time zones and, in line with SKAO policy, flexible working hours will be supported in agreement with the line manager.

Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties

• Work in collaboration with the SRCNet Software team to define and implement the Continuous Delivery pipeline for the SRCNet software systems.
• Work with the SAFe® system team to support and help agile development teams in adopting DevOps practices as defined.
• Support the integration and delivery of high-quality software products by providing feedback and guidelines to developers about the quality practices adopted in the SRCNet collaboration.
• Support the development and design of test plans, scenarios, scripts and procedures.
• Participate in the activity of the EVERSE EU project, representing SKAO as required and in coordination with the SKAO participation led by the SKAO Lead Software Architect.
• Occasionally travel internationally as required (typically for up to one week, 2-3 times per year).
• Undertake any other reasonable duties as directed by the line manager and senior management.

Mandatory Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Candidates are encouraged to provide links to openly accessible software repositories and documentation where applicable.

• Experience in managing software projects according to modern software engineering practices, including using distributed version control systems, adopting DevOps principles, and infrastructure as code.
• Understanding of best practices related to Software Quality, including test automation and continuous integration, and how they fit in an agile development environment.
• Experience in provisioning software infrastructures using automated tools (Docker, Ansible, Terraform), setting up and utilising cloud and virtualization platforms (AWS, OpenStack, GCP) and application hosting technologies (Kubernetes, Mesos, OpenShift).
• Collaborative approach and ability to work effectively to meet competing deadlines.
• Be a flexible team player who is adaptable to change.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience in developing software within a scientific collaboration.
• Experience in integrated security practices such as secrets management into the DevOps pipelines.
• Experience working in a multicultural environment across international boundaries and time zones.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement

SKA Observatory recognises that our diversity is a strength. We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong, and diverse perspectives and ideas thrive. As such, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion are at the core of SKA Observatory’s agenda.

Our aim is to recruit and retain the most talented individuals, regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, nationality or background.

Women have traditionally been under-represented in the fields of science and engineering; SKA Observatory welcomes and encourages female applicants.

Where applicants with a disability need facilities or adjustments to enable them to participate in the recruitment process, these will be provided.

SKA Observatory welcome all candidates, especially those from member countries.

The “How to Apply” information contained within the SKA Observatory recruitment portal provides more detail regarding our application and selection approach.