Data Systems Architect

The National Solar Observatory seeks a Data Systems Architect to lead the technical design of the Data Management System (DMS) for the Next-Generation Ground-Based Solar Observing Network (ngGONG). ngGONG, a six-station global telescope network, is a major international initiative currently in the design phase. It will modernize the NSO’s global network of solar observatories, enabling continuous, high-quality observations that advance solar physics research and improve our understanding of space weather. The DMS supports the scientific data lifecycle from ingestion and processing through archival and user access, serving research and operational space-weather applications in near-real-time.

Building on an existing reference design, this architect will own the DMS architecture, requirements, interfaces, and technical designs. The design phase emphasizes architecture, technical coordination, and review preparation, supported by targeted prototypes and benchmarks. Technology choices remain open and will be evaluated against scientific, performance, cost, and operational needs.

This is an individual-contributor role with technical leadership and mentoring responsibilities. The lead owns DMS technical decisions within project standards and change control, coordinating shared interfaces and services with High-Level Software (HLS), Data Center, and IT teams. This architect reports to the Software and Controls Manager, who remains responsible for priorities, staffing, budget, and project-wide alignment. Scientists own scientific algorithms and acceptance criteria; the lead owns their integration into reliable, traceable processing workflows.

The position supports the currently funded design phase through September 2028, with continuation into subsequent phases contingent on project approval and funding.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a coherent DMS architecture, subsystem designs, measurable requirements, subsystem specifications, and verification plans. Keep the Conceptual Design, Product Breakdown Structure (PBS), Design Requirements Document (DRD), and subsystem specification aligned.
• Define Interface Control Documents (ICDs), APIs, data contracts, and metadata and provenance models. Define data handoff interfaces and agree on data-custody responsibilities with the data-acquisition teams.
• Design scientific processing and calibration workflows based on science stakeholder requirements, including reference datasets, quality metrics, and acceptance tests. Support consistent multi-station products, reproducible reprocessing, and scientific continuity with relevant preexisting datasets.
• Consult with current observatory operations and data-processing teams to incorporate operational experience into the design.
• Design ingestion, processing, archival, discovery, and distribution services, including programmatic access and automated delivery to operational consumers. Address data integrity, retention, and long-term preservation.
• Develop end-to-end latency budgets, capacity models, and workload priorities for live processing, delayed arrivals, and reprocessing. Use representative prototypes and benchmarks to validate deadlines, performance margins, and recovery under constrained resources or connectivity.
• Evaluate compute, storage, networking, workflow, and deployment needs to determine optimal hosting strategies across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments in collaboration with infrastructure owners. Produce design descriptions and decision records supported by trade studies, prototypes, and benchmarks, and contribute to the Software Development Plan.
• Design development, test, and operational environments that support pipeline evolution and reprocessing without disrupting operational delivery.
• Define availability, monitoring, and recovery approaches, including visibility into data completeness, backlog, and product latency. Incorporate allocated NSO cybersecurity controls and agree on shared operational responsibilities with IT and infrastructure providers.
• Prepare estimates, schedules, risks, procurement inputs, and design-review evidence. Resolve review findings, maintain controlled design artifacts, lead technical reviews, and mentor contributing engineers.

Expected Design Phase Outcomes

Deliver a coherent conceptual design for Conceptual Design Review in Summer 2027, then mature the design, interfaces, technology selections, and verification plans for Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2028. Demonstrate latency feasibility and performance margins, with estimates and an implementation plan appropriate to each review. Develop the DMS technical scope, execution plan, and cost estimates for the proposal covering final design and construction. Priorities and the detailed schedule will be agreed with the Software and Controls Manager after assessing the inherited design and remaining risks.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, engineering, physics, astronomy, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• At least ten years of professional software engineering or software architecture experience, including technical leadership in the architecture and delivery of complex data-processing or distributed software systems.
• Experience translating requirements into architecture and interfaces, evaluating technologies, documenting tradeoffs, and leading technical reviews.
• Experience across the data lifecycle, with depth in ingestion, processing, storage, or archives, including APIs, data models, metadata or provenance, and reliable workflows.
• Experience with performance analysis, capacity planning, and reliability in data-processing or distributed systems.
• Strong software development skills in a language such as Python, Java, C++, or Go on Linux, with version control, automated testing, configuration management, and observability.
• Ability to estimate effort, assess risks, communicate tradeoffs to multidisciplinary teams, and mentor engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing or operating automated data-processing systems with explicit latency or service-level requirements, including capacity planning, workload prioritization, performance validation, and failure recovery.
• Scientific or astronomical data experience, especially multi-instrument or multi-station pipelines, calibration, data-quality assessment, and reproducible reprocessing.
• Experience with high-throughput or petabyte-scale systems, distributed processing, archives, and workflow orchestration across on-premises, high-performance computing, or cloud environments.
• Experience preparing requirements, ICDs, estimates, and evidence for formal design reviews.
• Familiarity with scientific data formats, scientific Python libraries, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles.

Why NSO?

At the National Solar Observatory, you’ll join a mission-driven community working at the frontier of solar science. Our teams are dedicated to understanding the Sun in ways that protect technology, enhance scientific discovery, and inspire global audiences. NSO offers a collaborative, forward-thinking environment where curiosity is encouraged, varied perspectives are valued, and employees can make a tangible impact on science and society. You will help design the data systems that turn observations from a global telescope network into scientific and operational space-weather products.

Work Arrangement and Funding

The position is based on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, with at least three days per week in the office and up to two days working from home. Travel is expected to be limited during the design phase, with possible visits to the six GONG stations or other observatories for collaboration. The desired start date is as soon as practical.

The ngGONG project is currently funded through a three-year design phase ending in September 2028. Continued project funding beyond this phase is contingent upon selection and funding to proceed into subsequent design and construction phases.

Salary and Benefits

Annual salary range: $130,000 to $176,000. Final salary will depend on skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. AURA offers exceptional benefits including 24 vacation days per year plus holidays, automatic retirement plan contributions, and other excellent benefits. Details on benefits can be found at Benefits by Location - Aura Human Resources

Work Environment

Work primarily involves computer-based design and analysis, documentation, and collaboration. Occasional observatory visits may involve high-elevation locations. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. AURA is an equal opportunity employer.

The National Solar Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) for the National Science Foundation.

This position will remain open until it is filled. Please submit a cover letter and a CV or resume, PDF files preferred. Please name any attachments with the following format: LastName DocName.

Individuals needing assistance with the employment process can request assistance here.