Pipeline Operator

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating dedicated people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.
IPAC, in the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech, provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to enhance discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a NASA observatory designed to address key questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets and infrared astrophysics. It is slated for launch in the mid-2020's. IPAC is inviting highly qualified individuals to apply for a full-time position as a data processing Pipeline Operator with the Roman team at IPAC. Fully remote work is not possible with this position.
Job Summary
As a Pipeline Operator, you will work with the engineering and scientific team members to help develop, operate, and test large, automated pipelines that process images and spectroscopy taken with the Wide-Field Instrument on the Roman Telescope. During operations, the Pipeline Operator ensures the automated system is running as expected during operations and carries out maintenance activities, working with the scientists and engineers on the team.
Essential Job Duties

• Manage the operation of automated processes including aliveness checks, suspending and restarting.
• Check the morning summary of the processing and rerun any failed data sets.
• Aide in testing during development of the pipelines.
• Develop and maintain scripts to assist with the above activities.
• Review and update communication channels and system monitoring websites on a regular basis.
• Communicate regularly with the rest of the pipeline teams.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Astronomy, Physics, Math
• or a related technical field.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in building and maintaining batch-oriented workflows with Apache Airflow or other task schedulers, using a Kubernetes cluster or other distributed computer cluster.
• Experience coding with Python or C
• Good written and interpersonal communication skills, with an emphasis on the ability to share ideas in a collaborative setting.

Preferred Qualifications
Beyond these basic qualifications, there are a set of skills and experiences which will add to your ability to contribute to the roles and responsibilities of an IPAC Pipeline Operator. The following might give you a head start here, but even if these do not describe you or your experience, we would still like to hear from you:

• Familiarity with Slack, Jira, or Confluence.
• Experience using AWS or other cloud environments.
• Familiarity with software configuration management principles and tools (e.g., git/GitHub)

Additional Requirement:

• Applicants for this position must be a United States (US) person as defined by ITAR regulations - A US person is a citizen of the United States, a lawful permanent resident alien of the US ("Green Card" holder), or individuals granted refugee and Asylee status under US law.

Required Documents

• Resume
• Short Cover Letter

Life at IPAC
People choose to work at IPAC for many reasons, and the casual, employee-centric culture often leads to fulfilling, long-term careers and positive relationships. Caltech's benefits program offers a quality, competitive benefits package that is affordable for you and the Institute. We also offer a 403(b) defined contribution plan to eligible staff as well as a Voluntary Retirement Savings (TDA) Plan. IPAC staff have access to the Institute's facilities, including the athletic center, libraries, on-site daycare, professional development and enrichment classes, and Athenaeum club membership.
We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Caltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Click here to read more about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO).