Research Cloud Software Engineer

This position serves as a Cloud Research Engineer supporting the Biocomputation Initiative of the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences (Salk).  This position will be responsible for building, maintaining, and supporting the process and research software used by the academic community with Salk.

Under the Senior Cloud Architect and Engineer's direction, actively engage with researchers to understand their needs and craft software solutions leveraging cloud (public and private) and on-premise computing resources.  This position will be an integral member of multiple projects collaborating with Salk researchers to provide computational expertise in algorithm development and software design to create high-quality and sustainable research code by leveraging DevOps practices and tools to build and maintain container images for use on local and cloud resources.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Building Containers for Science: Under the direction of the Senior Cloud Architect and Engineer, engage with the scientific users of the Salk to assist in creating Kubernetes-based containers for research workloads.
  • This will involve the need to help lead and construct research workloads in software containers needed to acquire, process, and analyze data from biological experiments.
  • Respond to evolving research needs and apply research Software Engineering experience to develop robust software solutions to solve challenging scientific problems.
  • Help optimize the performance of research software used by cores and principal investigators for scientific discovery.
• Work as a Staff Resource in the Salk Software Factory: Using a software factory approach based on dev/ops establishes a set of best practices that are appropriate for each project (e.g., version control, continuous integration, continuous delivery, software design, programming model, etc.), and enables long-term maintainability and sustainability by documenting projects in an appropriately detailed manner. 
  • Maintain and expand knowledge of current and future software development tools and techniques, programming languages, and computing hardware
• Support and Assist with Training Scientific Users: Communicate Software Engineering concepts with project teams of domain experts with varying degrees of Software Engineering knowledge.
  • Initiate and/or maintain open collaboration with Salk researchers as needed.  Regularly meet with, listen to, and ask questions of the relevant collaborators for active projects. Understand and address Software Engineering questions that arise in research planning. 
  • Transfer knowledge, expertise, and methodologies by providing technical assistance and mentorship to researchers, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by management.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree (BA) from a four-year college or university, plus three years of related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Three years of professional Software Engineering experience.
• Three years of experience configuring and running software containers using Kubernetes and tools such as Docker.
• One to three years of experience with Git-based source code management and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD)  tools, such as GitHub or GitLab
• One to three years of experience utilizing public cloud services from Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), or Microsoft Azure.
• One to three years of experience with computer programming languages, such as Python, C, C++, or R.
• Other skills required: DevOps (version control, CI/CD, compilation toolchains, documentation generation), familiarity with cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, or Azure).
• Experience using Linux-based operating systems.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working with scientific users in an academic environment.
• A Master’s/Ph.D. in computer science, or other applied domain sciences (esp. biological sciences) with a strong computational focus is strongly preferred.
• System administration of Linux-based high-performance computing resources.
• Machine learning experience (familiarity with PyTorch, TensorFlow and/or Jax).
• GPU programming experience (e.g., CUDA, OpenCL) and/or experience with FPGAs 
• Parallel programming expertise (e.g., OpenMP, Kokkos, etc.) 
• Experience with web development languages and frameworks (HTML5, Node.js, Angular/React/Vue, Canvas, WebAssembly)

The expected pay range for this position is $82,000 to $120,000 per annum. Salk Institute provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the institute reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

SALK VALUES:

• Integrity - Guides our moral compass and underpins our every action. We do what is right in all situations for no other reason than because it is right. We uphold honesty and ethical behavior and make good on our commitments. We understand that words and deeds matter and that integrity leads to trust.
• Community - Enables us to harness the power of our collective talents. We work together towards common goals. We recognize the importance of diversity where everyone’s ideas, identities, backgrounds, and perspectives are valued and pave the paths that propel us forward. We understand our pioneering role in the broader scientific community and take pride in our efforts to have a positive impact on the world.
• Accountability - Keeps us focused, and keeps us honest. We are responsible not only for our own success, but the success of our teams and the entire Institute. We consider how the actions we take and the decisions we make in our own work may impact others.
• Respect - Creates the foundation of trust and brings out the best in us all. We value the experiences, identities, and feelings of those we work with, regardless of their position or their relationship to us. We provide feedback in a constructive manner, use appropriate language, and allow others to share their thoughts and ideas without fear of ridicule.
• Empowerment - Amplifies all voices and inspires the pursuit of greatness. We lift each other up, enabling us to grow continuously and live to our fullest potential. We support the expression of ideas, encourage self-advocacy, inspire confidence and recognize that an environment of mutual respect is critical to our collective success.

COMPETENCIES:

• Innovation - Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas; Presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others' attention.
• Design - Generates creative solutions; Translates concepts and information into images; Uses feedback to modify designs; Applies design principles; Demonstrates attention to detail.
• Oral Communication - Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.
• Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures; Completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; Supports organization's goals and values; Benefits organization through outside activities; Supports affirmative action and respects diversity.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
• Project Management - Develops project plans; Coordinates projects; Communicates changes and progress; Completes projects on time and budget; Manages project team activities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Frequently/Continually required to sit at a computer
• Frequently/Continually required to utilize hand and finger dexterity
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually quiet
• The employee must occasionally lift and /or move up to 5 pounds

The Salk Institute is an internationally renowned research institution that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We seek bold and interactive leaders passionate about exploring new frontiers in science. Our collaborative community embraces diverse perspectives and unique life experiences, fostering innovation, and a sense of belonging. Together, we strive to improve the wellbeing of humanity through groundbreaking research.