22-109: Scientific Programmer

Colorado State University, United States

Updated: over 1 year ago
Location: Fort Collins, COLORADO
Deadline: 14 Aug 2022

Posting Details
Posting Detail Information


Working Title 22-109: Scientific Programmer
Position Location Fort Collins, CO
Research Professional Position Yes
Posting Number 202201133AP
Position Type Admin Professional/ Research Professional
Classification Title Research Associate I
Number of Vacancies
Work Hours/Week 40
Proposed Annual Salary Range $60,000-72,000 commensurate with experience and qualifications
Employee Benefits
Colorado State University (CSU) is committed to providing employees with a strong and competitive benefits package that supports you, your health, and your family. Visit CSU’s Human Resources website for detailed benefit plan information for permanent full-time and part-time faculty and administrative professional employees in the following University benefit areas: https://hr.colostate.edu/hr-community-and-supervisors/benefits/benefits-eligibility/ & https://hr.colostate.edu/prospective-employees/our-perks/ .
Desired Start Date
Position End Date (if temporary)
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 08/14/2022
Description of Work Unit
The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University (CSU) is a multi-million dollar research organization located on CSU’s Foothills Campus in Fort Collins, Colorado. CIRA is a cooperative institute (CI) that is also a research department within CSU’s College of Engineering, in partnership with the Department of Atmospheric Science. Its vision is to conduct interdisciplinary research in the atmospheric sciences by entraining skills beyond the meteorological disciplines, exploiting advances in engineering and computer science, facilitating transitional activity between pure and applied research, leveraging both national and international resources and partnerships, and assisting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CSU, the State of Colorado, and the Nation through the application of our research to areas of societal benefit. Expanding on this Vision, our Mission is to serve as a nexus for multi-disciplinary cooperation among CI and NOAA research scientists, University faculty, staff and students in the context of NOAA-specified research theme areas in satellite applications for weather/climate forecasting. Important bridging elements of the CI include the communication of research findings to the international scientific community, transition of applications and capabilities to NOAA operational users, education and training programs for operational user proficiency, outreach programs to K-12 education and the general public for environmental literacy, and understanding and quantifying the societal impacts of NOAA research.
Position Summary
The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University (CSU) seeks to hire a Research Associate I or II to work on the CSU Foothills Campus, located 5 miles Northwest of the CSU main campus to support software and programming of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) mission. The individual in this position will report to the JPSS Lead Algorithm Developer and support the reverse-engineering/development of an existing NOAA polar-orbiter satellite algorithm development library (ADL) tool that is primarily written in C++ and used to generate real-time level 1 and level 2 imagery and geolocation products. CIRA leads the VIIRS level 2 imagery evaluation team for the JPSS project. Position title of Research Associate I will apply to the finalist with a Bachelor’s Degree and 1-2 years of experience working in software engineering, and position title of Research Associate II will apply to the finalist with a Bachelor’s Degree and 3 or more years of experience working in software engineering, or a Master’s degree and at least 1 year of experience working in software engineering. This position has potential for flexible work arrangements including hybrid office/remote work.
Required Job Qualifications
  • for Research Associate I: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering or related science field plus 1-2 years of experience working in software engineering.
  • for Research Associate II: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering or related field plus 3 or more years of experience working in software engineering –OR- Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering or science related field plus at least 1 year of experience working in software engineering;
  • demonstrated knowledge of C++, with the ability to understand existing scientific code;
  • experience with geographic projections (mercator, geostationary);
  • experience with existing perl, xml, and/or bash scripts;
  • UNIX/Linux skills, experience using terminal and command line utilities;
  • excellent communications skills, experience working independently, multitasking, presenting to a group of people, and meeting specific goals and deadlines.
Preferred Job Qualifications
  • experience with satellite imagery datasets or satellite remote sensing;
  • degree in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science or related scientific field;
  • experience with satellite imagery processing;
  • experience working with containerizing applications (Docker, Podman);
  • experience working with distributed source control such as git or svn;
  • experience with management of computer, network and/or storage resources;
  • experience working in high performance computing (HPC) environment;
  • experience with AWIPS and/or McIdas.
Diversity Statement
Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Essential Duties


Job Duty Category JPSS Software Developer
Duty/Responsibility
  • become fully acquainted with the architecture and inner-workings of the JPSS ADL library and tools;
  • develop enhancements to existing code, providing suggestions for new ways to redesign and improve software;
  • learn and apply new technology related to software engineering and programming, implement best practices.
Percentage Of Time 75
Job Duty Category Systems Design Engineer
Duty/Responsibility
  • automate, manage and ingest large meteorological data sets to support analysis and processing of experimental products, algorithms, techniques, and decision support tools;
  • evaluate code performance and scalability on CPUs and/or GPUs. 
Percentage Of Time 25

Application Details


Special Instructions to Applicants
References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates. 
NOTE: In your cover letter, please specifically address the required and preferred qualifications of this position. A cover letter that fails to address the required and preferred qualifications of this position may not be further considered after review by the search committee.
Conditions of Employment Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires)
Search Contact [email protected]
EEO Statement
Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or pregnancy in its employment, programs, services and activities, and admissions, and, in certain circumstances, marriage to a co-worker. The University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity and equal access institution and affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.
The Title IX Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-1715, [email protected] .
The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, [email protected] .
The Coordinator for any other forms of misconduct prohibited by the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment is the Vice President for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, Co. 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, [email protected] .
Any person may report sex discrimination under Title IX to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education .
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.

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