IT Specialist (APPSW) (IS-2210-11/12)

OPENING DATE: January 31, 2025
CLOSING DATE: February 28, 2025
TYPE OF POSITION: Trust Indefinite (Non-Federal)
DIVISION: Solar Stellar and Planetary Sciences
LOCATION: Cambridge, MA
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: This position is open to all eligible candidates.

What are Trust Fund Positions?

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program and may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Childcare), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

NOTE: This is a career ladder opportunity with promotion potential to grade 12. Selection for this position to be made at the grade 11, or 12 level. Candidates may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level, up to grade 12, upon the recommendation of the supervisor based on classification requirements, satisfactory performance and qualifications of the employee. First consideration may be made 14 days after the opening date.

INTRODUCTION
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is at the forefront, internationally, of the scientific exploration of the universe. SAO combines its resources with those of the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The CfA is the best-known astrophysics center in the world. Its programs range from ground-based astronomy and astrophysics research to space-based research, the engineering and development of major scientific instrumentation for space launch and use in large ground-based facilities, and research designed to improve science education. The research objectives of SAO are carried out primarily with the support of Government and Smithsonian Institution funds, with additional philanthropic support. Government funds are in the form of Federal appropriations or the form of contracts and grants from other agencies. In contrast, Institution funds are available to SAO through grants from the Institution's Restricted Funds, Special Purpose Funds, Bureau Activities, Business Activities, and non-Federal contracts and grants.

SUMMARY
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) at the CfA, is sanctioned by the International Astronomical Union, and works within the Solar Stellar Planetary Sciences Division to process, archive, and publish all astrometric and radar observations of the Solar System’s small bodies. The MPC seeks to hire an IT Specialist to perform Software Development.

• Functions as a software IT Specialist to develop and maintain Python and web-based software applications and services related to the Minor Planet Center

• Contributes to the planning and implementation of required unit tests and applies continuous integration to both existing and new software projects

• Collaborate with scientists and software development staff as needed

• Plays a major role in regular software planning and status reporting activities

• Contributes to the planning and implementation of tasks required for the improvement and upkeep of Minor Planet Center software development best practices

• Performs other duties as assigned

For all positions, individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below.

• Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

• Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations ;knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

• Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

• Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

AND

Candidates for grade 11 must possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 9 in the normal line of progression for this occupation. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position such as substantive contributions to a commercial or open source software projects; experience with building advanced containerized deployments using Docker and Amazon Web Services; and experience designing, developing and administering complex PostgreSQL databases.

Candidates for grade 12 must possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 11 in the normal line of progression for this occupation. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position such as substantive contributions to a commercial or open source software projects; experience with building advanced containerized deployments using Docker and Amazon Web Services; experience designing, developing and administering complex PostgreSQL databases; and experience in science software project management of a team of 10 or more people.

OR

Education:
All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Undergraduate or Graduate Education: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

Grade 11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or
3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

Grade 12: There is no education substitution.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. The applications that meet the basic qualification will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

1. Ability to apply theories, concepts, principles, and methodologies of software development discipline sufficient to: plan, evaluate, and carry out assignments supporting the science goals of the team

2. Advanced knowledge of and skill in developing software using Python for Linux environments

3. Advanced knowledge of and skill in interfacing to relational databases (SQL)

4. Expert knowledge and skill in using Git and GitHub (or similar SCM services) for software source control

5. Advanced knowledge and skill in using containers (e.g Docker) in a cloud environment

6. Ability to communicate both verbally and in writing

Applicants, who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States, must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins.

Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Resume/CV should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week. College Transcript should be provided if using education for qualification.

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact hr@cfa.harvard.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: www.si.edu/oeema.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is an equal opportunity employer. Please visit the SAO website at http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is joined by Harvard College Observatory to form the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. The Center is a collaboration between Harvard and Smithsonian designed to ask — and ultimately answer — humanity’s greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe. Founded in 1973, the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is an ongoing collaboration designed to foster innovation and propel discovery. Our mission is to advance knowledge of the Universe through research in astronomy and astrophysics and in related areas of fundamental physics and geophysics.

At the CfA, scientists in a broad range of disciplines study the universe at every scale, from every wavelength, and using telescopes and instruments that span and orbit the globe, all with a single purpose: making groundbreaking discoveries that advance human knowledge.