26-123 Scientific Cloud and DevOps Developer

Job Description The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University seeks to fill a full-time Software Engineer position designed to conduct collaborative research and development with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) located at the Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) in Boulder, CO. The individual in this position will work in the NOAA/OAR/GSL Assimilation, Verification Innovation (AVID) Division’s Verification and Assessment Branch.  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. NOAA's Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) is a federal science and research laboratory under NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. GSL provides the National Weather Service (NWS) and the nation with environmental observation, prediction, computer, visualization, and information systems. These systems deliver data, forecasts, and predictions of weather, including severe weather events, within the next few minutes to weeks away.  GSL is a leader in the applied research, directed development, and technology transfer of environmental data, models, products, and services that enhance environmental understanding with the outcome of supporting commerce, protecting life and property, and promoting a scientifically literate public. Position Summary: The individual in this position works in the Assimilation And Verification Innovation Division (AVID) at NOAA's Global Systems Laboratory (GSL).  They serve as the technical lead for a cross-functional team of software engineers and meteorologists focused on weather model verification.  They develop new software and provide a broad range of technical research, architectural design, and development activities. They also apply comprehensive, intensive, practical knowledge of software engineering principles to deliver end-to-end cloud capabilities, manage cloud infrastructure, and implement secure DevOps practices. They collaborate with colleagues in the lab's IT division on cloud implementation strategy, security, networking, and containerization.  This position will report to the Senior Software Engineer/Architect. Full Consideration Date: please apply by Wednesday, 9/30/2026, 11:59pm (MT). Essential Job Duties: Provide technical leadership for the team's transition to modern cloud infrastructure, overseeing Git integrations, automated deployments, and infrastructure as code. Design, implement, and maintain cloud architecture, including Kubernetes clusters and reusable Terraform modules that conform to federal security requirements. Implement tools & introduce practices to improve code quality and catch bugs prior to production. Prepare software documentation in collaboration with team members; Prepare status reports as required by the project sponsors and CIRA; Prepare and deliver technical talks and presentations as requested. Conditions of Employment: This position requires onsite presence 3 days/week and optional telework 2 days/week because it requires significant collaboration with on-site teams. Must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the start of the position because CIRA will not sponsor any type of visa for this position now nor in the future. This full-time position in Boulder, CO, requires a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI), tier 1 federal background check and a NOAA Common Access Card (CAC) ID badge for systems access. Therefore, only US citizens and lawful permanent residents with a physical USCIS “Green Card” are eligible. Supervision: The individual in this position is not expected to supervise employees. Required Qualifications: NOTE: In the body of your cover letter, please specifically address all required qualifications when describing your work experience.  A resume that fails to specifically address the qualifications of this position may not be further considered after review by the search committee.  Education Requirements : Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, or a related scientific field, plus 5 years of related experience;  MS in Computer Science, Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, or a related scientific field plus 2 yrs experience; PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, or a related scientific field. Other Requirements : This full-time position in Boulder, CO, requires a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI), tier 1 federal background check and a NOAA Common Access Card (CAC) ID badge for systems access. Therefore, only US citizens and lawful permanent residents with a physical USCIS “Green Card” are eligible. Five (5) years of experience with modern continuous integration and delivery systems. Five (5) years of programming experience in Python. Five (5) years of experience developing software in a Linux environment. Two (2) years of experience implementing and managing cloud computing architecture. Two (2) years hands-on expertise with container creation, orchestration and deployment with Kubernetes and Docker. Preferred Qualifications: In the body of your resume, please specifically addres