TITLE: IT Specialist (Data Specialist), IS-2210, Grades 7, 9, 11; $46,198 to $79,847/yr
TYPE OF POSITION: Trust Fund (non-federal) Indefinite
DIVISION: - High Energy Astrophysics Division
LOCATION: Cambridge, Massachusetts
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: All qualified U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents

First consideration may be made 14 days after the opening date. This is a career ladder opportunity with promotion potential to grade 11. Employee may be non-competitively promoted to the next higher grade, up to grade 11, upon the recommendation of their supervisor, based on the position classification as well as their qualifications and satisfactory performance.

This is the position of Information Technology Specialist (Data Specialist). The purpose of the position is to provide support for the operation of the ACIS instrument on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The position is in the Operations Science Support group of the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC). The employee is involved in verifying the proper configuration of the ACIS instrument, monitoring the health and safety of the instrument and spacecraft, analyzing data to verify scientific performance, and developing and modifying software as necessary to accomplish these tasks.

DUTIES:
Duties at the 7 level are in the form of assigned tasks relating to the duties described for the next higher grade level. At this level, the incumbent is in a developmental trainee level where the employee receives on-the-job-training and developmental experience.

Duties at the 7 and 9 level may include, but are not limited to: writing, modifying, testing, maintaining, and documenting software to support ACIS operations including, modify existing code maintained by the ACIS operations team to meet changing mission requirements and writing well-organized and maintainable new code as required to support operations tasks and testing new code and documenting results; participating in regular operations of Chandra by monitoring spacecraft and instrument operations and participating in regular status teleconferences to conduct spacecraft command load reviews verifying instrument configuration; analyzing data and drawing conclusions regarding the quality, selection, reliability, and scientific content of the data from the CCDs in the ACIS instrument including, testing new calibration response files using flight and ground data and developing, testing and modifying new and existing computer code, as necessary; providing technical assistance to Chandra General Observers from other institutions and other division IT specialists, for configuring and scheduling observations, and providing support to observers for accessing and analyzing observations, and/or on-site support to peer review panels; and writing computer programs for modeling by converting algorithms to computer programs and testing algorithms by running and debugging these programs.

QUALIFICATIONS : Candidates for all grade levels must possess knowledge of programming techniques and computer equipment and systems software; knowledge of Unix or Linux; familiarity with interpretative and compiled languages such as CIAO, FTOOLS, IDL, FORTRAN, and C; knowledge of HTML for internal CXC WWW maintenance and technical support as needed ; knowledge of languages such as Perl, python, and/or UNIX shell scripting; knowledge of mathematics to be able to develop and analyze algorithms and perform the necessary calculations to develop code; knowledge of physics or astronomy to be able to understand the basic scientific concepts pertaining to the data; ability to analyze problems and develop solutions; and skill in oral and written communication. Experience in analyzing astrophysical data such as Chandra or equivalent is highly desired.

In addition candidates must also have the basic requirements listed below

Basic Requirement:

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 07: Must have completed one full year of graduate level education OR superior academic achievement. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying.

Grade 09: A master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related, is also qualifying for the GS-09. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying.

Grade 11: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related is also qualifying for the GS-11. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying.

OR

Experience: Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate

Grade 07-Grade 11: 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

Specialized Experience:

Grade 07: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the IS-5 level. Specialized experience may have been gained through study or work that employed computer technology as part of the required activities.

Grade 09: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the IS-7 level. Specialized experience may have been gained through work, study or other experience in a position such as computer assistant, research assistant or data analyst that employed computer technology as part of the required activities. Such experience should demonstrate knowledge of UNIX, Linux or MacOS operating systems, and skill in at least one of the following areas: computer scripting, data analysis methods and techniques; or elementary programming techniques.

Grade 11: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the IS-9 level. Specialized experience may have been gained through work as a researcher or data analyst. Such experience should demonstrate knowledge of and skill in UNIX, Linux or MacOS operating systems, computer scripting or programming, and data analysis techniques. In addition, such experience should include knowledge of physics or astronomy sufficient to develop a deep understanding of the scientific concepts pertaining to astrophysical data; extensive experience in analyzing problems and developing solutions; and skill in planning, coding, testing, modifying and maintaining programs.

NOTE: The appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful/satisfactory completion of a pre-employment background check and subsequent background investigation. New employees are subject to background checks, including fingerprinting and a one-year probationary period. Relocation expenses will not be paid.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Please reference Job Posting #29-36 and submit resume to the address below, or via email to saoresumes@cfa.harvard.edu. Please note that this email address is for resume/application materials only. If relying on education to qualify, please furnish a copy of college transcripts.

Applicants who have experience in a research environment are encouraged to augment their resume by elaborating on their software and research experience by 1) briefly relating research projects and their objectives, and 2) describing how specific software was applied to the scientific research being conducted.

Please complete the Applicant Survey Form, which is used to collect information from candidates during the search process to evaluate the effectiveness of the Institution's search and recruit efforts. Please print all responses. The information provided is not a part of the selection process and will be used for statistical purposes only. Your voluntary responses will have no effect on your consideration.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in our workplace.

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Mailing address:
Recruiter 461 (JP#29-36)
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
60 Garden Street, MS 17
Cambridge, MA 02138