26-123 Scientific Cloud and DevOps Developer

csusystem; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Colorado State University - Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) located in Boulder, CO, seeks a full-time Software Engineer to lead cloud-based verification and weather-model evaluation initiatives. You will work with NOAA/GSL AVID division staff to architect scalable cloud solutions and secure DevOps practices.

The role emphasizes collaboration with meteorologists and engineers, development of reusable infrastructure, and documentation, with on-site presence three days

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MS preferred.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and DevOps practices a plus.
• Strong collaboration skills with cross-disciplinary team members.
• Ability to lead technical initiatives and deliver end-to-end software solutions.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for cloud infrastructure transition and CI/CD pipelines.
• Design and maintain Kubernetes clusters and Terraform modules compliant with security standards.
• Improve code quality with tooling and automated tests; reduce production incidents.
• Produce documentation and deliver technical talks as needed.

Skills

Technical leadership

Collaboration with meteorologists

DevOps practices

End-to-end development

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, or related field

MS in Computer Science, Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Physics

Tools

Kubernetes

Terraform

Cloud infrastructure

Git

Job description

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