Principal Software Architect for Scientific AI & HPC

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 155,673 - 189,559; Full time

Job summary

NOIRLab seeks a visionary Principal Software Architect to lead the architectural strategy and evolution of software systems powering astronomical research, observatory operations, and data management.

The role defines the technology roadmap for cloud-native, containerized, distributed, and HPC-based platforms, driving modernization, security, and reliability across mission-critical systems supporting world-class facilities.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive software engineering experience.
• Experience as a Software Architect or senior technical leader.
• Proven success delivering large-scale distributed and data-intensive software systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the architectural vision, roadmap, and long-term strategy for NOIRLab's software ecosystem.
• Establish architecture principles, engineering standards, governance, and best practices.
• Lead architectural reviews and guide critical technology decisions across software, data, infra, and operations.
• Translate complex requirements into scalable, secure, and resilient solutions with stakeholders.
• Address architectural risks and modernization opportunities across the portfolio.
• Champion modernization to improve scalability, reliability, and operational efficiency.

Skills

Architectural leadership

Distributed systems

High-performance computing

Cloud computing

AI/ML integration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/SE/CE or related field

Tools

Infrastructure as Code

CI/CD

Observability/Monitoring

Job description

NOIRLab seeks a visionary Principal Software Architect to lead the architectural strategy and evolution of software systems powering astronomical research, observatory operations, and data management.

The role defines the technology roadmap for cloud-native, containerized, distributed, and HPC-based platforms, driving modernization, security, and reliability across mission-critical systems supporting world-class facilities.