Senior Geospatial Software Engineer

ZipRecruiter; Alexandria (VA); Remote; USD 128,000 - 169,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading geospatial tech firm is seeking an experienced geospatial software engineer to support federal clients in developing innovative tools for data visualization and analysis in a cloud-based environment. The ideal candidate has over 6 years of software engineering experience with a strong focus on geospatial data processing and must have expertise in Python and AWS. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and extensive benefits, with remote working options available for eligible states.

Benefits

Competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) with 3% employer contribution

Flexible work schedules

4 weeks + 1 day Paid Time Off

Cell phone stipend

Qualifications

• 6+ years as a Software Engineer with a focus on geospatial data.
• Expertise in Python for data processing applications.
• Experience with AWS, serverless architectures, and cloud technologies.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable geospatial applications on AWS.
• Participate in all stages of the software development lifecycle.
• Lead technical execution of complex features from design to implementation.

Skills

Geospatial data processing

Python programming

Cloud computing (AWS)

Data visualization

Collaboration

Automated testing

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

AWS

Jupyter

Atlassian tool suite (JIRA, Confluence)

Job description

Overview

Element 84 is a woman-owned small business that works with public, private, and non-profit sector clients to develop geospatial data processing pipelines and build software that helps answer big questions about our health, our infrastructure, and our changing planet. We solve challenging problems across a wide range of industries, with a focus on cloud-based geospatial data processing, remote sensing, and Earth science systems. Our headquarters is located in Alexandria, VA and we have a satellite office in Philadelphia, PA. Element 84 also supports a large remote workforce from a variety of other states.

About You

You are curious about the world, are constantly learning, driven to lead (formally or informally), and have a strong work ethic. You are interested in solving impactful problems in science, medicine, and other projects that have societal good. You can work independently or with a team, prioritize your projects, and be effective without micromanagement. You care about writing, as our team is remote and written communication is essential. You understand that good writing is good design and engineering.

What You Will Do

A talented geospatial software engineer is needed on the Element 84 team to support our federal clients in their mission. Element 84 works primarily with NASA, NOAA, and USGS on projects involving the processing, distribution, and visualization of geospatial and remotely sensed data in the Cloud. As a member of this team, this software engineer will build innovative tools for NASA’s Visualization, Exploration, and Data Analysis (VEDA) platform. VEDA provides an ecosystem of open tools enabling a collaborative science environment, interactive visual storytelling, processing platform, modeling infrastructure, and more, allowing scientists and students alike to discover, transform, update, and improve the quality of earth science data in the pursuit of solving a wide range of environmental and socio-economic issues.

Primary Responsibilities

• Take a primary role in the design and development of scalable, resilient, and secure cloud-geospatial applications on AWS
• Participate in all aspects of the software development lifecycle from user story through design, development, automated testing, and operational support
• Improve quality by actively participating in code reviews and adhering to team quality standards
• Work alongside other engineers on the team to elevate technology and consistently apply best practices
• Own the technical execution of large, complex features from design through implementation
• Describe and document the details of your work fluently and accurately for technical peers and non-technical stakeholders
• Think holistically about the application and build with an eye towards long-term maintainability and efficiency
• Collaboratively provide estimates and other input to the client, project managers, designers, or others about features to help determine feasibility, complexity, cost, and priority
• Contribute to a culture of positivity, curiosity, and respect for all individuals

Qualifications

Here are the guidelines we're looking at to gauge experience and skillset:

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience as a Software Engineer, with a significant focus on geospatial data
• Expertise in building data processing applications and services using Python
• Strong familiarity with STAC and cloud-geospatial techniques
• Experience with ipython/Jupyter ecosystem
• Experience with cloud-optimized storage formats and technologies
• Experience debugging serialization issues
• Expert-level knowledge and understanding of Amazon Web Services (AWS), including serverless architectures (Lambda, Step Functions), containerization (ECS, EKS), storage (S3), and infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• Deep experience with open-source geospatial technologies and software packages
• Ability to work as a member of a small team using the Scrum methodology
• Firm commitment to and experience with automated testing and continuous integration
• Proponent of continuous improvement; willingness to bring new ideas to the team
• Outstanding all-round communication skills and ability to work collaboratively and proficiently in a remote environment
• Energetic, self-motivated, team player
• Bachelor\'s Degree in a technical major (e.g., Computer Science or Engineering) or equivalent professional experience
• U.S. Person status (US citizen or legal permanent resident) and authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship; ability to pass a Federal Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) screening

Other Qualifications

• Experience with Node.js or Python
• Experience working in an Agile development environment (preferably Scrum or SAFe)
• Experience with the Atlassian tool suite (JIRA, Confluence, Bamboo)
• Experience developing on macOS

Additional information

Paying attention to who we are as a company—people, family members, friends, and colleagues—is our primary focus at Element 84. There are lots of ways to run a company, and we prioritize wanting to come to work, being around people we enjoy, taking on big things with people you trust, and sharing our achievements as a team.

• You’ll get credit when things go right and we’ll have your back when things go wrong.
• We only take on work that is challenging and right for us. There are projects we will turn down and the team has a say.
• We may be a small company, but we have big company benefits meant to support the idea that we’re here for the long term and happiness comes from much more than where you work.
• We have an extraordinary retention rate because we hire extraordinary people. We hope that’s you.

Salary Range for this role: $128,000 to $168,500. Actual compensation offered to candidate will be finalized at offer and may be above or below the posted range due to skill level, experience, industry-specific knowledge, education/certifications, or geographic location. Base salary represents just one component of the Element 84 total compensation package. Employees will also receive a number of benefits as listed below. Other compensation for this position may include bonus eligibility (dependent on employee performance and company profits).

This is a full-time, salaried position. Remote candidates are considered if located in VA, DC, MD, PA, UT, NJ, TX, MN, FL, NH, OR, OH, IN, AZ, CO, KS, RI, MI, MT, SD, VT, CA, or IL (excluding Chicago).

Benefits Offered

• Competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Life Insurance, Short & Long Term disability
• Voluntary Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Insurance
• 401(k) and Roth 401(k) retirement plans with a fixed 3% employer contribution
• Health Savings Account with a company contribution
• Flexible Spending Accounts (medical, dependent care and transportation)
• Company-paid parental leave after one year of employment
• Flexible work schedules
• Paid employee assistance program
• 9 paid holidays
• 4 weeks + 1 day Paid Time Off per calendar year (prorated first year)
• Cell phone stipend

Element 84 is an equal opportunity employer.