Senior Principal Architect: Scientific & Data Platforms

Assn of Univ for Res in Astronomy, Inc.; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 155,673 - 189,559; Full time

Job summary

NOIRLab seeks a Principal Software Architect to lead architectural strategy and evolve software powering astronomical research, observatory operations, and data management. You will define the technology roadmap for cloud-native, HPC, data pipelines, and AI-enabled technologies, ensuring reliability and scalability of mission-critical systems.

You will collaborate with scientists and engineers, translating complex requirements into innovative software solutions while driving DevSecOps, IaC, and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including leadership as Architect/Engineer.
• Experience designing large-scale distributed and data-intensive software systems.
• Experience with cloud-native, containerized, microservices-based applications and platforms.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute an architectural vision, technology roadmap, and long-term strategy for NOIRLab's software ecosystem.
• Lead architecture reviews and guide critical technology decisions across software, data, infrastructure, and operations.
• Partner with scientists and engineers to translate requirements into scalable, secure, and resilient solutions.
• Drive modernization initiatives for scalability, reliability, and operational efficiency.
• Architect and evolve cloud-native, containerized, distributed, and HPC-based platforms.

Skills

Software architecture

Distributed systems

Cloud-native

HPC

DevSecOps

AI/ML integration

Leadership

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science/Software Engineering/Computer Engineering

Tools

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

CI/CD

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Microservices

Job description

NOIRLab seeks a Principal Software Architect to lead architectural strategy and evolve software powering astronomical research, observatory operations, and data management. You will define the technology roadmap for cloud-native, HPC, data pipelines, and AI-enabled technologies, ensuring reliability and scalability of mission-critical systems.

You will collaborate with scientists and engineers, translating complex requirements into innovative software solutions while driving DevSecOps, IaC, and