Systems Engineer II-III

National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 87,000 - 121,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits

13 holidays

Vacation days up to 24

Job summary

National Radio Astronomy Observatory is seeking a highly skilled Systems Engineer for the CSS team supporting the ngVLA project. The role focuses on formalizing requirements, evolving sub-system architectures, and managing interface documents within a Cameo-based MBSE framework.

You will work with system architects and SME peers to ensure rigorous design processes, clear documentation, and successful design reviews. Charlottesville-based position with research and development focus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent with experience in systems engineering in R&D environments.
• Experience with requirements capture, validation plans, and lifecycle planning.
• Exposure to multiple domains such as RF, digital signal processing, software engineering.

Responsibilities

• Lead all systems engineering tasks for CSS within the ngVLA project.
• Maintain requirements traceability and interface documents for CSS subsystems.
• Model system and software behavior using MBSE techniques and diagrams.
• Support V&V activities and gate reviews with cross-functional teams.

Skills

Systems engineering

MBSE

Requirements traceability

V&V planning

Documentation

Communication

Independent work

Project lifecycle

Education

Bachelor's degree in systems engineering or related field

Tools

Cameo Systems Modeler

SysML

MagicDraw

Job description

NRAO Headquarters, 520 Edgemont Rd, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, United States of America

Job Description

Position Description

Position Summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is an exciting and prestigious research facility that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. The Observatory operates a variety of radio telescopes that span the globe, including the famous Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). These telescopes are among the most advanced in the world, allowing astronomers to explore the universe in unprecedented detail.

The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) is a transformative astronomical observatory designed to deliver science-ready data products to a broad community of users. The Computing and Software System (CSS) is the backbone of this vision, encompassing all the software and hardware required to control the telescope, manage the flow of data, execute processing pipelines, and provide user-facing services. The CSS is decomposed into several major systems, each with a distinct role in the data lifecycle, from observation planning to final data analysis.

The ngVLA project is seeking a highly skilled and experienced system engineer with a software background. The system engineer will collaborate with System Architects and Engineers with domain expertise (subject matter experts) to formalize, capture and manage the evolving sub-system requirements, computing and software sub-system architecture, and sub-system designs. This position extends and implements the project-level systems engineering management plan and software development plan, ensuring that a rigorous design process is followed and deliverables meet project quality standards.

This position will be located at the NRAO facility in Charlottesville (VA).

What You Will be Doing

• Successfully lead all systems engineering tasks for CSS.
• Ensure requirements traceability and process alignment between CSS and the ngVLA project, including tracking the traceability of requirements down to CSS software subsystems within the ngVLA Cameo model.
• Document requirements, elaborate verification and validation (V&V) plans, update CSS design and system architecture, and create other technical documents needed for gate reviews.
• Define and maintain internal and external Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for CSS software subsystems within the ngVLA Cameo model.
• Model system and software subsystem behavior - including activity diagrams and state/mode diagrams - to document functional flows and control logic
• Support the execution of verification and validation (V&V) activities for CSS software subsystems, working with development teams to confirm requirements are met.
• Manage the development of all Systems Engineering plans and documentation for CSS needed for successful system design reviews.
• Utilize Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) techniques - specifically Cameo Systems Modeler, SysML, and MagicDraw - to update and extend the ngVLA Cameo model, document workflows and system models, and maintain interface specifications.
• Prepare technical documentation and presentations for CSS gate reviews and assist in managing subsystem design reviews
• Participate inthe systems engineering management processes, including configuration management, baselining, change management and document management processes

The successful candidate will join a team of professionals engaged in research and development in the fields of science, engineering, software development, and education. Work is typically performed in a research or development environment.

Who You Are:

• You have a bachelor's degree in systems engineering, physical science, computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, or related field or significant work experience in a similar environment.
• At least five years working as a Systems Engineer in integrated project teams, preferably in scientific R&D environments.
• Incose or similar certification beneficial.
• Demonstrated experience with core systems engineering principles, including requirements capture, verification and validation plans, full project lifecycle planning.
• Experience of working across life cycle phases including: preliminary design, detail design, design qualification, production, construction or fabrication, and transition to operations
• Exposure to at least two of the following technology domains is preferred: electromagnetic, RF, digital signal processing, mechanical, software engineering, and civil engineering
• Experience with model-based systems engineering methodologies and tools
• Excellent verbal and written communication, and scheduling and running effective meetings with geographically dispersed teams.
• Proactive and independent work ethic

Additional Requirement

Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States. The Observatory presently cannot sponsor H-1B Visas for this position.

Total Rewards:

Compensation

The starting salary of this position is between $87,390-$120,837. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include; education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications of the successful candidate, as well as internal equity and labor market conditions.

Associated Universities, Inc (AUI) offers a comprehensive benefits package addressing the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment, subject to eligibility requirements. AUI provides:

• Excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days)
• Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment.
• AUI’s retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay with no required employee contribution.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

AUI is an equal opportunity employer. To view our complete statement, please visit https://public.nrao.edu/careers/ . If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to [e-mail] . PM20

NRAO Headquarters, 520 Edgemont Rd, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, United States of America