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Evening Astronomy Software Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Astronomer

Senior Software Engineer, Build

New York, NY · On-site

$200K - $230K/yr

Astronomer empowers data teams to bring mission-critical software, analytics, and AI to life and is ... As a Software Engineer on this team, you'll help design and build this foundation and the ...

Astronomer

Senior Software Engineer, Platform

New York, NY · On-site

$168K - $230K/yr

Astronomer empowers data teams to bring mission-critical software, analytics, and AI to life and is ... We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our Platform Engineering team. You get to go ...

New York University

Software Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$100K - $250K/yr

... astrophysics, biology, neuroscience and quantum computing. The selected candidates will work ... The Software Engineer will report to Shirley Ho, Senior Research Scientist and is a full-time fixed ...

FastTek

Software Engineer

Dearborn, MI

Software Engineer #1059251 Position Description: The Connected Vehicle Data Enablement (CVDE ... Astronomer, or similar tools. * Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and modern ...

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Astronomer

Field Engineer, SWAT

Manhattan, NY · On-site

Astronomer empowers data teams to bring mission-critical software, analytics, and AI to life and is ... As a Field Engineer, SWAT, you will deliver world-class technical solutions to customer and ...

Astronomer

Field Engineer, SWAT

New York, NY · On-site

$175K - $240K/yr

Astronomer empowers data teams to bring mission-critical software, analytics, and AI to life and is ... As a Field Engineer, SWAT, you will join our field team to deliver world-class technical solutions ...

Computational Physics, Inc.

Radio Astronomer

Washington, DC · On-site

$110K - $130K/yr

Experience with either the Common Astronomy Software Applications (CASA) or Astronomical Image Processing System (AIPS) packages. * Proficiency with Python programming and standard software ...

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AURA

Software Engineer II

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$92K - $102K/yr

You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including hardware engineers, scientists and ... Passion for astronomy, scientific software and advancing scientific research and discovery through ...

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All JobsEvening Astronomy Software Engineer Jobs

Evening Astronomy Software Engineer information

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$63.5K

$147.5K

$205.5K

How much do evening astronomy software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for evening astronomy software engineer in the United States is $147,524.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $120,000.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Evening Astronomy Software Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Evening Astronomy Software Engineer, you generally need a strong background in computer science, physics, or astronomy, with experience in software development and numerical methods. Proficiency with programming languages such as Python or C++, software tools like Git, and familiarity with astronomical data analysis systems or telescope control software are typically essential. Excellent problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you collaborate with scientific teams and address complex technical challenges. These skills and qualities are vital to ensure reliable software solutions that support real-time astronomical research and nighttime observatory operations.

What are Evening Astronomy Software Engineers?

Evening Astronomy Software Engineers are specialized software developers who focus on creating, maintaining, and optimizing software used in astronomical research and observation, often during evening or nighttime hours. They work closely with astronomers and observatory staff to ensure that telescopes, data collection systems, and analysis tools function reliably during nighttime operations, when most astronomical observations occur. Their responsibilities may include writing custom code for instrument control, automating data pipelines, troubleshooting software issues, and integrating new technologies to improve research efficiency. These engineers typically have backgrounds in computer science and astronomy, and their work is crucial for enabling precise and efficient astronomical discoveries.

What are some unique challenges faced by an Evening Astronomy Software Engineer, and how can applicants prepare for them?

Evening Astronomy Software Engineers often work non-traditional hours to support nighttime telescope operations and data collection, which can impact work-life balance and require flexibility. In this role, you may need to quickly troubleshoot issues that arise during live observations, sometimes with limited immediate support. Collaboration with astronomers, data analysts, and hardware technicians is common, so strong communication skills and the ability to translate technical solutions to non-software specialists are valuable. Applicants can prepare by familiarizing themselves with remote troubleshooting tools, understanding astronomical instrumentation, and developing good time-management strategies.
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Evening Astronomy Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Evening Astronomy Software Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 98% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,524 per year, or $70.9 per hour.

Software Engineer (MESA), Center for Computational Astrophysics

Flatiron Institute

Manhattan, NY • On-site

Full-time

Posted 21 days ago

Job description

Description
The Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) at the Flatiron Institute, a division of the Simons Foundation, is seeking a full-time research software engineer to develop, maintain, and contribute to the community-oriented software instrument tool MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics), and contribute to projects that align with the research directions of the CCA. More information about the CCA can be found on the CCA website. We expect the position to adapt over time to the needs of the broader astronomical community and CCA research community.
Research in astronomy and astrophysics depends critically on open source and other scientific software projects that are largely community driven (i.e. not developed or maintained by specific institutions). The primary role of this position (approximately 60% of effort) is to help support the community-oriented software instrument tool MESA.
The other major role of this position is to support and contribute to projects that align with the current research directions of the CCA, and provide leadership in supporting the larger software community within CCA.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The CCA seeks a full-time research software engineer to support the MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics) software instrument tool, and to help build, improve, and support software efforts within the center.
MESA is a suite of open-source libraries extensively used in computational stellar astrophysics. It uses adaptive mesh refinement and sophisticated timestep controls, and supports shared memory parallelism based on OpenMP. Its wide-ranging capabilities allow the simulation of diverse stellar evolution scenarios, from low-mass to massive stars, including advanced evolutionary stages and binary interactions. See https://docs.mesastar.org/en/latest/ for more information about MESA.
Within the MESA Project, the successful candidate will be responsible for:
  1. Technical Management and Enhancement: Adapting MESA to new technologies and evolving requirements such as compiler updates, library evolutions, operating systems progression, and hardware advances (e.g. GPU-porting).
  2. Code Maintenance and Enhancement: Providing daily care and enhancement of the MESA source code, in collaboration with the MESA-developers team and the MESA user community.
  3. Testing: Participating in the daily MESA testing framework in partnership with the MESA-developer team.
  4. Product Release: Overseeing and collaborating on the public releases of the source code to the MESA community.
  5. Community Support: Responding agilely to the software needs of the MESA user community.
  6. Team Partnership: Becoming a key partner of the mesa-developer team, with a focus on horizontal collaboration rather than hierarchical reporting.

Within the CCA, the successful candidate will be expected to:
  1. Help support various software development efforts of CCA scientists.
  2. Mentor and train junior scientists, including the Flatiron Software Research Fellows
  3. Organize community efforts around software education within CCA and potentially Flatiron

There will also be opportunities for on-going skill development in software development and scientific computing, including mentoring by senior research scientists, discussions and tutorials with the CCA software community and the SCC (Scientific Computing Core), and support for attending external tutorials and conferences. The research software engineer will be part of a growing community of Flatiron scientists and software engineers working on astronomical software, including Flatiron Software Research Fellows (postdocs), CCA-affiliated SCC scientists, and other research software engineers in CCA. Members of this community will be encouraged to collaborate as well as to create and seek opportunities for skill development.
The research software engineer will report to a research scientist (equivalent of faculty) at CCA and will join a growing team of research software engineers across the Flatiron Institute. The position will be based in person at the Simons Foundation office in New York City.
Visit the Simons Foundation career page at simonsfoundation.org/careers to learn more.
Qualifications
Education
  • M.S. or Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a related technical discipline

Essential Qualifications
At least 3 years of experience with software development in a research context, including:
  • Experience developing software in a research environment (including academic contexts like graduate school and postdoctoral appointments, or research-oriented industry).
  • Proficiency with software development in at least one compiled language (e.g., Fortran 95, C, C++ etc.)
  • Proficiency with collaborative version control systems (especially Git & GitHub).
  • Experience with parallel programming (e.g. OpenMP, MPI).
  • Experience working with collaborative software engineering practices, including coding standards and code review.
  • Experience writing documentation and an interest in supporting user communities.
  • Experience with project management and developing multiple concurrent projects.
  • Technical and scientific curiosity with a collaborative attitude.

Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with the MESA software instrument.
  • Experience with commonly-used high-level languages (Python, Julia, MATLAB, etc.).
  • Experience with HPC, GPU, and/or code profiling and optimization.
  • Experience with ML/AI tools (PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow)
  • Working knowledge of applied mathematical concepts and numerical methods.
  • Working knowledge of astronomy and physics core concepts.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
  • The full-time starting annual compensation range for this position is:
    • (3-6 years of experience) $150K-$185K
    • (6-8+ years of experience) $190K-$215K
  • In addition to competitive salaries, the Simons Foundation provides employees with an outstanding benefits package.

Application Instructions
Required Application Materials
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Cover Letter

Deadline to Apply
  • Applications received by April 10, 2026 will receive full consideration. Late applications may be considered at the discretion of the selection committee.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Our Commitment to Expanding Pathways to Science & Opportunities for All:
Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds, and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs, and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.
The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under federal, state, and local law

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