Observatory Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

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. In addition, the NRAO is undertaking several large projects, including the next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) and Radar projects.

NRAO is seeking a technically oriented Monitor & Control (M&C) Systems Product Owner to lead product strategy for the software systems that operate NRAOs world-class radio telescope facilities. M&C software products are the operational backbone of the Observatory: they integrate hardware and software for mechanical telescope controls, translate high-level observing parameters into real-time commands, and underpin science operations for the VLA, GBT, VLBA, ngVLA, and Radar programs. The successful candidate will bring deep familiarity with hardware-software integration in control systems environments, paired with the organizational and communication skills needed to translate complex technical requirements into a prioritized, actionable development roadmap. Using Agile/Scrum as a delivery framework, this role drives alignment between the software development teams and the scientists, engineers, and operations staff who depend on M&C products every day.

The M&C Systems Product Owner will serve as the primary interface between the M&C software development team and a highly technical stakeholder community - including telescope engineers, observatory scientists, and operations staff - who have deep institutional knowledge of these systems. The M&C software team supports products spanning the entire Observatory portfolio, from legacy systems on established facilities to new development on ngVLA. To succeed in this role, the candidate must develop and maintain substantive knowledge of M&C system architectures, real-time control constraints, and hardware integration challenges. The Product Owner will translate that domain understanding into a clearly defined product backlog, collaborate with stakeholders to write meaningful user stories and acceptance criteria, and review completed work to ensure it meets real operational requirements. A working understanding of Agile frameworks and Scrum methodology is essential; Agile practice here is a means to deliver high-quality M&C software reliably, not an end in itself.

This position will be located at one of the NRAO facilities in Charlottesville (VA), Socorro (NM), Albuquerque (NM) or Green Bank (WV).

What You Will be Doing

• Develops deep working knowledge of M&C system architectures, hardware-software integration challenges, and real-time control constraints, and uses that domain understanding to articulate a clear, credible product vision to software development teams working within a Scrum framework.
• Engages deeply with a highly technical stakeholder community - including telescope engineers, observatory scientists, and operations staff - to translate complex M&C system requirements into well-defined user stories, acceptance criteria, and a clearly prioritized product backlog.
• Prioritizes the product backlog by weighing scientific and operational value against technical risk, system dependencies, and engineering feasibility - making informed tradeoff decisions that reflect both stakeholder needs and M&C system realities.
• Serves as the primary liaison between a skeptical, expert stakeholder community and the software development teams, earning trust through technical credibility and consistent follow-through on commitments; identifies and removes roadblocks that impede delivery of M&C system improvements.
• Gathers and organizes operational feedback from scientists and engineers across multiple NRAO facilities to continuously refine the M&C product roadmap, ensuring development priorities stay aligned with real-world observatory needs as telescope programs evolve.
• Reviews and accepts completed development work with sufficient technical depth to evaluate whether M&C system requirements have been correctly implemented, catching gaps before they reach operational systems.
• Participates in Scrum ceremonies, as appropriate, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, reviews, and retrospectives, adapting Agile product owner practices to the realities of complex M&C system development without losing the benefits of iterative delivery.
• Continuously evaluates Agile product backlog definition to improve requirements and story effectiveness, always in service of delivering better M&C software - not process for its own sake.
• Proactive compliance with NRAO and government safety policies and procedures in own work area is expected.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Environment

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:

• Bachelors degree in computer science, electrical engineering, physics, astronomy, or a related technical field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. At least four years of combined experience in control systems, hardware-software integration, or scientific software development - including at least two years in a Product Owner, technical lead, or systems engineer role responsible for defining and managing requirements.
• Active certification as a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO), or equivalent Agile credential preferred. Candidates who demonstrate strong Agile practice through direct experience but lack formal certification are encouraged to apply; NRAO will support certification upon hire.
• Demonstrated hands-on background with control system software products that integrate hardware and software - such as SCADA systems, telescope control systems, industrial automation, or similarly complex real-time hardware-software environments. This is a core requirement, not a nice-to-have.
• Expertise using Atlassian tools, including Jira and Confluence, to manage backlogs and team workflows.
• A passion for Agile and Scrum practices and a dedication to inspiring continuous improvement across teams.
• Demonstrated ability to craft a clear product vision and roadmap that aligns with long-term organizational goals.
• Expertise in prioritizing user stories based on value, technical dependencies, and stakeholder needs.
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder relationships and balance competing demands while maintaining buy-in across the organization.
• Technical depth sufficient to engage credibly with M&C software engineers on system architecture, hardware interfaces, and implementation tradeoffs - not just to relay requirements, but to participate meaningfully in technical conversations about feasibility and risk.
• Experience working with large, long-lived software systems - particularly operational or legacy systems where stability, reliability, and backward compatibility are as important as new feature delivery - in a distributed team environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the proven ability to establish and maintain working relationships with a wide range of people and personality types.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to communicate comfortably and effectively with software engineers, scientists, and senior managers.

Competency Summary

• Advanced degree in computer science, electrical engineering, physics, astronomy, or a related technical discipline.
• Background that includes Physics or Mathematics.
• Prior experience as a software developer, systems engineer, or technical lead on control systems or hardware-integrated software; familiarity with C++ or Python in a scientific or real-time systems context is a strong plus.
• Experience supporting scientific operations in radio astronomy or related fields.
• Substantial experience developing or supporting hardware-software integration in domains such as telescope control, industrial automation, embedded systems, or scientific instrumentation.
• Familiarity with basic astronomical principles, in particular radio astronomy, and observatory operations.
• Ability to work with international colleagues and across geographically distributed teams.

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 $99,882-$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.

Benefits:

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.
• AUIs retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participants base pay with no required employee contribution.
• Click Total Rewards for more information.

Application Instructions:

Select the Apply Now button. Please be prepared to upload your current CV/Resume and a cover letter describing interest and suitability for the position.

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 resumes@nrao.edu. PM20