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The Role and Department

The Department of Physics at Durham University is one of the leading UK Physics departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students.

The Department is committed to advancing equality and we aim to ensure that our culture is inclusive, and that our systems support flexible and family-friendly working, as recognized by our Juno Champion and Athena SWAN Silver awards. We recognise and value the benefits of diversity throughout our staff and students.

The Department hosts one of the largest research groups in Europe dedicated to observational and theoretical cosmology, extragalactic astronomy and advanced instrumentation. The successful candidate will join the Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy and the Institute for Computational Cosmology. In November 2016 the Institute for Computational Cosmology, Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy and the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation moved into the brand new Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics building designed by the world renowned Studio Daniel Libeskind.

The Role

Applications are invited for a Software Developer to finalise 4OOPs, the 4MOST OpSys Operations pipeline. The successful candidate will join the Durham 4MOST Operation Systems (OpSys) team working on these developments, led by Prof. Peder Norberg.

The post will commence on 1st July 2023 for 6 months and it is not expected that funding for the role will continue when the contract ends.

Within this team, the candidate will be involved in all aspects of the development of 4OOPs. This will include:

• Further develop OSTD, the Operations System Target Database, with a capacity of over 1 billion entries, with full cross-matching capability of targets provided by over 100 sub-surveys. A key aspect to develop is the ability to ingest new data with backwards compatibility and cross-matching.
• Further develop and finalise the SRV and TTP modules required for successful operations, by shifting and rotating planned visits according to 4MOST instrument constraint and the provision of tile-target probabilities used in the nightly 4MOST operations.
• Further develop SELFIE-Stick and SELFIE-Wall software, two key components of the 4MOST survey simulation pipeline.
• Develop the Survey Progress Monitor (SPM), using the infrastructure in place for SELFIE-Wall.

The applicant will also be expected to contribute to ongoing software developments within OpSys for the daily and nightly 4MOST operations.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.

As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience

1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).

2. PhD in Astrophysics (or related field)*

3. Experience with the 4MOST Operation System Target Database, including in depth knowledge of PostgreSQL language and database system*

4. Demonstrated experience with the Apache Airflow management platform*

5. In depth knowledge of the handling of the 4MOST simulation pipeline*

6. Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise to influence service delivery and activities within the organisation.

7. Experience of participating in networks to share and discuss good practice and develop strong and productive working relationships.

8. Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting service improvements.

9. Expert knowledge and expertise in multiple areas of technical specialism, and the application of advanced skills to create, build, construct, analyse and realise new and innovative resources, equipment and research outputs.

10. Experienced practitioner who has led teaching/research project working within an educational, commercial or industrial environment.

11. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

12. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

13. Strong digital competence across a range digital devices and apps including (e.g. version control system workflows including GitLab).

14. Achievement of recognised industry and professional standards supported by relevant courses or certifications (e.g. in-depth knowledge of PostgreSQL language and database system).

15. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.

16. Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.

17. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.

18. Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.

19. Ability to teach or train others with specific technical skills, and the operation of standard and complex scientific, technical and creative equipment.

Desirable Criteria

20. Evidence of independent software development following project software development standards.

21. Handling and management of large astronomical datasets.

22. Ability to develop the 4MOST Survey Progress Monitor.

23. Demonstrated knowledge of version control system workflows.

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to: [email protected].

What you need to submit

1. A CV and;

2. A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.

Contact details

For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Professor Peder Norberg: [email protected].

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery/Development

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

• Develop and promote an in-depth understanding of University policy and external developments relevant to your role.

• Ensure that policy and regulatory standards are met by any activities and processes and using the Apache Airflow management platform that are carried out in services you are responsible for.

• Use your professional knowledge and experience as expert of the 4MOST Operation System to resolve problems, shape processes and activities, develop systems and provide subject matter expertise and advice.

• Provide specialist advice on the analysis and interpretation of complex data and information relevant to your area.

• Responsible for operational activity across the 4MOST simulation pipeline.

• Look for ways to continually improve services and take a lead role in the development and implementation of assigned policies, processes and standards.

• Instigate and manage business process reviews to improve the service in your area.

• Ensure data (commercially sensitive and/or personal) is appropriately stored and managed.

• Implement and audit specialist risk assessments and safety procedures to ensure compliance with University and statutory regulations.

• Manage and monitor individual and overall health and safety assessments and procedures, ensuring compliance.

Planning and Organisation

• Contribute to the development of operational and strategic level plans relevant to your area.

• Scope, plan and implement large scale/University wide initiatives.

• Provide oversight for short term/temporary project teams.

• Ensure projects deliver agreed objectives while solving any problems which are encountered.

• Allocate and monitor designated budgets, expenditure and resources.

Teaching and Learning Support

• Work within a teaching or research area of activity of national significance.

• Contribute expert advice and guidance, collaborating with peers and academics to deliver teaching and/or research outputs.

• Assess and design modifications and implement developments to deliver desired outputs.

• Lead, design and deliver practical workshops, teaching and training sessions.

• Ensure continuous improvement and knowledge base development for world class delivery.

• Liaise with academic staff to build and maintain high-quality specialist support to underpin excellence in teaching, research and learning.

• Deliver professional expertise with the design, construction and development of investigative methodologies to achieve teaching, research or learning objectives.

• Identify, source and manufacture software critical to teaching and research delivery and suggest and obtain alternatives where necessary.

• Contribute creativity and innovation to the teaching and research delivery process and outcomes.

• Take responsibility for supervising experimental procedures and processes out of normal programmed sessions, monitoring variables, capturing and analysing data and interpreting patterns.

• Deliver the planning, design and implementation of research outputs and prepare innovative teaching / research proposals.

• Lead on activities and participate with others to generate external income, including involvement in research proposals.

Communication/Liaison

• Influence University policy and standards by leading operational business meetings, working groups and sub-committees.

• Provide professional guidance and advice when managing the handling of the 4MOST Simulation pipeline.

• Design and deliver training to your stakeholders to support their development and information.

• Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and positively influence the University’s reputation.

• Represent the service and University at promotional events.

• Any other reasonable duties.

Useful links

If you would like further information, you may find the following will help, it can be found here.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.