Postion Summary:
The Senior Software Developer (DSP) drives or supports the overall design and development of radio astronomy-focused Digital Signal Processing products and applications owned by the Data Processing & Pipelines Department within the Engineering & Technology Development Division. The Senior Software Developer brings expertise in software development, high-performance computing and GPGPU programming to enable development and delivery of data processing products and applications. Depending on operation requirements, this role may either be more architecturally focused or more implementation focused, but will be responsible for elements of both. The Senior Software Developer (DSP) works closely with peers across functional engineering groups and key stakeholders to ensure satisfactory delivery of the Data Processing & Pipelines Department’s systems and products.
Key Responsibilities:
- Architectural design and/or implementation of digital signal processing (DSP) products, applications and/or algorithms for Radio Astronomy data processing systems that satisfy higher-level system functional and performance requirementsDesign of these products contains elements of software development, high-performance computing (HPC, GPGPU) and high-speed data transportSupport analysis, definition, integration, verification and validation activities of DSP products at various system levelsDevelopment of software to control, monitor, debug and support operation of the developed products and applicationsDrive, follow and support the relevant Software Design Life Cycle and Systems Engineering processes for product development throughout the entire product or application lifecycle from conceptualisation through to decommissioningSupport deployment, maintenance, upgrades, operation and decommissioning of developed productsManage, support and coordinate resources to ensure delivery of products within project constraintsParticipate in the generation of technical system and product-related documentation applicable to developed DSP products to support the delivery and handover of the Data Processing & Pipelines Group’s productsDrive and participate in Research & Development initiatives within the domain of expertise to develop novel ideas for future products and contribute to the overall continuous development of the group
Minimum Qualification:
- Bachelors Degree / Advanced Diploma / NQF 7
Minimum Experience:
- 5-13 years
- B
- Sc or B
- Tech (Eng) (NQF 7) in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field with 13+ years relevant experience, ORB
- Eng/B
- Sc (Eng) (NQF 8) in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field with 9+ years relevant experience; ORMSc / M
- Eng (NQF 9) in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field with 7+ years relevant experience; ORPhD (NQF 10) in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field with 5+ years relevant experience
Experience:
- Experience as a Software Developer with a track-record of designing and implementing digital signal processing or similar data processing systems on GPGPU/HPC hardware architecture
- Experience building data processing applications specifically for Radio Astronomy instrumentation is advantageous but not requiredExperience in both designing high-performance data processing or digital signal processing systems at a higher, product level as well as low-level implementation of components and featuresHigh-performance computing, particularly GPU computing and implementing parallel processing on GPU-based systemsImplementation of accelerated and optimised algorithms (DSP algorithms is advantageous)High-performance networking (e
- g
- , ibverbs, DPDK, VMA or similar kernel bypass technologies)Experience analysing system requirements and defining a suitable system designWriting technical documentation describing the implementation and design of products at various technical levelsSoftware development: Python (particularly for scientific computing, such as numpy), C/C++Working with workflow and issue management tools (e
- g
- , JIRA)Working with source code and version control tools (e
- g
- , Git)
Knowledge:
- Experience in GPGPU and HPC programmingSoftware Development best practicesTypical radio astronomy instrumentation: e
- g, spectrometers, correlators, beamformers (advantageous)Knowledge of multi-rate and parallel implementations of Digital Signal Processing Operations such as FFTs, Filters, DDS, DDCHigh-speed data transport such as ethernet and knowledge of large-scale networksControlling and monitoring of DSP or data processing applications and componentsSoftware Development or Scientific Computing proficiency in either Python or C++Systems Engineering or Software Design Life CycleLinux operating systems and development tools
Additional Notes:
Desire to continuously learn, problem solve and acquire new skills with cutting edge technologyA clear and methodical approach to problem solvingA high attention to detail, excellent organisation skillsGood communication skills, written and verbalAble to effectively manage and lead a team on a technical projectAbility to effectively transfer knowledge and skills to other team membersEagerness to develop a technical specialisation and expertiseWillingness to travel both locally and internationally depending on operational needsThe NRF website provides more details on the initiatives and activities Applicants should submit a comprehensive CV by registering and apply online through the NRF Recruitment and Selection Portal. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of motivation indicating the applicant·s suitability for the position. The names and contact details of at least three referees should be provided.
Desired Skills:
- Skilled in applied field of position
- Knowledge to be relevant
- Responsible in performing duties
About The Employer:
The National Research Foundation (NRF) supports and promotes research and human capital development through funding, the provision of National Research Facilities and science outreach platforms and programmes to the broader community in all fields of science and technology, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) spearheads South Africa’s activities in the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope, commonly known as the SKA, in engineering, science and construction. SARAO is a National Facility managed by the National Research Foundation and incorporates radio astronomy instruments and programmes such as the MeerKAT telescope in the Karoo, the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (AVN) programme in nine African countries as well as the associated human capital development and commercialisation endeavours.