Jobs and Careers

Principal Software Architect

United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 23 Jul 2026

💰 $189,559/yr($155,673/yr – $189,559/yr)

About the role

NOIRLab is seeking a visionary Principal Software Architect to lead the architectural strategy and technical evolution of software systems that power world-class astronomical research, observatory operations, and scientific data management.

In this highly influential leadership role, you will define the technology roadmap for a diverse portfolio of scientific and operational platforms spanning cloud computing, distributed systems, high-performance computing (HPC), data-intensive applications, and AI-enabled technologies. You will drive modernization efforts that advance scientific discovery, improve engineering productivity, and ensure the reliability and scalability of mission-critical systems supporting some of the world's most advanced astronomical facilities.

Working closely with scientists, software engineers, data specialists, and operations teams, you will provide hands-on technical leadership, translate complex scientific requirements into innovative software solutions, and establish architectural standards that enable long-term sustainability and growth.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of scientific software and enable transformational discoveries through technology.

Essential Functions

Architectural Leadership & Technology Strategy

Define and execute the architectural vision, technology roadmap, and long-term strategy for NOIRLab's scientific and operational software ecosystem.
Establish enterprise-scale architecture principles, engineering standards, governance processes, and best practices.
Lead architectural reviews and guide critical technology decisions across software, data, infrastructure, and operational domains.
Partner with scientific and engineering stakeholders to translate complex requirements into scalable, secure, and resilient solutions.
Identify and address architectural risks, technical debt, and modernization opportunities across the software portfolio.
Champion modernization initiatives that improve system scalability, reliability, maintainability, and operational efficiency while supporting uninterrupted scientific operations.

System Design & Engineering Excellence

Architect and evolve cloud-native, containerized, distributed, and HPC-based platforms supporting observatory operations, scientific data pipelines, user services, and large-scale data processing systems.
Design solutions capable of managing petabyte-scale datasets and computationally intensive scientific workloads.
Develop reference architectures, prototypes, and technical frameworks that accelerate solution delivery and consistency across teams.
Drive adoption of DevSecOps practices, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, observability, and site reliability engineering principles.
Participate in architecture reviews, design reviews, code reviews, and implementation of critical software components.

Innovation & Technical Enablement

Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), generative AI, and large language model (LLM) solutions, where they deliver measurable scientific, engineering, or operational value.
Serve as a trusted technical mentor and thought leader across engineering teams.
Foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and architectural consistency across science, software, data, and operations organizations.
Help advance software engineering practices that support innovation, quality, and long-term sustainability.

Additional Responsibilities

Perform other duties as assigned.
Ensure compliance with AURA property management requirements and organizational policies.
Support compliance with applicable government award terms and conditions as defined in organizational award management systems.

Requirements

Education & Experience

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
15+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including experience as a Software Architect, Principal Engineer, Distinguished Engineer, or similar technical leadership role.
Demonstrated success designing, delivering, and evolving large-scale distributed and data-intensive software systems.

Technical Expertise

Deep expertise in software architecture, system design, API design, scalability, resilience, reliability, and distributed systems.
Experience designing and operating cloud-native, containerized, microservices-based applications and platforms.
Strong background in multiple programming languages and m