DevOps Engineer

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is a brand-new astronomical facility currently under construction in Chile, with headquarters based in Tucson, Arizona. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will undertake the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) which will be the largest and most comprehensive astronomy survey of its kind. Rubin Observatory will enable countless discoveries in almost every area of modern astronomical research-discoveries made possible by the team that built the Rubin Observatory system, and by the global science community that Rubin Observatory serves.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is now in the exciting phase of integration and commissioning and will become operational in 2025. This time, the project is seeking a DevOps Engineer who will be responsible for the infrastructure as Code automation; the operation of Kubernetes clusters; the orchestration of cloud services and the development of automation utilities and scripts. This role configures and operates IT equipment, assists on larger projects, or runs smaller opportunities independently. This position is part of the Integration & Commissioning stage of the Rubin Project, and it is considered in the Operational budget through 2026; after this, there may be potential for further extension.

This position accepts either an on-site work mode in La Serena – Chile, or a full/hybrid telework mode, in compliance with Chilean law and the AURA Protocol for Telework. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, this position may require after-hours duties in support of Rubin Observatory construction, integration, and commissioning processes.

Essential Functions:

Develops, deploys, configures, tests and maintains general IT services. Designs and develops DevOps infrastructure deployment/provisioning. Designs and develops IT service and equipment monitoring and reporting tools. Develops and maintains IT configuration management solutions. Develops test automation frameworks in collaboration with the rest of the team. Helps tune performance and ensures high availability of IT infrastructure. Creates tools to help teams make the most out of the available infrastructure. In charge of adding features to existing open-source software tooling and contributing improvements upstream. Monitors and collects metrics and alerts. Responsible for the Rubin Observatory system's architecture.

Required Education/Experience/Skills/Abilities

5+ years of experience as a Technical Specialist. Demonstrable proficiency in, at least, one programming language such as Python, Ruby, Go, or Rust. Experience with a unit testing framework such as pytest, rspec, go test, or cargo test. Working knowledge of a distributed version control system such as git or mercurial, and familiarity with hosted version control services such as GitHub or GitLab. Experience with microservices and distributed application architecture, such as containers, Kubernetes, and/or serverless technology. Experience with the full software development lifecycle and delivery using Agile practices. Experience with code review using a collaborative review tool such as GitHub pull request, GitLab merge request or Gerrit Code Review Experience with an issue tracking system such as GitHub issues or Jira. Strong presentation, verbal communication, and written communications skills. Must be proficient in spoken and written English. Technical understanding and hands-on implementation experience of various practices and tools in the DevOps toolchain. Must be comfortable rolling up their sleeves to design and code modules for infrastructure, application and processes. Must have a valid Driver's License; clean driving record; ability to drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Preferred Education/Experience/Skills/Abilities:

AWS Certification(s) such as Solutions Architect Pro, DevOps Engineer Pro, SysOps Admin, Developer Associate. GCP Certification. Redhat RHCSA certification, RHCSE, or any Linux certification. CKA certification is highly desirable. Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code. History of successful contributions to at least one open-source project. Experience collaborating as part of a Site Reliability Engineering, Platform Engineering, or DevOps team. Fluency in Ruby or Go. Extensive experience with Kubernetes clusters with rancher, rke, kOps, or kubeadm. Familiarity with terraform. Experience working with helm charts. Experience with a hosted CI/CD system such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, or Travis CI. Extensive experience with version control tools including experience with branching, pull request, code merging, etc. Extensive experience with software defined storage platforms such as Ceph. Experience with Chef, Puppet, Salt, or Ansible in production environments. Experience with monitoring and log aggregating frameworks such as Prometheus, Icinga, Grafana, Telegraf/InfluxDB, Kafka, Logstash, Splunk, OpenSearch, and Kibana. Familiarity with an Enterprise Linux (Centos, etc.) distribution or Fedora Linux. Ability to lead effectively across organizations and engagements, preferably from a professional services organization or similar.

Physical Requirements:

There are basic physical requirements that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This position may be required to work at high elevation summit sites up to 2,715 meters above sea level, carrying out physical activities such as going up and down stairs, as well as, occasionally, working in adverse weather conditions. This position requires passing a medical examination post Offer and, if medically necessary, at specified intervals while employed.

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If you would like to apply for this opportunity, please submit your CV or resume along with a Cover Letter in English (PDF files). Also, kindly provide the contact information of 3 professional references in your application, as they will be contacted later in the recruiting process. Please name any attachments with the following format: Lastname.Docname. Incomplete applications will not be accepted .

The position will remain open until filled.

Veterans, disabled individuals or wounded warriors needing assistance with the employment process should request assistance at:

At Rubin Observatory we are committed to diversity and inclusion. Our managing Organization, AURA, as a leader in the astronomical community, develops and supports programs that advance our organizational commitment to diversity, broaden participation, and encourage the advancement of diversity throughout the astronomical scientific workforce. Learn more at:

AURA offers an excellent benefits package including paid time off and retirement plan contributions, competitive salary commensurate with experience, and a very attractive work environment.

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is a consortium of over 40 US institutions and three international affiliates that operates world-class astronomical observatories. AURA's role is to establish, nurture, and promote public observatories and facilities that advance innovative astronomical research. AURA is responsible for managing the operations of the NSF's NOIRLab, the National Solar Observatory, and the construction of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope under cooperative agreements with the National Science Foundation and operations of the Space Telescope Science Institute under contracts with NASA.

Consistent with the actions of the Biden Administration, as of May 12, 2023, AURA will no longer require COVID-19 vaccination of its employees in the Kindly note that AURA employees in the may be subject to COVID-19 vaccination requirements from other entities, such as host institutions or partner affiliations.

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