Application Developer

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Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech seeks a full-time Applications Developer to join the Data Science Team at the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA). Come be a part of the team that is helping astronomers and data scientists all over the world access and explore IRSA's petabyte archives of astronomy data!

IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech (

Team Responsibilities

The IRSA Data Science Team's responsibilities include:

• Creating and maintaining Python Jupyter notebook tutorials;
• Designing and implementing tools for community use of IRSA's large data sets;
• Running data science workshops using IRSA-curated data sets and tools; and
• Providing user support (e.g. help desk, community forum, documentation) for the NASA Astrophysics Science Platform, a collaboration between HEASARC, MAST, IRSA, and Goddard:
  
  

Essential Job Duties

As an Applications Developer on the IRSA Data Science Team, you will contribute directly to the development and maintenance of resources that support community science. Key responsibilities include:

• Help develop new Python Jupyter notebooks following best practices. Maintain existing notebooks by fixing bugs and implementing improvements.
• Collaborate with other IRSA teams to make IRSA's holdings more usable and accessible for large-scale analyses and data scientists working in cloud-based environments.
• Update IRSA's website and other documentation.
• Respond to help desk inquiries from science platform users. Reproduce and diagnose JupyterLab issues to direct them to the appropriate team member for resolution.
• Reformat terabyte-scale astronomical catalogs into a standardized file format and partitioning scheme by executing long-running, distributed jobs on a compute cluster.
• Review CI/CD pull requests and maintain sufficient familiarity with the setup to serve as backup when the lead developer is unavailable.
• Contribute to presentations and reports for multiple stakeholders and the astronomy community.
• Interpret and implement project requirements with guidance from senior developers and project leads, and ensure appropriate documentation of delivered work.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Basic Qualifications

If you have the following in your background, then we want to hear about your interest in joining our team:

• Bachelor's or equivalent degree in a technical subject such as Physics, Astronomy, Math, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Sciences, or a related field.
• 3 years of experience as a software developer in a Unix/Linux environment. Fluency in Python. Demonstrated ability to design and implement maintainable, performant code.
• Familiarity with software configuration management principles and tools, source code version control (e.g. Git/GitHub), and issue/bug tracking systems (e.g. Jira).
• Experience working with scientific data sets and use cases, including developing Python code for large-scale analysis.
• Ability to work in a team environment and communicate effectively in writing and verbally among diverse stakeholders.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

Some or all of the following skills and experiences are preferred and will enhance success in this role:

• Experience running large jobs on a distributed computing system, including familiarity with job schedulers such as SLURM.
• Experience manipulating large tabular data sets.
• Experience installing software and running code in JupyterLab/JupyterHub environments.
• Experience working on the cloud (e.g. AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Experience with open-source software development and CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions and CircleCI.
• Basic HTML knowledge.
  
  

Required Documents

• Full resume.
• Short cover letter.
  
  

Application Deadline: May 29, 2026.

Hiring Range

$40.00 - $47.00 Per Hour

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

As one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non-benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Caltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

To read more Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) go to eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf.

Disability Accommodations

Caltech complies with the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We consider reasonable accommodation measures that may be necessary for eligible applicants and employees to perform the essential functions of a position.

If you would like to request an accommodation to complete this application, interview, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please contact Caltech Recruiting at

Additionally, if you do not meet the basic qualifications of a role but believe you can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation, please reach out to Caltech Recruiting at