IT Specialist (Software Configuration Specialist) (IS-2210-11/12)

Application Deadline: 31 December 2025

Department: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Location: Cambridge, MA

Compensation: $83,742 - $130,488 / year

Description

OPENING DATE: December 2, 2025
CLOSING DATE: December 31, 2025
SERIES/GRADE: IS-2210-11/12*
TYPE OF POSITION: Trust Indefinite (Non-Federal)
DIVISION: High Energy Astrophysics
LOCATION: Cambridge, MA
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: All current qualified candidates

*This is a career ladder opportunity with promotion potential up to grade 13. Selection for this position to be made at the grade 11 level, or grade 12 level. Candidates may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level, up to grade 13, upon the recommendation of the supervisor based on classification requirements, satisfactory performance, and qualifications of the employee.

What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Childcare), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation, as required.
• Complete a Probationary Period if applicable.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
  
  

OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is at the forefront, internationally, of the scientific exploration of the universe. SAO combines its resources with those of the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The CfA is the best-known astrophysics center in the world. Its programs range from ground-based astronomy and astrophysics research to space-based research, the engineering and development of major scientific instrumentation for space launch and use in large ground-based facilities, and research designed to improve science education. The research objectives of SAO are carried out primarily with the support of Government and Smithsonian Institution funds, with additional philanthropic support. Government funds are in the form of Federal appropriations or the form of contracts and grants from other agencies. In contrast, Institution funds are available to SAO through grants from the Institution's Restricted Funds, Special Purpose Funds, Bureau Activities, Business Activities, and non-Federal contracts and grants.

SUMMARY
The Information Technology Specialist (Configuration Management Specialist) is responsible for extending and maintaining the software configuration management infrastructure for the Chandra X-ray Observatory and to support the release and build cycles of the software team that supports the mission. This includes working with the existing configuration management team to modernize system infrastructure and procedures, maintain software development utilities, configure and deploy releases, and support the software system through all phases of the software development cycle


MAJOR DUTIES

Function as part of a team to maintain and improve the Data System internal software build, test, and deployment infrastructure. Develop and maintain scripts, operational procedures, and internal documents following the software development lifecycle: requirements generation, design, code, verification and test, and maintenance; Generate all documentation according to Data System guidelines.
Monitor automated build and test pipelines/infrastructure routinely and for new releases. Validate the results and provide solutions when errors are encountered. Actively coordinate with the software team when the responsibility for solutions falls to them.
Build and deploy software releases; Coordinate configuration of test and release platforms with the system group; manage the deployment of software releases as part of the team.
Perform a regular inventory of 3rd party software with dependencies in the Data System (OTS, COTS, AOTS). Monitor and manage system infrastructure (OS, compiler, libraries) and licenses (JetBrains, Atlassian, GitLab) for the Data System. Coordinate upgrades that fit into the overall goals and schedule and perform those upgrades as part of an overall data system schedule and plan in coordination with the CM lead and supervisor.
Provide support to the software development team with portability, configuration, and compilation issues; Mentor team members, respond to problem reports, and use available systems (i.e., Jira) to record and monitor issues.

Grade 12

In addition to the duties listed above, duties at the grade 12 may include but are not limited to:

Recommend and coordinate upgrades that fit into the overall goals and schedules and perform those upgrades as part of an overall data system schedule and plan in coordination with the CM leader and supervisor.



QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS


For all positions, individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below.

• Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations ;knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
• Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

AND


Candidates for grade 11 must possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 9 in the normal line of progression for this occupation. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position such as developing and maintaining CM scripts, operational procedures, and internal documentation.

Candidates for grade 12 must possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 11 in the normal line of progression for this occupation. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position such as managing the configuration and licenses of various software development tools.

OR

Education:
All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Undergraduate or Graduate Education: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.


Grade 11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or
3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

Grade 12: There is no education substitution.


Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required:
• Knowledge of and the ability to configure and utilize distributed version control systems (e.g., Git)
• Knowledge of and the ability to utilize scripting languages (e.g., Python, Bash) and Unix based operating systems
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize and manage software support tools (e.g., Atlassian products such as Jira/Confluence).
• Skill in organizing and utilizing continuous integration environments (e.g., gitlab, github actions) and containers (eg., podman, docker)
• Skill in organizing and utilizing package managers (e.g., conda, pip)
• Skill in developing new software, modifying existing programs, and planning, coding, testing, and maintaining programs that may present complex problems.

Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.

Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Relocation expenses are not paid.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact hr@cfa.harvard.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeesd.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is an equal opportunity employer. Please visit the SAO website at http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/