ESO scientific software pipelines Research Software Engineer

• a PhD degree in astronomy.
• recent experience in developing astronomical data reduction software applications.
• proven experience of astronomical data reduction pipelines for optical and near-infrared observation domain (imaging, spectroscopy, interferometry).
• Experience in developing optical/near-infrared astronomical data reduction applications in ANSI-C or C++, excellent knowledge of Python, XML and good knowledge of other scripting languages like Perl. The operating system environments are Linux and MacOS.
• software engineering experience: setting up and maintaining development environments for software prototyping and software unit & regression testing (e.g., SVN/Git, GNU auto tools).
• Familiarity with the continuous integration tool Jenkins, with software release management, RPM and MacPorts packaging and installation systems is an asset
• Knowledge of writing data reduction recipes based on the ESO Common Pipeline Library (www.eso.org/cpl) and experience with the ESO Reflex scientific workflow environment is an asset
• affinity with astronomical instrumentation.
• pro-active and independent working attitude.
• team player, communicative, experience with distributed software project teams is a plus.
• flexibility in dealing with different organisational cultures and structures.
• prepared to travel several times per year to ESO.
• mastery of the English language, both written and spoken.

• In accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities, we offer a salary of at least € 3.706 (salary scale 10) up to a maximum of € 4.925 (salary scale 10.7) gross per month for a full-time employment contract.
• 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
• End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
• Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.
• A position for 2 years and 3 months, starting 1st October 2026.

At the University of Groningen (UG), you work at a broad top-class university that covers all fields of academia and technology. Support staff members offer a vital contribution to the effort made by lecturers and researchers toward the development of talent and a better, sustainable society. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.

The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) provides teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines, from physics and biology to artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and pharmacy. In close collaboration with partners from industry, healthcare, and society, we contribute to the urgent challenges of our time, such as energy, sustainability, digitization, and medical technology. Our community is open and informal, with more than 7,000 students, 1,000 PhD students, and 1,400 staff members from all over the world. If you would like to learn more about the Faculty of Science and Engineering, visit rug.nl/fse.

The OmegaCEN Astronomical Science Data Center is the expertise center for data-intensive astronomy and astronomical information technology at the University of Groningen. It is based at the Donald Smits Center for Information Technology and the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute. The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute is the university department for research and education in astronomy, astrophysics and astronomical instrumentation. The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute is a member of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA). NOVA is the alliance of the astronomical institutes of the universities of Amsterdam, Groningen, Leiden, and Nijmegen. NOVA is the national homebase for hardware and software instrumentation projects with the European Southern Observatory (ESO). ATG Europe is an international service provider in the fields of space, astronomy, defence and high-tech. ATG and OmegaCEN together have set up the RAPiD team to develop scientific software pipelines for both ALMA and instruments on ESO’s Very Large Telescope.