Systems Engineer – Data Processing and Preservation System (DPPS)

The CTAO (Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory) will be the world’s largest and most powerful ground-based observatory for gamma-ray astronomy at very-high energies. The Observatory is in its most exciting phase of development: the construction phase. Teams around the world are working together to make the CTAO reality. And with sites and staff located in Italy, Germany, Spain, and Chile, the CTAO Central Organisation, which manages the construction and operation of the Observatory, is at the very centre of these activities.

For its Science Data Management Centre in Zeuthen, Germany, the CTAO Central Organisation is seeking a Systems Engineer – Data Processing and Preservation System (DPPS) to play a key role in the team responsible for developing the Observatory’s data processing and data preservation software.

The successful candidate will contribute to all technical aspects required for the implementation, testing, integration, and deployment of the DPPS. Working with the team of DPPS subsystem developers, the DPPS Assembly, Integration and Verification (AIV) team, and other Computing Department experts, the candidate will play a key role in the construction of the DPPS software for one of the largest astronomical infrastructures ever built.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate the AIV activities in DPPS, including system testing, integration, verification and validation, and quality assurance.
• Participate in refining the technical solutions of the DPPS, including the evaluation of technologies and architectural decisions.
• Manage DPPS requirements and use cases, including traceability through design, implementation, and verification and validation.
• Specify and manage the internal interfaces between DPPS software components and the external interfaces with other software systems, such as CTAO’s Array Control and Data Acquisition System (ACADA) and Science User Support System (SUSS), and ensure alignment with the CTAO data models.
• Develop and maintain verification and validation plans, as well as procedures and plans for deployment, commissioning, and operation.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation for the DPPS, including design specifications, test cases, software quality reports, and maintenance procedures.
• Manage the configuration control of DPPS components during the construction period.

Required Skills and Experience

• Completed higher education in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, physics, mathematics, or equivalent knowledge.
• At least five years of relevant professional experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Expert knowledge of the software lifecycle, including requirements management, architecture, design, implementation, testing, integration, deployment, and maintenance.
• Experience in systems engineering, including interface management, verification and validation, and configuration control.
• Experience in evaluating technical solutions, technologies, and architectural approaches.
• Strong knowledge of Python.
• Deep understanding of information technology concepts, applications, tools, and methodologies, as well as a broad background in a variety of technology platforms.
• Experience in producing and maintaining technical documentation, including requirements, design specifications, test documentation, procedures, and plans.

Desirable Skills:

• Familiarity with UML and/or SysML.
• Experience with scientific applications.
• Experience in working in multidisciplinary teams and coordinating activities across different technical teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to understand and communicate complex technical and scientific information.
• Excellent writing and organisational skills with an eye for detail, precision, and consistency.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in an international, multi-cultural, distributed project team on a complex project.

Reporting to: CTAO DPPS Coordinator

Workplace: Zeuthen, Germany. Occasional travel will be required.

Contract: open-term, full-time. Gross salary 71,000 to 82,000 EUR depending on experience and qualifications. Benefits of up to 600 EUR per year.

Deadline for applications: 29 November 2026

For more information about the CTAO, visit www.ctao.org. For more information on the advertised position, please contact .

Applications are accepted without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, gender identity, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.