[ES_JOBS_NET] Geospatial Python Developer, CIRA, Colorado State University

Christine Wiedinmyer christinew at ucar.edu
Wed May 27 08:37:23 MDT 2026 

https://csusystem.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/fortcollins_careers/job/Fort-Collins-CO/XMLNAME-26-108--Geospatial-Python-Developer_R2026104699

Geospatial Python Developer

Job DescriptionDescription of the Work Unit:

The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado
State University (CSU) is a multi-million dollar research organization
located on CSU's Foothills Campus in Fort Collins, Colorado. CIRA is a
cooperative institute that is also a research department within CSU's
College of Engineering, in partnership with the Department of Atmospheric
Science. Its vision is to conduct interdisciplinary research in the
atmospheric sciences by entraining skills beyond the meteorological
disciplines, exploiting advances in engineering and computer science,
facilitating transitional activity between pure and applied research,
leveraging both national and international resources and partnerships, and
assisting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  the
National Weather Service (NWS), CSU, the State of Colorado, and the Nation
through the application of our research to areas of societal benefit. Based
within NOAA/NESDIS/STAR in College Park, Maryland, the NESDIS Environmental
Applications Team (NEAT) conducts integrated research and development to
transform satellite observations into actionable environmental intelligence
across oceanic, atmospheric, terrestrial, and polar domains. Core
activities include ocean color science and applications, atmospheric
radiative transfer modeling and retrieval development, and microwave remote
sensing through systems such as the Microwave Integrated Retrieval System
(MiRS), supporting environmental monitoring and forecasting. The team
advances coastal and polar applications, with a particular emphasis on
Arctic environments, including sea ice analysis, maritime risk assessment,
long-term environmental trend analysis, and modern data visualization,
while developing user-driven decision-support tools. NEAT is also expanding
into next-generation analytical frameworks that integrate satellite remote
sensing with cloud-based systems, artificial intelligence, and emerging
Earth-system digital twin concepts to interpret large-scale environmental
data efficiently. These efforts enhance situational awareness and
operational readiness and are closely aligned with mission needs through
collaboration with the NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research.

Position Summary:

CIRA seeks to hire a Research Associate to work on the CSU Foothills
Campus, located 5 miles Northwest of the CSU main campus. The individual in
this position will support multiple projects at CIRA and focus upon
projects funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Specifically, the
individual in this position will report to the Project Manager & Software
Infrastructure Engineer and join a team of multiple developers and
scientists at CIRA working as part of a multi-institutional team to
develop, maintain, operate, and grow the user base of the Geolocated
Information Processing System (GeoIPS). They will also interact with other
scientific teams at CIRA to assist scientists with integration of their
scientific algorithms into GeoIPS.

GeoIPS is a recently open-sourced, plugin-based Python framework for
production meteorological applications. It is currently used in production
environments by the US Navy to support Navy Meteorology and Oceanography
officers. Since becoming open-source, teams at CIRA and the Naval Research
Lab have worked together to adapt GeoIPS for broader community use and
improve user experience. GeoIPS’ architecture is general to any dataset
that has associated latitude and longitude coordinates. The two main goals
of GeoIPS are to reduce the barrier to entry for geospatial scientific
algorithm development and toto help scientists transition their work to
those who want to use it. GeoIPS separates data reading, interpolation,
processing algorithms, output formatting, and other functions into plugins
that can be pieced together into novel and reproducible workflows. The
system supports generation of imagery and structured data products,
enabling consistent transformation from input geolocated data products to
analysis- and publication-ready outputs.
Full consideration date: Sunday, June 7, 2026, 11:59pm (MT).Conditions of
Employment:

   -

   Must be a citizen of the United States or Lawful Permanent Resident with
   a physical USCIS “Green Card” because this position is funded by a US
   Department of Defense contract.
   -

   Onsite presence is required for this position because it requests
   significant collaboration with on-site teams.

Supervision:

   -

   The individual in this position will not directly supervise employees.

Essential Job Duties:

   -

   Become fully acquainted with the architecture and inner workings of
   GeoIPS for geolocated data processing.
   -

   In collaboration with the larger GeoIPS team:
   -

      Make improvements to the current GeoIPS infrastructure in support of
      funded project goals.
      -

      Continually update GeoIPS documentation as improvements and
      enhancements are made to the system.
      -

      Continually develop and maintain unit and integration tests to ensure
      that implemented functionality remains in working condition.
      -

      Improve GeoIPS CI/CD pipelines including testing, packaging, and
      deployment.
      -

   Using thorough knowledge of GeoIPS, review code updates from other
   GeoIPS contributors to assess their need, functionality, completeness, and
   conformance to standards. Approve these code updates when they are ready
   for release, suggesting any changes as necessary.


   -

   Assist scientists with updating their algorithms to act as GeoIPS
   plugins.
   -

   Make updates to GeoIPS as required to allow integration of scientific
   algorithms including fixing bugs, improving efficiency, improving existing
   features, and adding new features.
   -

   Assist with development and presentation of GeoIPS training materials
   and workshops.


   -

   Collaboratively develop and present training materials to help new users
   become acquainted with GeoIPS.

Required Qualifications:

NOTE: In the body of your resume, please specifically address all required
qualifications when describing your work experience.  *A resume that fails
to address the qualifications of this position **will not be considered**
by the search committee. *

   -

   Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, earth
   science, or a related technical field PLUS 3-4 years of professional
   software development experience –OR– Master’s Degree in computer science,
   software engineering, earth science, or a related technical field.
   -

   2+ years of experience developing Object-oriented Python applications.


   -

   Demonstrated experience working with a team using a version control
   system like git.
   -

   Demonstrated experience with writing unit or integration tests for
   software package(s).


   -

   Experience manipulating large geolocated datasets (e.g. satellite
   imagery) or complex data formats (e.g. NetCDF, HDF).

Preferred Qualifications:

NOTE: In the body of your resume, please specifically address all
applicable preferred qualifications when describing your work experience.  *A
resume that fails to address the qualifications of this position **will not
be considered** by the search committee.*

   -

   Experience developing applications or algorithms for Earth Science data
   processing.
   -

   5+ years of experience developing Object-oriented Python applications.
   -

   Demonstrated experience using statistics to evaluate and make use of
   scientific data.
   -

   Demonstrated knowledge of remote sensing techniques or spectroscopic
   measurements and related algorithm development.
   -

   Experience writing comprehensive documentation for Python packages,
   preferably using RST and Sphinx.
   -

   Demonstrated experience working with a team using GitHub.
   -

   Experience writing tests for Python packages using Pytest.
   -

   Experience with packaging and distributing pure-Python applications and
   Python packages (e.g. using Poetry) that include C/C++ or Fortran
   extensions (e.g. using Meson).
   -

   Experience developing in complied language (e.g. C/C++, Fortran 95 or
   newer).
   -

   CI/CD development, preferably via GitHub Actions or GitLab-CI.
   -

   Knowledge of containers (e.g. Docker, Singularity, etc.) and container
   orchestration (e.g. Docker Swarm, Docker Compose, Kubernetes).

Application Instructions:

*Applications must be submitted via online portal. *We will not accept
materials sent via email or other mode. NOTE: In the body of your resume,
please specifically address all required qualifications and applicable
preferred qualifications when describing your work experience.  A resume
that fails to address the qualifications of this position may not be
further considered after review by the search committee. Likewise, an
online application with a generic cover letter or missing a cover letter
may not be further considered after review by the search committee.
References will be requested for finalists and will not be contacted
without prior notification of candidates. Full consideration date: Sunday,
June 7, 2026, 11:59pm (MT).

Salary Range$75,000 - $85,000 Commensurate with experience and
qualifications

Required Application Documents

To apply, please upload the following applicant documents. Ensure your
materials fully address the required and preferred job qualifications of
the position. Please note, applicants may redact information from their
application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of
attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Cover Letter, Resume/CV Employee Benefits

Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving
community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition
through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits
package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is
where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.

   -

   Review our detailed benefits information here.
   <http://hr.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/01/benefits-summary-afap.pdf>
   -

   Explore the additional perks of working at CSU here.
   <http://hr.colostate.edu/prospective-employees/our-perks/>
   -

   For the total value of CSU benefits in addition to wages, use our
   compensation calculator.
   <http://hr.colostate.edu/total-compensation-calculator/>
   -

   Lastly, click here for more information about why Fort Collins is
   consistently ranked in the top cities to live in!
   <http://hr.colostate.edu/prospective-employees/our-community/>

Background Check Policy Statement

Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living
environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support
this environment and comply with applicable laws and
regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final
offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can
include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry,
motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification.
Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract
and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent
to do so.
EEO

Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to
all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment
of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national
origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic
protected by federal, state or local laws.
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