Signal Processing Engineer Full Time Job

Signal Processing Engineer – Cape Town.

The Signal Processing Engineer plans, implements, modifies, administers and verifies telescope correlator-beamformers and related signal processing systems for the telescope.

They participate in the engineering processes throughout the engineering lifecycle of the signal processing subsystem, from implementation to operations for the telescope.

They must also possess an understanding or experience in Systems Engineering, Agile methodologies and DevOps processes.

They must demonstrate some proficiency in Python, Git, Test-Driven Development, Test Automation & Continuous Integration.

They will be part of the Computing and Software team. They will work with technical experts, senior developers and junior developers as part of their role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Implement and verify correlator-beamformers and related signal processing systems.
• Assist in systems engineering and Operations documentation refinement
• Support users, and operators, as well as the implementation of releases, system changes and fixes.
• Work with the Correlator Beamformer construction teams
• Work with system/array integration team, supporting correlator integration and testing
• Be an integral member of the Computing and Software team, as a senior technical specialist that supports the establishment of signal processing and correlator operations
• Establish and maintain a professional relationship with the Digital Signal Processing team.
• Participate in project management and activity management activities
• Attend relevant training/courses to gain experience and improved knowledge.
• Research new technologies, methods or approaches, with the purpose of utilizing them within the organization.
• Participate in innovation and technology development initiatives.
• Acquire further education, mentorship and expertise as necessary

Key Requirements:

Qualification:

• BTech / BEng / MTech / Meng / PHD in electronic engineering, Digital Signal Processing, Control systems, Computer Science, or such relevant qualifications

Experience:

• BTech coupled with 6 years relevant working experience; or BEng/ MTech coupled with 4 years relevant working experience; or MEng coupled with 3 years relevant working experience; or PHD coupled with 1 year relevant working experience in Digital Signal Processing, FPGA design, development and verification, combined with software engineering, preferably in an engineering development project environment.
• Experience with multi-rate DSP algorithms, including FFTs, FIR and IIR filters, DDS and DDCs and signal processing operational concepts such as data buffering, transposing and reordering
• Experience in parallel, multirate DSP algorithm development and implementation, with experience in accelerating these implementations on FPGAs or general HPC (e.g. CPU/GPU)
• Python, C/C++, MATLAB or Simulink programming and experience in development, testing, deployment, commissioning, release and support of projects
• Specialization or leadership in one or more Required Job Knowledge areas
• Mentoring junior engineers

Knowledge:

• Common radio astronomy instrumentation: spectrometers, correlators, beamformers and pulsar timing machines and transient search machines.
• Multi-rate and parallel implementations of Digital Signal Processing operations such as FFTs, Filters (FIR, IIR), DDS, DDCs.
• Memory devices, such as SRAM/QDR, DDR-DRAM or HMC/HBM
• Ethernet FPGA controller implementations.
• Systems Engineering processes.
• Ethernet network technologies and management of switches and routers.
• Linux operating system and standard tools.
• Practical experience configuring instrumentation, integrating and commissioning Digital Signal
• Processing systems
• Willingness to transition between system development and system support and operations

Skills, Competencies and Knowledge:

Essential:

• Design, implementation and verification of high speed digital computer and electronics hardware and systems.
• System Engineering life cycle processes, including documentation, requirement analysis, architecture design, implementation, integration and acquisition.
• Multi-rate and parallel implementations of Digital Signal Processing operations such as FFTs, Filters (FIR, IIR), DDS, DDCs.
• Memory devices, such as SRAM/QDR, DDR-DRAM or HMC/HBM
• Ethernet FPGA controller implementations.
• Ethernet network technologies and management of switches and routers.
• Linux operating system and standard tools.

Desirable:

• Common radio astronomy instrumentation: spectrometers, correlators, beamformers and pulsar timing machines and transient search machines
• Knowledge of Radio Astronomy techniques, and observatory practices
• Ability to communicate effectively to a wide audience and a wide range of stakeholders, gathering information and distilling information and tailoring it appropriately for the target audience.
• Ability to develop and convey a technical solution as part of a team
• Ability to reliably estimate and plan work as part of a team.
• Agile approaches to systems development
• Engineering systems architecture concepts
• An understanding of DevOps processes
• Services, Operations and Support management
• Risk management

Skills:

• Modern software collaboration tools such as Github, Containers, Google Drive, JIRA etc.
• Understanding and experience in implementation of project management and system engineering principles.
• Experience with test-driven development and integration testing techniques, methodologies and frameworks; and supporting systems like revision control and build systems.
• Experience with quality assurance processes and software development processes and willingness to participate in improving software development processes and software quality procedures.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Cooperates with others to achieve organisational objectives and may share team resources in order to do this. Collaborates with other teams as well as industry colleagues.
• Judgement and Problem Solving: Anticipates and manages problems in ambiguous situations.
• Develops and selects an appropriate course of action and provides for contingencies. Evaluates, interprets and integrates complex bodies of information and draws logical conclusions, synthesises proposals and defends options with reasoned arguments.
• Adaptability: Demonstrates flexibility in thinking and adapts to and manages the increasing rate of organisational change by adjusting strategies, goals and priorities.
• Willingness to participate in formal and informal learning and mentorship programs