Recruiting

We are the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. We help humanity explore the universe with advanced space telescopes and ever-growing data archives.

Established in 1981, we have helped guide the most famous observatory in history, the Hubble Space Telescope. Since its launch in 1990, we have performed the science operations for Hubble. We also lead the science and mission operations for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which launched on December 25, 2021. We will perform parts of the science operations for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, in formulation for launch in late 2026, and we are partners on several other NASA missions. Our staff conducts world-class scientific research; our Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) curates and disseminates data from over 20 astronomical missions; and we bring science to the world through internationally recognized news, education, and public outreach programs. We value our diverse workforce and civility in the workplace, and seek to be an example for others to follow.

Careers at Space Telescope Science Institute

To learn about current full-time job and internship opportunities at Space Telescope Science Institute, visit our our website here: http://www.stsci.edu/opportunities

Join our LinkedIn Community

Follow us on LinkedIn and become a part of our community and stay updated on most recent job and internship opportunities, and social events at STScI. Learn about the latest discoveries by Hubble & James Webb Space Telescope on Space Telescope Science Institute LinkedIn page.

About Space Telescope Science Institute

Our Culture - We recognize that the contemplation of the universe and its wonders must be accessible to everyone. Engaging a range of professionals who have diverse backgrounds and a variety of viewpoints allows us to produce better science at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Our differences do not hinder us; they are sources of enrichment for our scientific missions. Giving people a seat at the table and a voice empowers not only individuals, but all of us.

Our Work - Positions at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) are varied—from astronomers, scientists, and engineers to support staff, public outreach professionals, and educators—which is why it is essential to build a collaborative, inclusive environment where people from a variety of backgrounds can continue to learn, engage, and connect.

Our Benefits - We believe the success of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is based on the exceptional contributions of our staff. The health and well-being of our employees and those who support them are essential.

Exempt Staff: Accrue 24 days of annual leave per calendar year

Non-Exempt Staff

• 0 to 2 years: Accrue 12 days of annual leave per calendar year

• 2 to 5 years: Accrue 18 days of annual leave per calendar year

• 5+ years: Accrue 24 days of annual leave per calendar year

New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas Day

Two discretionary holidays are awarded annually, effective January 1 each year, for use during the calendar year and may only be taken in full day (generally eight hour) increments. The hours are pro-rated for eligible part-time employees. During the first year of employment, discretionary holidays are allocated based on date of hire.

1. Hire Date Amount of Leave—Discretionary Holidays

If hired between January 1 and April 30	2 days
If hired May 1 to August 31	1 day
If hired September 1 or thereafter	0 (will be eligible the beginning of the next calendar year)

• First year: Accrue 12 days of annual leave per calendar year

• 2 to 3 years: Accrue 20.25 days of annual leave per calendar year

• 3+ years: Accrue 30 days of annual leave per calendar year

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
401(a) - 10% match of pre-taxed salary vested in retirement funds from day 1.
Tution Reimbursement
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Life/Disability Insurance
Pet Insurance

We trust our staff to be productive, effective, and collaborative no matter when or where they work.

To enable employees greater flexibility while meeting the needs of the Institute and our missions, we believe that:

Everyone at STScI is a crucial part of our culture and success as an organization.
Hybrid Work is about more than a physical location—it's about supporting a mix of work styles, enhancing staff productivity & creativity, improving work/life balance, and is an important reason why people want to work at STScI.
Everyone is enabled to work flexibly to the extent it is in alignment with the needs of their work and their teams.
Regardless of their Hybrid Work arrangement or physical presence in the office, everyone will have equal access to promotions, bonuses and pay, project assignments, recognition and awards, and other benefits of employment at STScI.
Our physical space and office environment will be reimagined and aligned to reflect our support for Hybrid Work by reducing the emphasis on named offices for every staff member and by identifying more spaces for scheduled/unscheduled in-person collaboration.
Staff are only required to come onsite when there is a benefit and purpose to their team, their division, or the institute. Staff who prefer to come onsite are free to do so.
Divisions/Missions know their work and their teams best and should decide on how to balance limited office space, collaboration needs, staff inclusion & equity concerns, and Hybrid Work schedules.
We support and encourage both in-person and remote collaboration and value the contribution of face-to-face interactions in support of a cohesive culture.
Our approach to Hybrid Work must be cost-effective and support both organizational as well as staff well-being objectives.

Baltimore Magazine - Best Places to Work

Contact Us

For recruiting questions and checking application or campaign status please contact our recruiting team at - careers@stsci.edu

To connect with our internship program manager about internships, job shadow, speaking engagements or other outreach activities contact Tania Anderson at internships@stsci.edu

Sign up for our mailing list to receive occasional emails about new and exciting opportunities at STScI

Christine Rueter - Recruiting Manager

Shelly Abrams - Lead Employment Specialist

Michelle Raphael - Senior Recruiter

Dawn Costigan - Employment Spacialist

Saneea Siddiqui - Technical Recruiter

Vacancies Coming Soon

Flight Operations Engineer- Coming Soon

The Flight Control Branch (FCB) is a part of Systems Engineering Integration Test & Operations Division (SEITO) responsible for the execution of all James Webb Space Telescope mission critical activities. FCB provides real-time monitoring of the Webb Space Telescope via the Flight Operations Subsystem (FOS) and the physical communications infrastructure connecting the control center to the Deep Space Network ground stations.

Each Flight Operations Engineer is a key member of one of our three-person Flight Operations Console Engineers teams responsible for conducting each ground Webb Observatory contact. The Webb Flight Operations Team Console Engineers collect and process the Observatory telemetry and science data that STScI will make accessible to the world. They plan and control real-time operations and maintain the Webb’s health essential to support the goal of scientific discovery.

The Flight Operations Engineers are trained to operate the FOS to monitor the activities of the Webb Observatory and support the ground systems to ensure the instruments and spacecraft subsystems are operating normally.

In this role, you support 24x7 operations of the Webb Space Telescope. Shift-work is a requirement of this position. Normal operations will consist of a 12-hour per shift rotating schedule. These are non-exempt positions.

You operate the FOS, and communicate with DSN, in support of real-time Observatory operations
You monitor the health and safety of the Observatory and ground systems
You provide real-time evaluation of the telemetry and statistical trends to ensure instruments and spacecraft subsystems are operating within nominal ranges

Qualifications:

We invite you to apply if you have a B.S. Degree in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or related physical science degree, technical writing experience and 4+ years of flight ops experience. You must be efficient using standard productivity software and database tools to develop documentation and test results.

Knowledge of and work experience in flight operations

Experience with large/complex ground systems used to control and monitor space based astronomical observatories
Experience using, analyzing, maintaining and troubleshooting sophisticated telemetry and command systems as well as writing procedures using advanced scripting languages to conduct operations
Familiarity with interfaces, utilization and troubleshooting of Communications Services Office (CSO) integrated networks (formerly NISN)
Experience with a large space-based astronomical observatory with multiple instruments
Experience using a sophisticated telemetry and command system as well as writing process using advanced scripting languages to conduct flight operations
Experience with L2, L1 or deep space operations
Familiarity with use and scheduling of the DSN

Candidates must be a US citizen or Permanent Resident. ITAR clearance is required.

Cloud Development Engineer - Coming Soon

The Cloud Development Engineer is experienced in scoping infrastructure for customer requirements. Proficient in infrastructure and configuration management. Knowledgeable in CloudFormation and/or Terrafrom. Skilled in Python is preferred. Other languages are expected. Extensive experience with AWS and CloudFormation. Fimiliarity with Kubernetes administration and development.

Primary Responsibilities:

Build, implement and support Lambda, S3, CloudFront, CloudWatch, Identity & Access Management (IAM) security services as needed.
Build, deploy, and manage IaC with automation for infrastructure leveraging CI/CD pipelines and other DevOps tools.
Writing and maintaining code in languages such as Python with unit tests in a complex system component utilizing SDLC
Build coding standardizations and automating processes for the organization
Advocates improvements for resources, tags, governance, and optimization.
Advocates for containerization and automation, configuration, and fine-tuning cloud infrastructure systems.
Managing existing Kubernetes and EKS environments.
Communicate with the Network and Security team to implement recommended baselines and fixes as needed for compute workloads on the AWS cloud.
Translating function and technical requirements into detailed documentation and design

Skills and Qualifications: These skills are required to succeed in this role.

Must have hands-on experience and an understanding of best practices with AWS cloud services, including infrastructure, IAM, security, networking, and cost optimization.

Strong in Linux & AWS services like (Compute, RDS, Container, VPC, Storage Services, Security Groups, High Availability, S3, CloudWatch)
Knowledge and hands-on experience with CloudFormation and/or Terraform is preferred.
Experience with building software applications, SDLC, and CI/CD
Should have experience with containerization and container orchestration.
Experience setting up and configuring AWS components using CLI and automation tools.
Experience with troubleshooting VPC, Subnets, Security Groups, and NACL.
Experience in debugging AWS services/environment issues.

Required Education and Experience:

Minimum five years of experience as a Software Developer, System Development Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, or System Administrator.
Hands-on cloud infrastructure management experience.

Preferred Education and Experience:

Eight years of extensive experience as a Software Developer, System Development Engineer, or Site Reliability Engineer.
Hands-on AWS cloud infrastructure management experience.
Prior work with Kubernetes and containerized environments

Join STScI Events

STScI hosts colloquia, conferences, lectures, meetings, symposia, and workshops that cover a broad array of topics of interest to the astronomical community as well as the general public. These events are open to public. Visit the following link to register for events: https://www.stsci.edu/events?timeframe=upcoming

Each lecture features a noted scientist who discusses a different cosmic topic. These lectures will be presented with a livestream to YouTube, and questions can be asked in the YouTube chat. The recordings will also be posted on our YouTube channel and accessible from this page.

Lectures are typically held at 8 PM EDT (UTC -4) during Daylight Time and 8 PM EST (UTC -5) during Standard Time, unless otherwise noted.

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STScI - NASA Multi-mission Center

As a multi- mission center of NASA, Space Telescope Science Institute is the Mission Operations Center (MOC) of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Science Operations Center for Hubble, James Webb and Roman Space Telescope.

STScI also has the largest astronomical data archive in the world known as MAST (MIkulski Archives of Space Telescope). MAST currently has data from all 17 missions of NASA.

To learn more about how we operate as a multi mission center for NASA visit: https://www.stsci.edu/what-we-do

James Webb Space Telescope

STScI serves as Webb's science operations center and is home to the mission operations center, which which commands and controls the observatory. STScI will archive all Webb data and enable access to researchers around the world and share Webb's science discoveries with the world!

Watch the launch of James Webb Space Telescope