CIRES/ ESIIL and Earth Lab Software Developer

Requisition Number: 70424

Location: Boulder, Colorado

City:
Boulder

State: Colorado

Employment Type: Research Faculty

Schedule: Full-Time

Posting Close Date: 29-Mar-2026

Date Posted:
10-Mar-2026

Job Summary

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) in
Boulder, Colorado, is seeking a Software Developer to work in the Environmental Data Science Innovation and Impact Lab (ESIIL) and Earth
Lab.Core responsibilities of the ESIIL and Earth Lab Software Developer include i) consulting with and advising researchers on how to
optimize and scale their code and workflows on HPC or the cloud; ii) instructing the users’ network on how to use CU Boulder, Earth Lab, and
ESIIL cyberinfrastructure including leading and assisting with training events, Summits and Hackathons; iii) assisting with the development
and maintenance of ESIIL and Earth Lab cyberinfrastructure in coordination with key partners (e.g., CyVerse, CU Boulder Research Computing
and CIRES IT); iv) developing and maintaining open source codes and software (mostly, in R and Python), docker containers and key databases
with documentation and metadata for the network; v) developing and maintaining front-end applications including ESIIL’s integrated websystem
and funding-based end-user applications; vi) helping maintain the multiple ESIIL and Earth Lab data, code, software and container
repositories, as well as websites in coordination with CIRES IT and CU Boulder. The ESIIL and Earth Lab software developer will also
contribute to Earth and environment data science, next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) development, and
research projects, as needed. The candidate should have excellent technical and communication skills and be comfortable working in a team
environment.The selected candidate will be based in Boulder, Colorado, at ESIIL/Earth Lab, under the supervision of the Analytics Hub
Director and, as appropriate, advised by the ESIIL and Earth Lab Directors.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with
all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all
individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans
and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental
Sciences (CIRES)At CIRES, the Cooperative
Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, more than 900 people work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people’s
relationship with the planet. An institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, we have partnered with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 1967. Our areas of expertise include weather and climate, wildfire and water, changes at Earth’s
poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. Our researchers work in 10 CU Boulder
departments and eight NOAA laboratories and centers. Esiil The Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab (ESIIL) is an NSF-funded data synthesis center led by the University of
Colorado Boulder in collaboration with NSF’s CyVerse at the University of Arizona and the University of Oslo. ESIIL’s mission is to empower
a broad community to accelerate open Environmental Data Science. ESIIL enables a global community of environmental data scientists to use
the wealth of environmental data and emerging analytics to develop science-based solutions to solve pressing challenges in environmental
sciences. ESIIL’s research community generates discoveries and novel approaches through 1) innovative team science, 2) innovative tools and
collaborative cyberinfrastructures, 3) data-science education and training, and 4) building broad collaborations and networks.
Earth Lab Earth Lab is part
of CIRES and CU-Boulder’s Grand Challenge: Our Space, Our Future. Earth Lab’s mission is to harness the data revolution by using Earth
observations from multiple platforms (drones, aircraft, and satellites) and other sources (e.g., surveys, reports, social media) to better
understand the pace and patterns of environmental change and to develop solutions. Earth Lab aims to use the big data and AI revolutions
through education, research, analytics, cyberinfrastructure, and broad collaboration. As a branch of the Earth Lab, the Analytics Hub aims
to advance data-driven discoveries and solutions in Earth & Environment science through AI- and cyberinfrastructure-enabled analyses and
systems.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• (30%) Work on the development and maintenance of ESIIL and
  Earth Lab’s Analytics Hub and cyberinfrastructure, both back- and front-end applications, and instruct users through consulting and training
  efforts on how to use the Hub’s analytical and cyberinfrastructure tools and platforms.
• (30%) Work with ESIIL and Earth Lab
  scientists, affiliates, networks, and cyberinfrastructure collaborators to co-produce and optimize the interoperability and long-term
  sustainability of the codebases, containers, and datasets of ESIIL and Earth Lab networks as open, generalized resources for science
  researchers and decision-makers.
• (40%) Contribute to software development for advancing discoveries and solutions that are based on
  the integration and analysis of diverse remote sensing and in-situ datasets (surveys, reports, etc.), including the expansion and
  maintenance of code workflow, model development and data publication on innovative fire behavior metrics of an existing fire spread
  algorithm (e.g., FIREDpy, developed by the Earth
  Lab team). Specifically, the ESIIL and Earth Lab software developer may incorporate climate, fuels, and topography datasets as attributes,
  derive additional fire behavior metrics from current or upcoming remote sensing platforms (MODIS, VIIRS, and/or FireSat), and/or integrate
  ancillary fire datasets, using cloud or other high-performance computing resources to harmonize and analyze big, complex environmental data,
  develop open AI-based pipelines, and/or develop code workflows to advance the FIREDpy algorithm.

What You Should Know

• This position is a full-time appointment and is intended to be at the early to mid-career stage.
• The position
  will likely be a hybrid arrangement with some virtual work time and some in-person work time as conditions allow, following current Earth
  Lab, ESIIL, CIRES, and university guidance and policies. The in-person time will be in the ESIIL offices in the SEEC Building on the CU
  Boulder East Campus. This is not a remote position.

What We Can Offer

• CIRES can offer a generous
  compensation package.
• Annual salary for this position is $75,268 – $113,246. Salary is commensurate with education and experience
  and determined based on the CIRES internal career track classification.
• Some relocation funds are available to help off-set moving
  expenses, following CIRES and the University of Colorado’s relocation processes and procedures.
• This position can accommodate a
  hybrid work modality.
• CIRES and the University of Colorado boulder offer a robust training curriculum, opportunities for
  professional development and a Mentorship Program.
• Boulder is a vibrant community with access to mountain parks, dog parks, miles of trails, rivers, lakes, cafes, restaurants,
  boutiques, theaters, museums, and sports venues.
• As an employee at CU Boulder, you will have free access to the regional public transit system, an outstanding network of
  buses, and light rail systems that service Boulder and connect to Denver, the Denver airport, and surrounding communities.

Benefits
At the University of Colorado
Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and
retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of
Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. Explore
additional perks and programs through the CU
Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be inventive. Be supportive. Be Boulder.

What We
Require

• Bachelor’s degree in statistics, applied mathematics, computer science, Earth or environmental sciences (or
  related field)
• At least 3 years of software development experience.
• Experience in developing scalable pipelines using
  high-performance computing (HPC) or cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, CyVerse).
• Experience applying statistical and artificial
  intelligence/ machine learning methods to analyze large scientific datasets, particularly remote sensing and geospatial data, using Python
  and/or R.
• Experience with multimodal data curation and management, including streaming, cleaning, formatting, documentation, and
  publishing in alignment with FAIR and CARE principles.
• Experience with open-source code, container and image development,
  documentation, and maintenance, including repository management (e.g., GitHub, Docker Hub), to support open and reproducible science.
• Experience developing and/or maintaining front-end applications.

What You Will Need

• Strong
  communication skills for effective collaboration with data scientists and researchers in both in-person and remote settings.
• Demonstrated commitment to open data and software standard processes and to educating and supporting researchers and
  decision-makers in the use of data and cyberinfrastructure, which includes a strong service background.
• Strong quantitative skills
  spanning statistics, informatics, remote sensing, geospatial analysis, and applied machine learning (e.g., computer vision, big-data
  analytics) using Earth, atmospheric, geoscience, or biological data across scales.

What We Would Like You to Have

Please note that while the position details the required and desired skills and experience, applicants do not need to
possess all of the desired skills and experience to be considered for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications, have a passion
for the work, and have experience in a related field, you are encouraged to apply. We encourage on-the-job training for any additional
skills or knowledge that become relevant to the position.

• Ability to contribute to a collaborative workforce, advance scientific
  discovery, and support the development of Earth and environmental technology solutions.
• Strong experience collecting, organizing,
  and analyzing multimodal Earth and environmental data, including wildfire and fire-related datasets.
• Familiarity with emerging
  foundational machine-learning models for Earth and environmental sciences, as well as next-generation large language model tools for
  AI-assisted data curation, labeling, coding, and user-interface development, including Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.
• Experience in teaching, training, or mentoring in academic or research settings.
• Experience with web content management
  and front-end development, including CMS platforms (e.g., Drupal), UI styling libraries (e.g., Bootstrap), and programming with
  PHP/Twig.

Special Instructions
To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. A copy of your
   CV.
2. A cover letter addressed to the Search Committee briefly describing your qualifications, professional goals, and specific
   interest in this position.
3. Though not required at the time of application, be prepared to submit a list of 5 professional references
   (2 of whom must be supervisors or professors). If you are selected as a finalist, we will ask you to contact your references so that they
   can complete a Crosschq questionnaire on your behalf. Crosschq is an online automated reference check solution. This information will be
   kept confidential and viewable only by the search committee.

Note: The final candidate will be required to provide proof of a
completed academic degree in the form of a transcript or diploma copy if the candidate will be using a completed academic degree to fulfill
a minimum requirement for the position.Application Deadline:Applications must be submitted by the end of the day on
March 29, 2026.Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be
submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

In
compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information
such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this
information.

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