Senior Software Engineer

Within the VITO Environmental Intelligence unit, about 350 motivated employees are committed to monitoring our ‘Planetary Boundaries’ and ‘Human Boundaries’. 

Together, we work on monitoring, researching and analysing our environment (land, climate, air, water ...) and our health. 

We combine data and advanced technologies to develop and share valuable information, insights and models with governments, other research institutions, companies, ... 

Our openEO platform-as-a-service solution is the key technology that enables integration of insights from earth observation data into the everyday world. VITO operates it as part of the Copernicus Dataspace Ecosystem, based on a fully open source software stack. 

We are looking for a dynamic and highly motivated senior software engineer with a passion for high performance distributed applications. Our ideal candidate is a driver in an ecosystem of earth observation and our openEO based big data platforms and ensures agile development of our distributed processing engine, to deliver performant operational services.  

 
As earth observation platform Engineer, you will work with a team of software and operation engineers. Together you will be responsible for development and the maintenance of satellite data processing systems. You pro-actively execute the internal vision, roadmap, and project challenges within the context of our on big data and processing platforms. Our software is 100% open source, so you interact with the open-source community where needed. 
 
Strong analytical skills are crucial given that you will participate in an ambitious team with constantly evolving IT and Earth Observation business needs. You are a fast thinker, "with a user-oriented focus, which allows you to quickly select the most appropriate solution depending on varying contexts. You are able to navigate complex code bases and are able to identify and solve performance problems in complex cloud-based environments. 

You'll become part of a talented, dedicated team working in a fast-paced, challenging international environment. We thrive to develop cutting edge technologies that will be used in applications and services by a broad public, industry, the public sector, and universities. 
 
Your responsibilities: 

• Identify potential improvements based on user feedback and operational metrics. 

• Independently carry out R&D work to integrate novel technologies like AI into openEO. 

• Create production-grade open-source software components. Ensure decent automated test coverage of delivered components 

• Provide support on customer issues 

• Together with the team, take responsibility over the operational platforms 

Must Have: 

• You have Scala and Python experience and in Agile software development 

• You have experience using Continuous Integration and testing frameworks (e.g. Jenkins) 

Nice to Have: 

• Experience in Apache Spark (=the main distributed processing environment) 

• Experience with open-source development flows 

• Experience in cloud native deployments is a plus 

• Proven experience in Kubernetes is an asset 

Offer

• We work 'activity-based', our activities bring us to our location. Our headquarter is in Mol. Hybrid / Part-time working from home or a satellite office in Antwerp-Berchem, Genk, Kortrijk, Leuven or Ostend is possible.

• A competitive salary with a range of benefits, including allowances, insurance and a modular package of holidays.

• Innovation is our asset, so it goes without saying that we give our employees the opportunity to take additional training courses and stay up-to-date in their field. You will always have the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and discover new technologies.

• You will have the opportunity to be part of an organization with an international reputation, known for its cutting-edge technological research and scientific consultancy.

• With us, you will contribute directly to sustainable developments at local, national and global level through your innovative applications. You provide answers to contemporary societal challenges.

• Moreover, we highly value a good work-life balance at VITO! This is achieved by adopting a flexible attitude depending on your specific needs.