Job Description

Your responsibilities

Are you a Software Engineer with an interest in working on complex systems? Are you ready to join CERN’s Efficient Particle Accelerator (EPA) project, and to take an active role in the development of the future software systems used to control CERN’s particle accelerators? Take Part!

You will join the Machine Protection Controls Software team (TE-MPE-CB) and the LHC
Beams Operations Software team (BE-OP-LHC) and together extend the software
framework enabling the commissioning of the superconducting electrical circuits of the Large Hadron Collider. The system will be scaled to all CERN accelerators and all their
sub-systems: beam instrumentations, interlocks, collimators, etc.

This work is inscribed in the Efficient Particle Accelerator (EPA) project, which is aimed at
enhancing the operational efficiency of the CERN particle accelerator complex through
improved software, automation, and machine learning.

In this activity, you will have a unique opportunity to closely collaborate with a variety of
people working together at the heart of CERN, from the senior software engineers of CERN Controls system to the operation of the accelerator complex.

You can expect to:

• Become part of an agile and quality-oriented team of skilled software engineers and physicists providing solutions essential for the CERN Controls System and daily accelerator operation;
• Interact with operators, physicists, equipment experts, and software engineers to understand the domain, the controls challenge it poses, the operational needs and help translate these into appropriate software solutions;
• Collaborate with experienced software engineers, operators, physicists to review the existing commissioning system and identify possibilities and requirements for future improvements;
• Participate in the complete software development lifecycle (requirements, design, development, testing), following an agile methodology.

The technology stack of the CERN Accelerator Commissioning system includes:

• Java (Spring and Spring Boot ecosystem);
• Oracle RDBMS;
• gRPC based APIs with Java and Python client libraries;
• Java Swing GUIs;
• DevOps and CI/CD with Gitlab, Gradle, and containers.

Your profile

Skills

• Experience in Java application development using Spring;
• Experience in developing and maintaining software products, from analysis to
  operations;
• Experience applying software quality assurance techniques and practices (testing, code reviews, etc.);

Advantageous knowledge/experience (consider applying even if you don’t meet these):

• Basic knowledge, or willingness to acquire, of Java Swing for occasional improvement of operational GUIs;
• Curious and quality-oriented mindset;
• Experience with gRPC is a strong asset

Language skills:

• Fluent in English, the ability to work in French would be an advantage.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• You have a professional background in Software Engineer (or a related field) and have either:
  • a Master’s degree with 2 to 6 years of post-graduation professional experience;
  • or a PhD with no more than 3 years of post-graduation professional experience.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.

Additional Information

Job closing date: 09.12.2024 at 23:59h (midnight) CET.

Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.

Job reference: BE-OP-LHC-2024-174-GRAP

Field of work: Software Engineering and IT

Note: there are a total of 2 job openings with the same profile, one in the BE and the other in the TE department. Be reassured that candidates of both openings will be taken into
account. It is recommended to apply for both positions: BE-OP-LHC-2024-174-GRAP and
TE-MPE-CB-2024-166-GRAP.

What we offer

• A monthly stipend ranging between 6212 and 6828 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax).
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Depending on your individual circumstances: installation grant; family, child and infant allowances; payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of contract.
• 30 days of paid leave per year.
• On-the-job and formal training at CERN as well as in-house language courses for English and/or French.

About us

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

We are on a Quest. A Journey into discovery like no other. Bring your expertise to our unique work and develop your knowledge and skills at pace. Join world-class subject matter experts on unique projects, in a Quest for greater knowledge and deeper understanding.

Begin your CERN Quest. Take Part!

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN’s mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.