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Software Engineer
Software Engineering
Posted on Oct 28, 2026
Founded in 1987 by the late David Packard, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a nonprofit oceanographic research center advancing marine science and engineering to understand our changing ocean. Located in Moss Landing, California, the heart of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, MBARI offers ready access to the open ocean and deep sea. Ongoing research programs range across autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicle systems, control technologies, ocean physics, chemistry, geology, biology, ocean instrumentation, and information management. MBARI hosts approximately 200 employees, with shore facilities that include state-of-the-art science and engineering laboratories, manufacturing and electrical fabrication shops, and dock facilities for MBARI vessels.
MBARI’s engineering department is offering a rare opportunity to collaborate with leading ocean researchers in shaping the future of ocean technology at our state-of-the-art facilities in Moss Landing, CA. We are looking for someone to join a group of engineers tasked with developing and maintaining software infrastructure across a wide range of challenges related to oceanographic science.
MBARI builds and maintains systems spanning the full data lifecycle — from capture and storage through processing, quality control, and publication — across decades-long time series, real-time autonomous vehicle data streams, image and video archives, and science-ready data products. This work spans heterogeneous distributed systems that cross ship, shore, and cloud environments. The ideal candidate works well with a wide variety of colleagues from marine operations, engineering, and science.
While first-order tasks will focus on supporting and improving existing infrastructure, there are significant areas for growth as MBARI continues to expand its data capabilities to support the growing volume and diversity of data in ocean science. This role includes requirements gathering, software application design, deployment, and support, as well as occasional participation in field operations for testing and research, and contribution to publications and presentations.
Required qualifications:
- Five or more years of relevant experience in software system design and implementation
- Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary groups
- Excellent interpersonal, critical thinking, and communication skills
- Sound practices in all phases of software development, including design, development, and testing
- Proficiency with Linux/Unix environments, including command-line tools, shell scripting, and version control
- Proficiency in Python and/or other languages used in scientific computing environments
- Experience with relational databases, data pipelines, and REST/messaging APIs
- Experience applying engineering processes to projects of varying scope (project management, revision control, configuration management, design reviews, etc.)
- Able to work in varied environments, including laboratories, test facilities, and ships
- Must be able to travel occasionally and work at sea for specified periods of time
Desired qualifications:
- Experience with scientific data systems, research computing, or environmental data infrastructure
- Experience with containerization technologies (Docker/Podman) and cloud storage platforms
- Familiarity with heterogeneous distributed systems
- Background in marine science, oceanography, or environmental remote sensing
- Experience with scientific data formats and metadata standards for data interoperability
- Familiarity with Java, Scala, or other statically typed languages