Mid – Signal Processing Engineer
Engineering/Technical
Cape Town – Western Cape
ENVIRONMENT:
A radio astronomy company is seeking a Signal Processing Engineer to plan, implement, modify, administer, and verify telescope correlator-beamformers and related signal processing systems. The role involves participating in the engineering processes throughout the lifecycle of the signal processing subsystem, from implementation to operations. Candidates should possess an understanding or experience in Systems Engineering, Agile methodologies, and DevOps processes, and demonstrate proficiency in Python, Git, Test-Driven Development, Test Automation, and Continuous Integration. The engineer will be part of the Computing and Software team, collaborating with technical experts, senior developers, and junior developers. A BTech, BEng, MTech, MEng, or PhD in Electronic Engineering, Digital Signal Processing, Control Systems, Computer Science, or related fields is required.
Key Responsibilities:
- Implement and verify correlator-beamformers and related signal processing systems.
- Assist in refining systems engineering and operations documentation.
- Support users and operators, and implement releases, system changes, and fixes.
- Collaborate with the Correlator Beamformer construction teams.
- Work with the system/array integration team to support correlator integration and testing.
- Serve as a senior technical specialist within the Computing and Software team, supporting signal processing and correlator operations.
- Establish and maintain professional relationships with the Digital Signal Processing team.
- Participate in project management and activity management activities.
- Attend relevant training and courses to enhance knowledge and skills.
- Research new technologies, methods, or approaches for organizational use.
- Participate in innovation and technology development initiatives.
- Mentor junior engineers and pursue further education as necessary.
Key Requirements:
Qualification:
- BTech, BEng, MTech, MEng, or PhD in Electronic Engineering, Digital Signal Processing, Control Systems, Computer Science, or related fields.
Experience:
- BTech with 6 years of relevant experience, or
- BEng/MTech with 4 years of relevant experience, or
- MEng with 3 years of relevant experience, or
- PhD with 1 year of relevant experience in Digital Signal Processing, FPGA design, development and verification, and software engineering, preferably in an engineering development project environment.
- Experience with multirate DSP algorithms, including FFTs, FIR and IIR filters, DDS, DDCs, and operational concepts such as data buffering, transposing, and reordering.
- Experience in parallel, multirate DSP algorithm development and implementation, with experience in accelerating these implementations on FPGAs or general HPC (e.g., CPU/GPU).
- Proficiency in Python, C/C++, MATLAB, or Simulink, with experience in development, testing, deployment, commissioning, release, and support of projects.
- Specialization or leadership in one or more required job knowledge areas.
- Experience mentoring junior engineers.
Knowledge:
- Common radio astronomy instrumentation: spectrometers, correlators, beamformers, pulsar timing machines, and transient search machines.
- Multi-rate and parallel implementations of DSP operations such as FFTs, Filters (FIR, IIR), DDS, DDCs.
- Memory devices such as SRAM/QDR, DDR-DRAM, or HMC/HBM.
- Ethernet FPGA controller implementations.
- Systems engineering processes.
- Ethernet network technologies and management of switches and routers.
- Linux operating system and standard tools.
- Practical experience configuring instrumentation, integrating, and commissioning DSP systems.
- Willingness to transition between system development and system support and operations.
Skills/Competencies/Abilities:
Essential:
- Design, implementation, and verification of high-speed digital computer and electronics hardware and systems.
- System engineering life cycle processes, including documentation, requirement analysis, architecture design, implementation, integration, and acquisition.
- Multi-rate and parallel implementations of DSP operations such as FFTs, Filters (FIR, IIR), DDS, DDCs.
- Memory devices such as SRAM/QDR, DDR-DRAM, or HMC/HBM.
- Ethernet FPGA controller implementations.
- Ethernet network technologies and management of switches and routers.
- Linux operating system and standard tools.
ATTRIBUTES:
- Passion for Excellence
- World-class service
- People-centered
- Respect
- Integrity and Ethics
- Accountability
