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Job Title Software Systems Engineer
Job Reference DIA0921/NH
Post Type Full-time / Permanent
Division Technical
Salary information Competitive
Application deadline 25/04/2014


Job Description

Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, Diamond enables world-leading research across a wide range of scientific disciplines and industrial applications.

Control systems for the three electron accelerators that make up Diamond are realised as a distributed, heterogeneous computing environment, using embedded systems for direct control of the technical subsystems and instrumentation, together with Linux workstations for the operator interfaces. Most of the embedded applications are coded in C or built using the EPICS control system toolkit, and the Linux applications use a combination of C, Java and scripting languages.

As a Software Systems Engineer working on the accelerator control systems your task will be to work closely with a team of scientists and engineers to specify and develop software and control systems to deliver ultra stable x-ray beams from the Diamond storage ring. 

Duties and Responsibilities to include:

  • Design and develop the Control Systems;
  • Commission and diagnose faults in installed Control Systems;
  • Provide operational support and analysis of installed Control Systems;
  • Interface with internal customers, including Engineers and Scientists, at all stages of the development life cycle to, for example, develop requirements, track project progress, and verify operation of Control Systems;
  • Contribute to the processes and associated software development to support the design of Control Systems throughout Diamond;
  • Report on progress in all areas on a periodic basis;
  • Support of contractors and suppliers of turn key Control Systems;
  • Maintain and develop technical expertise in software development;
  • Maintain a current knowledge of the Control Systems on other, comparable, beamline and accelerator projects;

Qualification & Experience - Essential

  • Honours degree in physics, Elec. Eng., Comp. science or Equivalent other degree and relevant experience;
  • Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, both orally and written;
  • Ability to solve technical problems, evaluating alternative courses of action and innovating where necessary;
  • Demonstrate self-motivation and a willingness to take responsibility;
  • Demonstrate ability to work as part of a team;
  • Demonstrate ability to work effectively alone and without direct supervision;
  • Relevant experience in the software design and/or programming of industrial or scientific systems; 
  • Knowledge and experience in programming in C;
  • Experience in developing software in a real time distributed control environment;
  • Knowledge and experience of developing in a Unix environment;
  • Knowledge and experience of developing with a source code control and structured release environment;
  • Experience of using software testing and debugging tools effectively and developing automated test harnesses;
  • A requirement of the role is that additional overtime at unsociable hours may need to be worked;
  • The role holder may need travel in the UK and abroad, including occasional periods away from home;
  • Be prepared to undertake further training;

Qualification & Experience - Desirable

  • Knowledge and experience of developing with a source code control and structured release environment;
  • Knowledge and experience of embedded systems;
  • Knowledge and experience of Linux on PC’s;
  • Knowledge of networking protocols;

Further Information

Applying for employment

For further details on applying for employment at Diamond, please visit our 'Application Form' page.

Appointments will be made depending on the skills and experience of the candidate. Electronic Diamond application forms in MS-Word are preferred. These should be emailed to recruitment@diamond.ac.uk



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