Geospatial Data Architect

We are seeking a software engineer with expertise in geospatial data engineering and architecture. This role bridges the gap between data architects and geospatial developers, requiring a deep understanding of data structures, cloud-native formats like Zarr, and tools like TiTiler and GDAL. You’ll be supporting the development of the Sentinel Zarr Explorer in a project for advancing open-source geospatial technologies for Earth observation. You will work closely with colleagues and partners to design and implement scalable geospatial services while engaging with communities such as GeoZarr and the broader Earth Observation ecosystem.

You’ll collaborate with a team of engineers, project managers, and scientists across Europe to deliver open-source software for visualising and facilitating dynamic analysis of Earth observation data in Zarr format, particularly the data resulting from the re-engineering of the Sentinel data processors.

This is a remote-first position; you must be located in and authorized to work in one of the ESA member states. You will be working on our EU-based projects while also collaborating with our global team.

As a Geospatial Data Architect, you will:

• Write clean code and design clean architectures for geospatial data services using open-source technologies (e.g., STAC, dynamic tiling, Zarr) while ensuring scalability and compatibility with cloud platforms.
• Model and optimize geospatial data structures, considering constraints from components like TiTiler and OpenEO to enable efficient processing of Sentinel data.
• Collaborate with the engineering team on tasks that require a higher-level view of data modeling, such as defining schema design, data workflows, and integration with cloud-native formats (e.g., Zarr).
• Engage with the GeoZarr community to contribute to technical specifications, as well as related open-source projects and ensure alignment with industry standards.
• Participate in standardization working groups to establish specifications and recommendations for GeoZarr and particularly on the data multiscaling and overview challenges.
• Document performance benchmarks and share insights on data efficiency, scalability, and cloud compatibility.
• Support community initiatives, including webinars, conferences, and community sprint, to build a vibrant ecosystem around the Sentinel Zarr Explorer.
• Work in the open. We support open source, open data, and open science and take pride in our impact. As part of the Development Seed team, we encourage you to talk about your work through blogging and presentations at conferences, seminars, and workshops.

To be successful in this role, you will leverage your skills in building quality services that are consistent and accurately address requirements. An ideal candidate has experience with STAC, xarray, rio-tiler, GDAL and is excited to learn new tools, services, and approaches.

About you

Requirements:

• 3+ years of professional experience in collaborative software development with a focus on geospatial data systems.
• Expertise in Python for data services, including libraries like Xarray, Zarr, COG, and cloud-native formats.
• Strong understanding of data modeling and architecture, with the ability to design schema structures that align with constraints from tools like TiTiler and OpenEO.
• Experience with cloud-native geospatial technologies, including STAC, OGC API standards, and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with open-source geospatial ecosystems (e.g., GDAL, QGIS, STAC) and a track record of contributing to or maintaining open-source projects.
• Community engagement skills, including participation in forums, GitHub discussions, and collaboration with stakeholders like the GeoZarr community.
• Experience with Git, GitHub, and collaborative code development.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a distributed, remote setting.
• Located and authorized to work in an ESA member state.

Nice to have:

• Contributions to open-source geospatial projects, such as Xarray or Zarr client software.
• Experience with performance benchmarking for geospatial data processing.
• Contributions to geospatial data or metadata specifications.

As a Development Seed team member, you:

• Collaborate — Working as a team makes us stronger than any individual developer. You write clear GitHub tickets and communicate effectively on Slack and in person.
• Learn — We constantly evolve our technology stack and techniques to deliver the best work to our partners. You don't need to know any particular language or framework upfront, but demonstrate that you're able and excited to learn new building methods.
• Code — You write code that focuses on performance and maintainability. You also write detailed documentation before and after writing code.
• Care about the world and believe that we can do better — Social change is the foundation of everything we do. You are impatient about solving the world’s toughest challenges.

Are you not sure you tick all the boxes? We encourage you to apply. We have a culture of learning, and if this job description sounds exciting, we’d love to hear from you.

We have a comprehensive 5 step hiring process, designed to be thorough and engaging to ensure that you and our team have a clear understanding of how we can succeed together:

1. Application review
2. Introductory interview to get to know each other
3. Technical interview to talk about your technical skills, prior experience, and answer hypothetical questions about how you’d approach future projects
4. Team fit interview to align with our team's culture and your longer term career goals
5. Paid full day virtual interview activity for you to collaborate directly with our team members

Development Seed takes embracing differences and providing fair opportunities seriously. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.