Initial draft of Cycle 4 core maintainer proposal

Author: dhomeier

finance/proposal-calls/cycle4/homeier.md

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+# Core Maintainer, CoCo and Affiliated Editor support for Derek Homeier
+
+### Project Team
+Derek Homeier
+
+### Project Description
+Ensure core working time availability for work on the Coordination Committee (until end of 2025)
+and as editor for Affiliated package reviews. 
+Continue role as astropy core and io.ascii maintainer and responder
+to user support and contributor's issues; support development of specutils as time allows.
+
+### Project / Work
+
+#### Serving on the Astropy Coordination Committee until October 2025 at a minimum,
+and Affiliated package editor, consolidating the new partnership with pyOpenSci,
+period tbd.
+
+- Participate in CoCo telecons and developer meeting organisation as appropriate.
+
+- Work on SOC for the 2024 Coordination Meeting.
+
+- Participate in HPC and Spectroscopy/NDdata working groups.
+
+- Once the Affiliated package management in the pyOpenSci has stabilised, I may ask to
+  step down as editor, which would free up time for increased contributions to `specutils`.
+  
+#### Continue roles as general (core) and `io.ascii` maintainer.
+
+- Revisit possible integration of the faster Numpy `loadtxt` C parser now available.
+
+#### Support for Software Operations in responding to support requests:
+
+- Monitor Openastronomy Discourse, Facebook Python in Astronomy groups, Slack channels, mailing
+  list and Github issues for questions in need of response, identifying potential assignees.
+
+- Review PRs especially from new/first time contributors.
+
+### Approximate Budget
+currency: US $
+
+- External contractor fees: 6 hours weekly for 90 weeks over 2 years, a total of 540 hours
+  (accounting for holidays) @ $120 / hour
+
+- TOTAL: $64,800
+
+- Minimum viable amount: estimated at $21,600 per year for 4 hr / week
+
+### Period of Performance
+Asking for a funding period of 2 years starting in May 2024, which would extend about
+6 months past my current term as CoCo member.