Engineer II - Distributed Acoustic Sensing

at  Earthscope Consortium Inc

• This position is on-site at our EPIC facility in Socorro, New Mexico
  * This posting will be taken down once we have received the first 100 applications
  ** EarthScope Consortium Inc. is not able to sponsor applicants for work authorization within the United States.
  Job Title: Engineer II - DAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensing)
  Department: Instrumentation - Engineering Design
  Reports to: Engineering Design subunit Lead
  Employment Status: Full-Time
  FLSA Status: Exempt
  Remote Eligible: No, On-site, Socorro, New Mexico
  Travel Requirements: Up to 30%
  Salary Range: $74,400 - $92,900/year (depending on experience)

POSITION SUMMARY

The Engineer II (EII) manages and implements multiple field projects of varying complexity to provide technical support for geophysical instruments and networks. The incumbent will arrange logistics and participate in field operations at sites throughout the United States, polar latitudes, and other international locations. This position builds on instrumentation knowledge gained in previous engineering levels and works with members from their own team and other staff engineers from other projects and departments within the organization. Under supervision of the Engineering Manager, the incumbent will identify and propose new geophysical related technologies and assist with training of other staff and the user community. The EII will contribute to reporting and project documentation and ensure all work conforms to best practices and organizational standards. Engineers are ambassadors who represent these principles to scientists, landowners, sponsors, and other community members. The EII will report to the Engineering Manager or be tasked by a higher-level engineer within designated project and functional areas.

MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in engineering, geosciences, or related field with three (3) years of experience with geophysical sensors or networks

OR

• Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in engineering, geosciences, or related field and one (1) year of field experience with geophysical sensors or networks

PREFERRED SKILLS:

• Familiarity with data quality analysis software.

ASSIGNMENT-SPECIFIC POSITION SUMMARY

Positions in Instrumentation Services will include job specific addenda that specify and clarify Functional, Programmatic, and any Additional responsibilities that are pertinent to the position. This is in addition to the general Position Description requirements associated with the job title.

ASSIGNMENT-SPECIFIC PREFERRED SKILLS:

• Have proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or similar programming languages for algorithm development or data analysis.
• Field experience in a mixture of locations, including very remote and extreme environments.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability for the position:

• Technical knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures for geophysical sensors.
• Proficiency in the operation of hand and power tools (i.e., cordless drill, chop saw, grinder, etc.).
• Ability to take initiative to learn assigned technical/engineering skills within established time frames.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and independently to accomplish project goals.
• Ability to ensure personal accountability for the successful completion of projects.
• Ability to communicate effectively in speaking and writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Ability to apply logic and reasoning to solve moderately complex problems and make applicable decisions.
• Ability to understand moderately complex problems and to collaborate and explore alternative solutions.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work schedules for self and others.
• Ability to compute, analyze, and interpret data.
• Ability to make decisions which have modest impact on the job function and limited impact on the organization in general.
• Ability to lead and engage in safety training under challenging field conditions.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Appropriate availability consistent with EarthScope established practices and norms; hours may exceed 40 hours per week, particularly when traveling.
• If the employee is engaged in field operations, they are required to maintain appropriate safety training, including wilderness, avalanche, helicopter, first-aid, etc.
• A valid driver’s license is required.
• Must be able to comply with the EarthScope Consortium’s Motor Vehicle Policy.
• Frequent travel by commercial or contracted means including fixed and rotor winged aircraft, motor vehicle, boat, etc.
• A valid passport is required for polar and international projects.
• If deploying to polar environments, must be able to meet the Physical Qualification Determination for Arctic and Antarctic deployments (PESJ-POL_2000.09a).

PHYSICAL SETTING AND REQUIREMENTS:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability for the position above and beyond the knowledge, skills & abilities listed in the position description:

• Experience running operations for Fiber Optics Distributed Sensing applications (DAS, DSS, DTS)
• Experience in the analytics and data processing of Distributed Sensing Fiber Optic data
• Knowledge of signal processing methods
• Familiarity with time series data format
• Hands-on familiarity with laboratory equipment such as lasers, fusion splicers, photodiode detectors, electro-optic modulators, spectrophotometer, oscilloscopes, optical spectrum analyzers, network analyzers
• Advanced knowledge in distributed fiber optic interrogator development based on optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) and optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR

GENERAL ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES:

• Implement individual geophysical projects and assists with the execution of multiple projects of limited complexity, which may include logistics, site reconnaissance, site selection, permitting, installation activities, maintenance, network configuration, instrument operation, station communications and/or data flow activities as part of a portfolio of geophysical technologies.
• Identify and solve standard technical issues related to geophysical sensor hardware, firmware, software, metadata creation and management, and data communications and receive guidance on complex problems. Seeks direction when necessary.
• Assist with the design and testing of new systems.
• Under supervision of the Engineering Manager, evaluates instrument design and data/metadata to determine the adequacy of deployed and next generation systems.
• Assists with specifying station configurations and data/metadata collection strategies.
• Ensure appropriate documentation of activities and metadata using established tools, protocols, and databases as maintained by the organization.
• Draft detailed technical reports for review by the Engineering Manager.
• Assist with the development of technical documentation formats and feedback for projects.
• As directed by an Engineering Manager, may have variable budgeting responsibilities, including developing cost estimates that impact individual projects, providing summaries of progress on

statements of work, and tracking and submitting project expenditures.

• Participates with other departments within EarthScope on collaborative projects/opportunities.
• Develop and maintain good relationships with community members, suppliers, landowners, and business partners within areas of expertise and project assignments.
• Other duties may be assigned as necessary for the successful operation of EarthScope.

LEADERSHIP AND SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This position does not have supervisory responsibility.
• Foster a professional culture through the use of strong interpersonal skills, verbal and written communications with an emphasis on team building.
• Work with engineering and project teams.
• Act as lead engineer and point of contact if they are the ranking engineer in the field.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with other team members to ensure tasks are completed on time and with best practices.

ASSIGNMENT-SPECIFIC ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Functional responsibilities:

• Reports to and is supervised by the Engineering Department, Engineering Design subunit Lead.

  Programmatic responsibilities:

• Establish and operate a community based distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) program at the EPIC.

• Work with DAS instrumentation to set up community training program and work with Data group to establish metadata creation and curation protocols and data archive options.
• Works with other sensor test and evaluation group geophysical instrumentation projects as necessary.
• Programmatic responsibilities are coordinated through Portable Engineering group lead.

Assignment-specific Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability for the position above and beyond the knowledge, skills & abilities listed in the position description:

• Experience running operations for Fiber Optics Distributed Sensing applications (DAS, DSS, DTS)
• Experience in the analytics and data processing of Distributed Sensing Fiber Optic data
• Knowledge of signal processing methods
• Familiarity with time series data format
• Hands-on familiarity with laboratory equipment such as lasers, fusion splicers, photodiode detectors, electro-optic modulators, spectrophotometer, oscilloscopes, optical spectrum analyzers, network analyzers
• Advanced knowledge in distributed fiber optic interrogator development based on optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) and optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR)

EARTHSCOPE CONSORTIUM OPERATES THE U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION’S GAGE AND SAGE FACILITIES, AND COOPERATES WITH MEMBER UNIVERSITIES, FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND MANY INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS. AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ACADEMIC WORLD, AND STEWARDS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF US TAKE THESE RESPONSIBILITIES SERIOUSLY AND REPRESENT THE CONSORTIUM WITH THE HIGHEST OF PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL CONDUCT. IN TURN, KNOW THAT EARTHSCOPE PLACES A HIGH VALUE ON EMPLOYEES; AND WORKS DILIGENTLY TO PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS AND PROVIDE COMPETITIVE AND APPEALING BENEFITS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES.

To Apply: Applicants may apply by going to the EarthScope Consortium Career Center: https://www.earthscope.org/careers/