Visa Sponsored Job:

No

Relocation Assistance Eligible:

No

Job Location:

Boulder, Colorado

Position Type:

Full time, Term - 6 months or more (Fixed Term)

Compensation Range:

Salary Range $77,486 - $96,860

*Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role.*

Job Description Summary

UCAR is excited to announce the job opening for the COSMIC Electrical Engineer II role. For nearly three decades, UCAR’s COSMIC Program has been at the forefront of Global Navigation Satellite System-Based (GNSS) remote sensing - from leading the first GPS radio occultation (RO) mission in the mid-1990s to producing data that today ranks among the most impactful inputs to global weather forecasting and space weather specification. RO data characterize atmospheric conditions worldwide by tracking satellite navigation signals from orbit, and also serve as a calibration benchmark for microwave and infrared observing systems.

This position joins a small, high-impact team developing next-generation instrumentation for GNSS radio occultation and reflectometry (GNSS-RO/R). The incumbent will work at the intersection of cutting-edge hardware engineering and atmospheric science, designing systems whose data products are used operationally by weather agencies and research institutions around the world.

The UCAR COSMIC Program has been a leader in the retrieval and scientific application of GNSS, e.g. GPS, data since UCAR led the GPS/MET GPS radio occultation (RO) mission in the mid 1990s. It contributed to the design, management, and operation of both the FORMOSAT-3 / Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC-1) and the COSMIC-2/FORMOSAT-7 (COSMIC-2) missions. The COSMIC Program strives to provide innovative and cost-effective remote sensing observations, data products, and data utilization support to benefit scientific research, research to operations, operations, and education and training in the atmospheric and related sciences.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and various UCAR Cooperative Programs (UCP) – all in service of advancing knowledge, providing community-based resources, and building human capacity in atmospheric and related sciences.

Job Description

Application Deadline: This position will be posted until 11:59:59 pm MT on Friday, May 8. Applications will not be accepted past this date.

Required application materials (preferably in PDF Format): 

• Resume 

• Cover Letter
  In lieu of a traditional cover letter, answer the prompt below that addresses the critical skills needed for this position. Your answers will be read and weighed equally to your Resume/CV and should provide specific, detailed, and informative responses based on your direct and previous work experiences. Please keep your cover letter to 1-2 pages. 

  • Describe a hardware or instrumentation project where you led FPGA or SDR development from design through implementation. What were the key technical challenges, and how did you resolve them?

  • Describe an experience working across engineering and scientific disciplines (e.g. translating between hardware constraints and research requirements, or communicating complex technical results to a non-engineering audience).

Background checks are conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more.

Position Term: 1 year term position (with the possibility of extension, funding permitted).

Work Location Expectations:  This position is open to candidates seeking in-person and hybrid (combination of 3 days in-person and 2 days of remote) opportunities. UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories. 

What You Will Do

Here is a summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

Key Responsibilities

Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) & Software Defined Radio (SDR) Development

• Work with scientists, engineers, and software engineers to develop digital signal processing algorithms to be implemented within a GNSS software defined radio (SDR). This includes development of System on a Chip