HET Mechanical Engineering Associate, McDonald Observatory

Job Posting Title:

HET Mechanical Engineering Associate, McDonald Observatory

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Hiring Department:

McDonald Observatory

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

MCDONALD OBSERVATORY

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Job Details:

General Notes

This position is located at McDonald Observatory, 16 miles from Fort Davis, Texas (440 miles from The University of Texas at Austin campus). Residence in the Observatory's residential community may be available and required. Position may be subject to “call-back” as an essential employee for emergency or critical response. Must be eligible to work in the US on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Science Instrument Support. Responsible for the evaluation, selection, application, and documentation of standard mechanical engineering techniques to support the maintenance and continued improvement of science instruments. Coordinate with instrument specialists and developers in Austin. Monitor and maintain instrument vacuum levels. Swap multiplexers and controllers as needed to improve instrument performance. Install and remove units as needed. Maintain VIRUS maintenance and support hardware. Run Defocused Spectral Flats on VIRUS.

• Preventive Maintenance. Tests, assists and inspects lifts, compressors, generators, and other equipment for conformity to specifications. Perform periodic detailed inspections and preventive maintenance of equipment and systems and maintains electronic records of inspections and maintenance. Follows and assists in developing maintenance procedures and establishes schedules for equipment or systems that have not yet been defined.

• Repairs. Troubleshoot and follow detailed maintenance procedures and technical manual instructions for repairs. Maintains electronic records of inspections and maintenance.

• Design Projects. Provides system-level design and engineering support for components, products, and system applications. Evaluates and determines procedures to be used in the design of research projects. Performs and report results of professional-level work involving mechanical designs. When appropriate, proposes, designs, and implements hardware and/or procedural improvements.

• Safety. Practices safe work habits. Identifies, reports, and helps remove safety hazards. Adheres to facility safety policies. Uses Personal Protective Equipment properly. Contributes to the development of newer safety policies.

• Teamwork. Works within a team environment and with end users to determine project requirements. Work with the HET mechanical engineer, engineering manager, and facility manager to determine priority and schedules. Work with other HET teams to balance the use of limited resources and coordinate tasks. Assist personnel from Austin when necessary. Work with vendors and contractors.

• Extended Duties. Respond as necessary to night-time/weekend repair and maintenance calls from telescope operations staff.

• Machine Shop. Maintain machine shop and storage containers for cleanliness and safety. Ensure machines are in acceptable working order. Maintain stock of fasteners, tooling, spares, etc.

• Operations. Periodically performs operations engineering duty.

• Administrative Tasks. Participate in the weekly HET staff meetings. Submit daily activity reports and weekly timesheets. Other duties as required to meet business needs.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or a related field with up to two years of experience maintaining, repairing, and troubleshooting scientific instruments and/or mechanical systems in an astronomical research or optical lab environment. Hands-on experience with machine tools and workshop equipment. Ability to work with precision measuring tools. Good mechanical aptitude. Ability to organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines and expectations. Experience with Microsoft Office products. Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and willingness to work hard. Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision. Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment and in a professional manner. Demonstrated ability to develop and document procedures, update the information to a database and create reports of equipment status. Safety conscious.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's Degree in the field related to the work to be performed. Experience working with optics and/or instrumentation. E