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Instrumentation Engineer/Mechanical Engineer

UW Madison
Atmospheric Oceanic & Space Sciences Bldg-0156, United States, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 31 Jul 2026
💰 $67,500/yr

About the role

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Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Instrumentation Engineer I

Job Summary:

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Ice Drilling Program (IDP) group located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison supports ice drilling and subglacial rock coring development and operations for the NSF. IDP is a small team, composed mostly of engineers that conceptualize, design, test, and ultimately operate drilling equipment in glacial environments in the polar regions and all over the world. The selected candidate will work closely with multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers and technicians to develop state-of-the art unique ice coring and drilling systems for use in the polar regions. The selected candidate will support the development of engineering requirements; system design; component procurement; part fabrication; and system assembly, test and operational use. This includes defining and conducting trade studies and leading the development of mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical and thermal subsystems. Responsibilities may include leading test programs, procedure development, definition and development of unique test hardware, analysis of test data, and producing test reports. This position will also support the maintenance, problem resolution, and upgrade activities for legacy ice drilling systems and will maintain communications with internal and external partners. For more information on IDP, please visit https://icedrill.org/. 

This position is being posted at the Instrumentation Engineer I, II, and III levels. Level and pay are commensurate with experience.

This position is eligible for any of the following: 40% remote work. Remote work requires an approved flexible work arrangement (FWA) agreement. An FWA requires successful candidates to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. Per University policy, transportation between home and assigned work location is not payable/reimbursable and will be at the expense of the employee.

Key Job Responsibilities:

  • Provides expertise and experience in an area of discipline. Uses universally accepted computer design applications for modeling, analysis of design, and fabrication efforts
  • Helps prepare reports of design status and/or technical research for professional organizations, government/sponsor review boards, and design reviews
  • Supports efforts to identify problems, issues, and needs, and provides solution options in support of decision-making
  • Supports efforts to coordinate project activities
  • Conceptualizes, specifies, designs, constructs, integrates, operates, tests, calibrates, documents, and improves instrumentation systems

Selected candidate will be required to periodically deploy to remote camps in the polar regions for 1-3 month periods to provide technical support and field operation of equipment.

  • Supports research and development of new processes, techniques, and approaches for use in advanced instrumentation systems

Department:

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Space Science and Engineering Center

Compensation:

Starting salary will be based on experience and qualifications. Well-qualified applicants can anticipate a minimum starting annual salary of $67,500, with final salary based on experience and qualifications.

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf.

Required Qualifications:

- Experience in mechanical system design.
- Experience in the operation, analysis and deployment of mechanical and electromechanical systems.
- Computer Aided Design - skill in using or the ability to quickly learn the use of SolidWorks.
- Experience with machine assembly, including troubleshooting and fabrication of fixtures or tooling.
- Skill in using Microsoft Office products - Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively i

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Company

UW Madison

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