Engineering Manager, Observatory Operations
W. M. Keck Observatory seeks an Operations Engineering Manager for its Mauna Kea observatory facility on the Big Island of Hawaii. This position leads a multi-disciplinary engineering team that supports the operation of the twin telescopes, their enclosures, observing instruments, operational software, physical plant, summit labs and building. The position is located at observatory headquarters in Kamuela, Hawaii.
Responsibilities
• Ensure reliable and cost effective "on-sky" nightly operations through effective leadership and technical guidance of the engineering team;
• Optimize the performance of operational technical systems by taking a systems approach that teams together engineers from multiple engineering disciplines;
• Designate responsibility for operational systems and mentor Engineers to effectively analyze and resolve technical issues;
• Coordinate and facilitate response to complex critical faults that require multiple engineers;
• Maximize reliability of operational systems by promoting an organized, systematic, and well-communicated maintenance philosophy based on metrics and periodic analysis of results;
• Facilitate operations engineering team participation during the design, integration and installation of new capabilities in order to achieve a smooth transition into operations; and
• Assist with developing strategic annual and five year plans and manage the execution of such plans and projects.
Qualifications
• Minimum B.S. Engineering or equivalent;
• Minimum of five years’ experience at an operations oriented technical facility;
• Five or more years (concurrent okay) engineering management and supervision experience, including formal management training;
• Experience in an observatory environment preferred, with broad systems-level technical knowledge of telescopes, control systems, instrumentation, and industrial physical plant equipment;
• Experience leading mid-sized projects is preferred; and
• Familiarity with computerized maintenance management systems is preferred.
W. M. Keck Observatory is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The observatory operates the two biggest and most scientifically productive telescopes on Earth. Located on the summit of Mauna Kea, Island of Hawaii, the twin, 10-meter telescopes feature a suite of world-leading instruments including imagers, multi-object spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field spectroscopy and a revolutionary laser guide star AO system. The Observatory is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization and a scientific partnership of the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and NASA.
