Science Instruments Project Manager

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Archive Date: 
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Science Engineering
Institution Classification/Type: 
Other
Institution/Company: 
TMT International Observatory, LLC
City: 
Pasadena
State/Province: 
CA
Country: 
United States of America
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

Background
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project has been established to design, build and eventually operate an Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) with a primary mirror diameter of 30 meters. ELT’s will be the successors of the present day 8-10 meter telescopes. When complete the TMT will be one of the most powerful ground-based optical/infrared telescope in the Northern Hemisphere, providing the capability to study exciting astronomical problems from the nature of extra-solar planets to the first stars in the universe. An international collaboration consisting of the University of California, the California Institute of Technology, Canada, Japan, India and China has been formed to deliver this exciting observatory.

The TMT Project Office is located in Pasadena, CA, USA. The development of the various telescope systems will be distributed amongst the TMT partner institutions, collaborators, industry, and the Project Office. The TMT project recently entered construction and will be completed and ready for science operations in the late 2020s.

Reporting to the Science Instrument Group Leader, the Science Instrument Project Managers will play pivotal roles in the delivery of TMT’s early light instruments. The TMT project is looking for individuals who are self-motivated team players and excited by the opportunity to work on a highly visible, world class, international project that will significantly advance our understanding of the universe. The successful candidate will have the vision, experience, and dedication to ensure the successful delivery of their assigned instrument and will be proactive and innovative in his/her approach to meeting project goals within the constraints of schedule and budget.

For additional details and to see the latest about the project, please visit: www.tmt.org.

Job Summary
The TMT project includes the development of three science instruments to be delivered for use at the TMT Observatory at first light. These include IRIS, the Infra-Red Imaging Spectrograph, WFOS, the Wide-Field Optical Spectrograph, and MODHIS, the Multi-Object Diffraction-limited High-Resolution Infrared Spectrograph. Each instrument is being designed and built by an international consortium, according to the requirements, and the overall budget and schedule, defined by the TMT Project Office.

The Project Office is currently recruiting one of two Science Instrument Project Managers to oversee the development of IRIS and WFOS respectively. The position of Science Instrument Project Manager is an exciting hybrid role where the selected individuals will play the dual role of providing contract oversight from within the Project Office but also serve as the instrument’s overall Project Manager and as such work directly within the design team. Significant travel is expected as part of this position, including trips to Canada, China, Japan, India, and to the observatory site on the Big Island of Hawaii during the integration and commissioning phase of the project. These positions are based at the Project Office in Pasadena, CA.

About the instruments for these two positions
IRIS is an adaptive optics (AO)-assisted imager and spectrograph. IRIS is envisioned as a workhorse instrument designed to enable first light capabilities enabling a broad range of science. Specifically, IRIS offers a diffraction-limited imager that relays the on-axis portion of its beam to a spectrograph that provides the user two separate sampling techniques. To maximize its utility, IRIS includes a broad range of filters and gratings. As an AO-assisted instrument, IRIS also includes three on-instrument wavefront sensors and further provides its own field de-rotation. IRIS is currently in its final design phase.

WFOS is an optical spectrograph and envisioned as a workhorse instrument that operates over a wide field-of-view in a seeing-limited capacity. The WFOS instrument is currently in the early phase of its conceptual design and an international team is being formed. The instrument will offer multi-object spectroscopy for science targets discretely selected from within its field.
Both IRIS and WFOS have been prioritized by the TMT Science Advisory Committee (SAC).

Job Duties
The following is a list of job duties, minimum requirements and knowledge, skills and abilities a candidate for the position of Science Instrument Project Manager.

  • Function as the instrument’s overall Contract and Project Manager with full authority on all aspects and through all phases of instrument design and construction. You will be responsible to ensure the ultimate delivery of an instrument that meets requirements, on schedule and within budget.
  • Provide detailed weekly management of the instrument’s lead team and foster a collaborative environment between the Project Office and the other leads including the Principal Investigator (PI), Project Scientist (PS), Systems Engineer (SE), the instrument’s science team and various subsystem leads.
  • Communicate with the instrument team on a frequent, regular basis to track the technical and programmatic status of the instrument; report on status to TMT project management.
  • Negotiate and prepare Work Packages including drafting Statement of Work documents for each development phase.
  • Lead or support the creation of instrument budgets and schedules; while ensuring feasibility and alignment with the TMT processes and the overall integrated project plan.
  • Serve as the key point of contact within the TMT Project Office for all matters related to the status of the instrument development effort.
  • Communicate with the instrument team on a frequent, regular basis to track the technical and programmatic status of the instrument; report on status to TMT project management.
  • Coordinate communication and negotiation between the instrument team and other parts of the TMT project as needed, e.g. to define interfaces.
  • Monitor and promote instrument team compliance with TMT standards for Earned Value Reporting, System Engineering, Documentation, Quality Assurance, and Environment, Safety, and Health requirements, in collaboration with the responsible TMT Project Office staff.
  • Lead or support the development of plans for design and acceptance test reviews. As required, oversee the implementation of the plans, attend and participate in the instrument review meetings, and lead the instrument’s response to the committee reports.
  • Produce summary slides and progress reports for the Science Instrument Group Leader for inclusion in presentations to the SAC and Board. Attend and participate, as required, in SAC and other meetings and represent your instrument at public forums.
  • Participate in reviews of other TMT subsystems.
  • As required, support other priorities as they arise within the TMT science instrument group.


Minimum Requirements

  • A Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or an advanced degree in physics. Equivalent work experience will also be considered.
  • At least 10 years of experience managing the design and construction of advanced scientific or engineering instrumentation; experience with astronomical instrumentation and exposure to internationally distributed teams are both highly desirable.
  • Knowledge of contract management and procurement practices for large value technical contracts including experience negotiating and developing statements of work.
  • Extensive experience developing and monitoring schedules and budgets for technical projects; exposure to earned value reporting is highly desirable.
  • Excellent negotiation skills and a demonstrated ability to foster effective team cooperation.
  • Knowledge of systems engineering practices for large scientific or high-technology projects.
  • Self-motivated and capable to perform and deliver with minimal direction.
  • Excellent oral and written English communication skills.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to generate clear and concise technical documents and presentations.
  • Demonstrated ability to present programmatic and technical information clearly at meetings and reviews.
  • An ability to travel frequently both domestically and abroad.


Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

  • Demonstrated ability to multitask.
  • Knowledge of risk management
  • Experience organizing and conducting design reviews and acceptance tests.
  • Familiarity with modern engineering tools commonly used in opto-mechanical design such as SolidWorks, Zemax, etc. Knowledge of spectrograph design would be considered an asset.
  • Familiarity with engineering analysis methods e.g. FEA would be considered an asset.
  • Familiarity with astronomical instrumentation, large ground-based telescopes or observatory management would be considered a significant asset.
  • Knowledge of Hawai’i cultural and natural resources concerns and issues as well as previous experience on Mauna Kea would be considered an asset.
  • Familiarity with Mandarin and/or Japanese would be considered an asset.
Included Benefits: 

TMT offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including impressive retirement plans.

Application Deadline: 
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Selection Deadline: 
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Eric Chisholm
Title: 
Science Instruments Group Leader
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