Mechanical Engineer

Canada France Hawaii Telescope Corporation (CFHT) operates a world-class 3.6-meter telescope at the summit of Maunakea in Hawaii. With state-of- the-art instruments working in the visible and NIR wavelength bands, CFHT consistently rates among the highest in the world in science impact. Over the next decade, CFHT will be transformed into the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) (https://mse.cfht.hawaii.edu), an 11.25m aperture telescope feeding a massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey machine, capable of capturing thousands of astronomical objects simultaneously.

CFHT/MSE are seeking a talented, creative and inspired mechanical engineer to become an integral member of a small, multidisciplinary team to support telescope operations. The successful candidate will support servicing and maintenance of the existing CFHT telescope and dome, its drive and control systems and the observatory’s mechanical infrastructure. The candidate would trouble-shoot if and when failures occur and take on projects to upgrade and repair various systems or components as needed. At the same time, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in the transition from CFHT to MSE by first planning and setting requirements for the new facility and then coordinating the efforts of subcontractors and collaborators in upgrading the CFHT industrial infrastructure into MSE. This person will work closely with both the CFHT team as well as the MSE Project Office to ensure that the scientific community continues to be provided with the highest quality of scientific output.

Relevant experience:

If you are an engineer with strong foundation in mechanical engineering holding either a B.S. degree with at least 3 or more years of experience, or an M.S. with 1 year of experience or if you have equivalent knowledge and experience in mechanical engineering or a closely related field, and are excited to learn new skills, we would like to speak with you.

We are particularly interested in engineers with hands-on experience designing and building things that work, trouble-shooting systems when they don’t work and an ability to adapt their skills to new situations. Experience and ability to detail these engineering exercises in clear and concise written and or verbal reports is a necessity. Additional experience with mechanical systems, PLC-based systems and analytical skills (FEA) would be strong plus. Previous astronomical observatory, national lab, or aerospace experience and exposure to large scale project management and the requirements and documentation that go along with a large project would also be an asset.

Location

The mechanical engineer position is based at CFHT Headquarters in beautiful Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The position requires frequent trips to the summit and is on-call for observatory support nights and weekends as needed.

Internships and mentoring

CFHT believes strongly in helping to develop a STEM workforce in Hawaii. So it participates in numerous outreach and mentoring activities for students within Hawaii and abroad, including the Akamai Workforce Development Internship Program (https://akamaihawaii.org/interning/) and Maunakea Scholars programs (http://cfht.hawaii.edu/en/news/MaunakeaScholars/). A desire and capability to mentor student interns would be a plus.

Important dates

The position will be open until filled.  For full consideration please apply via the attached website on or before June 1, 2019.

More Information:

All applicants must submit their application through our online portal at https://cfht.applicantpro.com/jobs/.  The full position description may be downloaded at this site.