ALMA Senior Instrument Engineer

Duties and Responsibilities:

Within the Joint ALMA Observatory (Chile), the ALMA Department of Engineering is responsible for allaspects of the technical operation of the Array. This includes: preventive and corrective maintenance for major array sub-systems; problem reporting & tracking; re-verification of array systems and sub-systems; antenna transportation and array re- configuration; as well as support of development projects.

The Sr. Instrument Engineer will be a member of the Engineering Services Group (ESG) within the ALMA Department of Engineering. The position will report to the Observatory System Engineer regarding technical matters and to the ESG Manager for other aspects. He/she will work closely with system astronomers of the Department of Science Operations, ADE engineering staff and the Executives' engineering staff.

Main Responsibilities

• Bring technical knowledge of astronomical instrumentation to the observatory and transfer such knowledge to the broader engineering staff;
• Lead the observatory fault diagnostics effort through problem analysis and liaison between system astronomers and engineering staff to facilitate this process;
• Support the technical investigation of major technical failures through a formal non-conformance process;
• Monitor the technical performance of the array and propose, design, and lead the implementation of upgrades to optimize performance and the overall operations of ALMA instrumentation;
• Support the ALMA development program by providing technical review and analysis of project proposals, as well as other relevant documentation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Professional Requirements/Qualifications

The candidate should meet the following qualifications:

• Masters degree in Electronic Engineering, Physics or equivalent expertise. A PhD will be considered an asset;
• A minimum of 5 years experience with astronomy instrumentation, preferably related to (sub-) mm wavelength single-dish or interferometry systems;
• Demonstrated experience with using scripting languages, such as python, to execute testing of instrumentation;
• Familiarity with systems engineering and product assurance processes as applied to large engineering projects;
• Familiarity with modern astronomical data analysis packages such as CASA;
• Strong knowledge of application software, including spreadsheets, word processing, planning programs and use of web facilities;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, high ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural environment;
• Excellent level of written and spoken English. Knowledge of Spanish or the willingness to obtain a basic level of the language would be an advantage;
• Ability to work at a remote location such as an astronomical observatory;
• Physical health compatible with high altitude conditions (sites are located at 2900m and 5000m above sea level);

Due to travel requirements and work at high altitudes, a successful high altitude medical check is a necessary condition of employment for this position.

Duty Station / Location of Position

The position is based at the ALMA Operations Support Facility (OSF) near San Pedro de Atacama at 2900m with occasional visits to the ALMA office in Santiago, Chile. The candidate may be required occasionally to work at the Array Operations Site (AOS) at 5000m above sea level.

Starting Date

As soon as possible.

Contract

An initial contract is intended for a period of three years with the possibility of a fixed-term or indefinite extension. Actual contractual terms will be defined by the selected employer (ESO, AUI/NRAO or NAOJ).

Remuneration

ALMA International Staff will be recruited as employees of either ESO or AUI/NRAO or NAOJ. Each of these employers offer competitive remuneration packages including a competitive salary as well as comprehensive social benefits, and provide financial support in relocating families. Furthermore, if applicable, an expatriation allowance as well as some other allowances will be added.

Qualified applicants are invited to apply by submitting an application to ESO, AUI/NRAO or NAOJ. Applications must be completed in English and should include a cover letter, CV, and three letters of reference.

Applicants submitting their application to ESO are invited to apply online at https://jobs.eso.org/ The position requires three letters of reference which shall be sent to vacancies@alma.cl.

Applicants submitting their application to AUI/NRAO are invited to apply online at. https://cw.na1.hgncloud.com/nrao/index.do Also, three reference letters are required. Applicants submitting their application to NAOJ are invited to apply by sending their cover letter, CV and three letters of reference via email to Tetsuo Hasegawa at tetsuo.hasegawa@nao.ac.jp. Deadline for receipt of applications to be considered for the position is September 24th 2015.

For further information please consult (almaobservatory.org), as well as the ESO,NRAO, and/or NAOJ Home Pages: (www.eso.org), (www.nrao.edu) (alma.mtk.nao.ac.jp/e/).

ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ are Equal Opportunity Employers.