Technical/Research Assistant

Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI) is seeking to fill a technical assistant position to support project efforts at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The technical assistant will perform data quality control, maintenance, distribution, and visualization from the ground remote sensing instruments. The ground-based remote sensing data products produced in this system are acquired, processed, archived, and distributed publicly by NASA and used in various research and operational applications worldwide. The project’s primary objectives are supporting satellite validation and verification, earth system sciences, and long-term air quality and atmospheric composition monitoring.

The successful candidate will interface with the project team, site managers/instrument PIs, laboratory personnel, and science team members to maintain regular instrument health checks and solve challenges in a hybrid operational and scientific research environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Routinely monitor instrument operation at multiple sites
• Diagnose instrumentation/operation issues
• Work with the site managers and PIs to resolve instrumentation/operation issues
• Develop/improve routines and tools to automate instrument monitoring
• Document instrumentation/operation issues and their solutions
• Communicate instrumentation/operation issues and their solutions to the NASA team
• Assist with the NASA team website, data distribution, and visualization.
• Innovate in problem solving.
• Work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic, highly team-oriented environment.
• Deploy instrumentation at ground sites.
• Assist in instrument calibration and technical repairs.

• Domestic or international travel may be needed to attend conferences, meetings, workshops, and instrument deployments.

• 
  Bachler degree in science or engineering or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Strong data analytical skills to identify errors and develop solutions
• Strong problem solving skills, technical predisposition
• Intermediate proficiency in an interpreted, open-source language such as Python.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Strong oral and written communication skills (working remotely and face-to-face)
• Strong organizational and time-management skills

Desired Skills and Qualities:

• Experience debugging technical issues
• Experience monitoring instrumentation operation
• Experience working with optical instrumentation
• Research experience
• Working in diverse environments
• Knowledge of interpreting geospatial databases for various applications.
• Knowledge or interest in physical principles and methods used in remote sensing.
• Experience in data analysis and visualization for the Earth or physical sciences.

EOE, including disability/vets

Physical Requirements: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands to touch, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee frequently is required to talk and hear and occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.