This position has been closed
| Job Title: Geospatial and Remote Sensing Data Specialist |
| Location: Twin Cities |
| Regular/Temporary: Regular |
| Job ID: 370237 |
| Job Code: 9791GS |
| Empl Group: Acad Prof and Admin |
| Full/Part Time: Full-Time |
Help Make a Difference in Polar & Environmental Science
The Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, is seeking a geospatial and remote sensing data specialist to join the PGC team. The position performs advanced remote sensing and geospatial data analytics and provides technical expertise and user support to researchers, scientists, and logistics personnel utilizing PGC geospatial resources and services.
The successful candidate must be able to multitask and work on a variety of projects both independently and in collaboration with others. The applicant should possess strong problem-solving skills and the ability to learn quickly. Work at PGC is fast-paced and constantly evolving, so the applicant must have good organizational and communication skills.
The applicant is expected to serve as the single point-of-contact for clients using remote sensing and geospatial data to advance their research, assess users’ needs and recommend or design appropriate solutions. They will integrate requirements from scientific and logistics users to understand evolving needs, design user training sessions/tutorials, author cartographic products for various applications. They are also expected to develop and maintain tools and scripts for image processing and analysis, as well as manage production using these tools on HPC computing infrastructure. Knowledge of scripting and GIS and Remote Sensing concepts is required.
What You’ll Do
In your first week you will be introduced to the PGC team and PGC’s role in geospatial science. You will learn about the core systems that drive data storage and access. You will have dedicated training on PGC’s data resources, project tracking systems (github, trello), and development cadences. You will also attend various weekly meetings to learn how PGC operates.
In your first month you will begin contributing to a set of projects that support PGC’s data operations. You will take on the responsibility of managing a portfolio of PGC users as a PGC Point of Contact and help manage incoming requests for geospatial support and data. You will learn how to play an integral role in the user request and software development lifecycles.
In your first year you will become an important member of the PGC team and help manage student projects and workloads. You will interact with researchers and polar operations personnel to help them use satellite imagery and geospatial data to serve their science. Your expertise in polar science and data will grow. You will work collaboratively with the Products & Data and User Services teams to build tools that leverage PGC’s data archive to serve the polar science community.
The Geospatial/Remote Sensing Data Specialist responsibilities include:
- Design, develop, and maintain robust geospatial software tools for automated processing of satellite imagery and other remote sensing data. This includes implementing algorithms for geometric corrections, radiometric calibrations, and image enhancements, as well as generating orthorectified imagery, mosaics and digital elevation models. Ensure software integrates with existing infrastructure and make system architecture decisions independently. (35%)
- Manage multiple geospatial data projects simultaneously by collaborating with team members (including students). Plan and execute projects with little oversight and make recommendations on Center resource allocation. Ensure project deliverables meet quality standards (15%)
- Serve as the single point-of-contact for clients using remote sensing and geospatial data to advance their research. Assess user needs and recommend or design appropriate solutions regarding geospatial data access and utilization, processing capabilities, and technical specifications. This role is a primary technical liaison to numerous clients. The person is expected to be able to act with little oversight in this function. (25%)
- Integrate requirements from scientific and logistical users to understand evolving needs and make recommendations for data infrastructure and client support improvements. Design user training sessions and create tutorials for geospatial tools and workflows. (10%)
- Author cartographic products and figures for various applications and consumer media. (10%)
- Contribute to PGC’s engagement efforts and represent PGC to the public at conferences/workshops and outreach opportunities. Maintain current knowledge of geospatial technologies and polar research applications. (5%)
Values
PGC is a science support organization that is built on these values:
- Diversity and Respect: A mix of experiences, ideas, and approaches makes all our work better
- Initiative: The drive to try, learn, or problem solve is inspiring and aids progress
- Engage: Collaborate, learn, and return knowledge between different communities
Benefits
The Office of Human Resources has a guide to the University’s benefits including the Regent’s Scholarship, Faculty Retirement Plan, Leave, and Medical.
For this job, the expected salary range is from $83k to $98k.
Qualifications
- Advanced degree and 1+ years experience in Geography, Earth Sciences, Remote Sensing, GIS, or similar science field
- Proficiency in GIS/Remote Sensing principles, software, and analysis
- Experience with satellite imagery processing and geospatial data analysis
- Experience in collaborative software development, particularly in Python
- Strong visual , written, and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
- Customer service orientation with experience supporting technical users
- Knowledge of statistical analysis and data interpretation
- Experience with community outreach or stakeholder engagement
Interviews
We use two interviews.
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- A brief one-on-one virtual interview to determine qualifications are met and/or clarify details from application (30 min)
- A panel interview with team members and PGC leadership (90 min)
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Second round interviews will be conducted in a consistent format for all candidates.The format may be in-person or in a remote setting depending on the candidate pool.
Answers to Some Common Questions
- Is this job remote or in person?
- Currently our work location is a hybrid environment that adheres to the Universities Work with Flexibility Guidelines. Staff are asked to have an in-office presence on two suggested PGC team days with the flexibility to be in-person or remote on non- PGC team days. PGC remains committed to providing a flexible work environment that fosters collaboration, teamwork, and effective support of our polar science community.
- Do I need to be in Minnesota?
- Yes. You should be within commuting distance of Minneapolis, MN.
- Is travel involved or required?
- There are opportunities to travel for professional development, training courses, and outreach initiatives.
- How about visas or relocation funds?
- Academic Support Resources does not currently:
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- sponsor visas
- offer relocation funds
- offer signing bonuses
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How to Apply
Ready to apply? Great! Before you start, you should have:
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- A resume
- 1-2 page formatted document
- A cover letter
- Tell us what excites you about this job, work you’ve done and career goals
- Names and contact information (phone and email) for three references
- Mentors, bosses, co-workers, people you study with or talk to at meetups
- These will be needed after the second round of interviews
- A resume
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The information in the three documents listed above are what PGC will reference throughout the recruitment process.Other information manually entered into the UMN employment application system will be stored by the Office of Human Resources.
You can take a break at any point during the application process. Click the Save Draft button and you can return to your application later. When you log back into the job application system, click My Activities and then click on the job title.
If you have any questions while applying, look at the Using the Job Application System page or reach out to PGC at pgc-support@umn.edu.
About the Polar Geospatial Center
The Polar Geospatial Center provides geospatial support, mapping, and GIS/remote sensing solutions to researchers and logistics groups in the polar science community. Our goal is to introduce new, state-of-the-art techniques from the geospatial field to effectively solve problems in the least mapped places on Earth.
Polar Geospatial Center
R280 Learning and Environmental Sciences
1954 Buford Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108
612-626-0505
Note: if the above link does not work, please search for ‘geospatial’ at this link.