Spectrometer Scientist
almost 3 years ago
Full time role
Mountain View, CA, US
Mountain View, CA, US
Job Description
About Kairos Aerospace
At Kairos Aerospace, we combine innovative aerospace systems with advanced data science. Unlike traditional aerospace companies, we sell information, not hardware - we operate our sensors cost-effectively at continental scale to produce novel data streams about pressing global problems. First on our list: spotting hard-to-monitor emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change. Since starting continuous survey operations in 2018, Kairos has removed methane emissions equal to over 9.2 million tonnes of CO2e through our work. To put that in perspective, that’s equivalent to over 2 million cars being removed from the roads for a year or shutting down about seventeen 350 MW coal-fired power plants. We call that a good start. As a team, we love science and engineering, we love getting our hands dirty with hardware and software, and we love seeing our work make a difference in the real world. We’ve created a diverse, collaborative, supportive, and fun environment based on integrity and treating people right. So no matter your gender, gender identity, race, age, beliefs, sexual orientation, or disabilities, we welcome you and would like to work with you. :-) It’s never boring, it’s always challenging, and we’re usually laughing.
Spectrometer Scientist
The Spectrometer Scientist position will play a key role in the rapid scaling up of Kairos’ fleet of methane detection instruments. You will be responsible for several aspects of instrument testing that occur in the lab as well as in the field, and lead the collection and analysis of maintenance/calibration data.
You will work closely with both Hardware and R&D teams to assist with testing new spectrometers, maintain existing hardware, and suggest hardware improvements. You will also conduct analysis on data collected during instrument maintenance and calibration to ensure that our fleet is continuing to perform optimally. When necessary, you will implement calibration improvements and suggest software improvements.
This position will have a strong logistical component, where you will be coordinating multiple teams or individuals to ensure quick and timely sensor maintenance and testing that allows us to meet our customer obligations.
(And, of course, Kairos is a startup and you’ll get to contribute to a lot of other interesting projects as well!)
A few important facts about working at Kairos Aerospace: - We provide health, dental, and vision insurance, including subsidized coverage for dependents. Our 401K plan does matching based on the amount of methane we removed from the atmosphere in a given year. - We think death-march hours are a bad way to run a company. We expect something approximating a 40-hour workweek, but mostly we just care that your work gets done. No, really. (Full disclosure: we occasionally put in some extra hours during crunch periods, but that is the exception, not the norm). - We do not track vacation time, nor do we have set hours to be in the office. Instead, we encourage taking real vacations, mental health days, leaving early to pick up the kids, working from home, time-shifting commutes, staying home when you're sick, ducking out to the gym - we believe work time should be flexible. In this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have transitioned to 100% remote work aside from hardware and flight operations and plan to continue having remote positions in perpetuity. (We love it when kids make a cameo in a video call.)
At Kairos Aerospace, we combine innovative aerospace systems with advanced data science. Unlike traditional aerospace companies, we sell information, not hardware - we operate our sensors cost-effectively at continental scale to produce novel data streams about pressing global problems. First on our list: spotting hard-to-monitor emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change. Since starting continuous survey operations in 2018, Kairos has removed methane emissions equal to over 9.2 million tonnes of CO2e through our work. To put that in perspective, that’s equivalent to over 2 million cars being removed from the roads for a year or shutting down about seventeen 350 MW coal-fired power plants. We call that a good start. As a team, we love science and engineering, we love getting our hands dirty with hardware and software, and we love seeing our work make a difference in the real world. We’ve created a diverse, collaborative, supportive, and fun environment based on integrity and treating people right. So no matter your gender, gender identity, race, age, beliefs, sexual orientation, or disabilities, we welcome you and would like to work with you. :-) It’s never boring, it’s always challenging, and we’re usually laughing.
Spectrometer Scientist
The Spectrometer Scientist position will play a key role in the rapid scaling up of Kairos’ fleet of methane detection instruments. You will be responsible for several aspects of instrument testing that occur in the lab as well as in the field, and lead the collection and analysis of maintenance/calibration data.
You will work closely with both Hardware and R&D teams to assist with testing new spectrometers, maintain existing hardware, and suggest hardware improvements. You will also conduct analysis on data collected during instrument maintenance and calibration to ensure that our fleet is continuing to perform optimally. When necessary, you will implement calibration improvements and suggest software improvements.
This position will have a strong logistical component, where you will be coordinating multiple teams or individuals to ensure quick and timely sensor maintenance and testing that allows us to meet our customer obligations.
(And, of course, Kairos is a startup and you’ll get to contribute to a lot of other interesting projects as well!)
Required
- A well-qualified candidate will have most (but not necessarily all) of the following:
- BS with 2 years of experience or MA, or equivalent experience in a relevant field. This position straddles between hardware and data analysis, so we are open to a candidate with a solid background in either area and who is willing and able to expand their skillset.
- Experience with cameras, sensors, and lab protocols.
- Solid quantification and reasoning skills, and good technical communication
- Careful attention to detail, with a rigorous and organized approach to analysis. Capable of evaluating data quality as well as assessing instrument performance based on data.
- Strong organizational as well as logistical skills, capable of coordinating multiple teams or groups to accomplish an objective
Desired
- Coding (Python, R, etc.) experience
- General hardware experience
- Ability to travel for up to 1 week at a time
A few important facts about working at Kairos Aerospace: - We provide health, dental, and vision insurance, including subsidized coverage for dependents. Our 401K plan does matching based on the amount of methane we removed from the atmosphere in a given year. - We think death-march hours are a bad way to run a company. We expect something approximating a 40-hour workweek, but mostly we just care that your work gets done. No, really. (Full disclosure: we occasionally put in some extra hours during crunch periods, but that is the exception, not the norm). - We do not track vacation time, nor do we have set hours to be in the office. Instead, we encourage taking real vacations, mental health days, leaving early to pick up the kids, working from home, time-shifting commutes, staying home when you're sick, ducking out to the gym - we believe work time should be flexible. In this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have transitioned to 100% remote work aside from hardware and flight operations and plan to continue having remote positions in perpetuity. (We love it when kids make a cameo in a video call.)
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