Electronics Engineer I

W. M. Keck Observatory

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Spark your career as our newest Electronics Engineer I!

Are you a curious engineer who gets way too excited about massive yet precise moving structures? Do you get excited to design, test, troubleshoot, and occasionally perform miracles with electronics—always with teamwork, humor, and a well-balanced risk posture? If you love solving puzzles and finding out why something suddenly stopped working after lunch, you’ll fit right in as our newest Electronics Engineer I.

The Day-to-Day of an Electronics Engineer I:

The Electronics Engineer I works hands-on developing, testing, maintaining, and improving the electronic systems that keep our operations running smoothly. - They collaborate with experienced engineers while working side by side with our skilled technicians to troubleshoot intermittent issues at our summit facility, documenting their findings and leading the effort to resolve issues in a manner that safely maximizes on-sky time.

Our ideal candidate has a strong foundation in circuit design and troubleshooting and is comfortable using a variety of test equipment to verify appropriate behavior. They are familiar with motion control and industrial control systems and enjoy analyzing available telemetry to implement data-driven solutions. They appreciate the challenge of working with large, complex, interconnected systems and can translate the needs of different disciplines to improve systems performance. They can read and understand engineering documentation ranging from circuit board schematics to full facility one-lines and are able to generate documentation with CAD tools to track changes to the facility and its systems. The candidate should be confident in handling multiple tasks and deadlines while remaining professional under pressure and be a proponent of learning new skills to expand the breadth of their practice.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Minimum of 2 years relevant engineering experience, with 5+ preferred.
• Hands on experience troubleshooting electronic and/or electrical systems, preferably down to the board level.
• Design/Integration experience in one or more of analog, digital, real-time, motion or industrial control systems.
• Familiarity with the use of lab equipment, such as oscilloscopes, power supplies, spectrum analyzers, signal and function generators.
• Proficiency in system modeling, data collection and analysis techniques using software/scripting tools such as MATLAB, SPICE, LABVIEW, Python, IDL.
• Documentation of technical systems and preparation of reports.
• Microsoft Office Proficiency.
• Valid driver’s license and clean abstract.
• Commitment to WMKO core values: Stewardship and Service.
• Willingness and ability to occasionally work nights and weekends.
• Ability to work at the observatory near the summit of Maunakea at 14,000 feet elevation.
• Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and in a safe manner.
• Available to work flexible hours at headquarters and summit, including weekends and occasional evenings.
• Available for on-call engineering support on nights, weekends and holidays.
• Ability to work effectively at the summit facility with staff to maintain and improve summit systems.

Responsibilities

• developing, testing, maintaining, and improving the electronic systems
• troubleshoot intermittent issues at our summit facility
• documenting findings
• leading the effort to resolve issues
• implement data-driven solutions
• translate the needs of different disciplines to improve systems performance
• read and understand engineering documentation
• generate documentation with CAD tools to track changes to the facility and its systems

Benefits

• Competitive starting salary ranging from $94,966 to $114,760.
• Generous benefits package, including 4 weeks of annual paid vacation.
• A robust 8% 403(b) employer contribution (with a 4% employee contribution).
• Tuition assistance for dependent children grades K-12 attending private school on Hawai’i Island.
• Comprehensive, employer provided health insurance.
• We offer relocation support for candidates moving from outside the area.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees