Exploitation Specialist / Imagery Scientist (SAR) Lead – NGA

Fathom Management LLC•Springfield, VA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This role sits at the intersection of advanced SAR exploitation, remote sensing science, algorithm development, intelligence analysis, and AI/ML-enabled imagery processing. You will serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) phenomenology, exploitation methodologies, and advanced image processing workflows supporting national security operations. The Imagery Scientist serves as the lead technical authority for SAR exploitation and imagery science initiatives. You will work directly with Government stakeholders and technical teams to evaluate emerging sensor capabilities, develop exploitation methodologies, improve data ingestion and processing pipelines, and advance intelligence analysis capabilities.

Requirements

6+ years of advanced SAR exploitation and imagery science experience.
Demonstrated expertise in SAR collection and phenomenology.
Demonstrated expertise in image formation processes.
Demonstrated expertise in exploitation methodologies.
Demonstrated expertise in sensor metadata interpretation.
Hands-on experience with SARPy.
Hands-on experience with MATLAB SAR Toolbox.
Strong knowledge of RNIIRS.
Strong knowledge of information theoretic image quality metrics.
Strong knowledge of Integrated Sidelobe Ratio (ISLR).
Strong knowledge of Multiplicative Noise Ratio (MNR).
Strong knowledge of SAR geometry impacts (graze, squint, azimuth).
Experience developing and evaluating algorithms.
Experience developing and evaluating automated workflows.
Experience developing and evaluating scientific exploitation methods.
Strong skills using Python.
Strong skills using MATLAB.
Strong skills using Google Earth Engine.
Deep understanding of remote sensing principles.
Deep understanding of advanced imagery exploitation.
Deep understanding of geospatial intelligence methodologies.
Proven ability to communicate technical concepts to technical audiences.
Proven ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Proven ability to communicate technical concepts to intelligence users.
U.S. Citizen Required.
Active TS/SCI Required.

Nice To Haves

Experience applying Computer Vision (CV) to SAR imagery exploitation challenges.
Experience applying Machine Learning (ML) to SAR imagery exploitation challenges.
Experience applying AI-enabled analytics to SAR imagery exploitation challenges.
Scientific problem solving.
Advanced analytical thinking.
Technical leadership and mentorship.
Mission-driven collaboration.
Innovation and experimentation mindset.

Responsibilities

Serve as the lead SAR subject matter expert (SME).
Analyze SAR collection characteristics, sensor phenomenology, and image formation processes.
Conduct exploitation and analysis of SAR imagery to identify and locate objects of interest.
Develop, test, and evaluate new algorithms, exploitation methodologies, scientific workflows, and automated processing techniques.
Utilize advanced processing tools including Python, MATLAB, Google Earth Engine, and SARPy.
Assess emerging sensor capabilities and performance differences.
Evaluate metadata structures, data formats, collection latency, and security domains.
Support integration into existing databases, APIs, ETL pipelines, data operations workflows, and data operations workflows.
Determine preprocessing and normalization strategies for SAR data.
Convert and standardize imagery into usable formats for labeling, model testing, and analytical exploitation.
Support geospatial tiling and transformation workflows.
Investigate collection gaps and complementary data sources.
Identify coincident collections from EO platforms and additional imagery systems.
Assess geographic and temporal overlap across platforms.
Communicate complex SAR capabilities and methodologies to technical teams, analysts, and Government stakeholders.
Provide technical direction and mentorship across exploitation efforts.