Fire Research Technologist

Coulson Aviation • Portland, OR

1d • $115,000 - $140,000

About The Position

EmberWorks Sensing is the R&D division of Coulson Aviation, an aerial firefighting company. Coulson aircraft are equipped with infrared sensors and Starlink, generating fire perimeter data from every orbit. This role encompasses the full program, including ORBIT fire analytics, the situational awareness tool, fire retardant program support, and agency integration, with a strong emphasis on the science layer that connects all these components. This is a founding position within the program.

Requirements

• Deep understanding of fire behavior, including how fires spread, limitations of current models, and the gap between prediction and observation.
• Familiarity with fire spread models such as FARSITE, FlamMap, PHOENIX, BehavePlus, or equivalent, including their assumptions and known failure modes.
• Experience with aerial or satellite fire intelligence systems, including IR imagery, FRP, and radiometric data.
• Quantitative fluency, including comfort with geospatial data and model validation; ability to design and defend a rigorous evaluation framework.
• Operational awareness, understanding the difference between model capabilities and what an incident commander can act upon.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain model uncertainty to a non-technical audience.
• Self-direction and the ability to create a playbook for a new role.

Nice To Haves

• FBAN qualification or progression towards it, or equivalent operational fire behavior experience in an ICS context.
• Proficiency in Python or R for data analysis and model evaluation.
• Prior experience in a research-to-operations context, translating scientific methods or models for operational use.
• Experience working with NWS, NIFC, USFS, or CAL FIRE in a technical capacity.
• Embedded systems or hardware-software integration experience.
• Preference for west coast location.

Responsibilities

• Own the fire behavior science layer across the EmberWorks program.
• Focus on ORBIT fire spread analytics: building the model, designing the validation framework, and translating outputs into actionable products for crews.
• Contribute to sensor optimization, the situational awareness tool, and the fire retardant program, leveraging airborne sensing and embedded systems experience.
• Serve as the field interface with agencies, building trust with fire operations personnel and agency scientists, and relaying feedback into product development.
• Develop the model foundation for fire spread analytics in the first fire season, including model selection recommendation, validation framework, and input requirements for the engineering team.
• Expand work to active model development, real-time validation, and operational output design as orbit-pass data accumulates.
• Advise on sensor configuration and data quality to optimize imagery for fire analytics.
• Determine operational translations, such as what goes on the IAP map, how predictions are communicated to incident command, and the required confidence level for outputs shown to crews.
• Influence system design or engineer for other EmberWorks products or programs as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed