Senior Applied Scientist (Onsite/Hybrid)

KoBold Metals • San Francisco, CA

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

KoBold is an AI-native mineral exploration, mine development, and technology development company. Its multidisciplinary teams combine artificial intelligence, human intelligence, and new technology to make mineral exploration more systematic and improve the discovery of critical minerals. KoBold develops data systems, sensors, and workflows to test subsurface predictions on exploration projects around the world.

The Senior Applied Scientist will drive the design, development, and deployment of subsurface imaging hardware, including high-energy physics detectors for muon projects and seismometers for seismic measurements. The role owns the mechanical and electrical systems of new imaging instruments throughout their technical lifecycle, from concept and prototyping through validation, manufacturing, and field deployment. The scientist will work with data scientists, engineers, and geoscientists to develop instruments that produce high-quality data for KoBold’s mineral exploration machine-learning models. The role also contributes to the hardware development team and helps establish scalable, repeatable hardware development practices and processes at KoBold.

The role reports to the Head of Subsurface Imaging. It is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the employee must be able to work from the Berkeley, California office on any given day of the week. Domestic and international travel is required for 20–30% of the time, potentially including remote field sites and work trips lasting more than three weeks.

Requirements

• A successful track record developing and deploying complex, state-of-the-art scientific instruments; approximately five years of experience after a PhD, or correspondingly more experience after a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
• Experience deploying and supporting complex equipment at remote sites, including commissioning, validation, training, and monitoring.
• Ability to serve in multiple capacities, including technical lead, project manager, product manager, and hands-on engineer.
• Excellent communication skills for an interdisciplinary workplace.
• Extensive experience executing end-to-end technical product development from concept through testing and deployment.
• Experience with physical measurement and data analysis systems.
• Experience applying scientific knowledge to identify and prototype emerging technologies.
• Experience with automation, systems integration, and data acquisition.
• Mechanical or electrical design experience for scientific instruments and processing of measured signals.
• Experience with vendor selection and management.
• Experience with third-party contractor selection and management.
• Ability and desire to take ownership and responsibility for large projects.
• Motivation to learn continuously and drive insights and innovation.
• Ability to explain technical problems to and collaborate on solutions with domain experts who are not hardware experts.
• Comfort with a dynamic environment and a range of responsibilities at a fast-growing early-stage company.
• Ability to independently prioritize multiple tasks effectively.
• Solutions-oriented, positive, and collaborative approach.
• Valid passport and willingness to travel to Mingomba or exploration sites around the world.

Nice To Haves

• Product management experience for scientific hardware.
• Experience with particle detectors, optics, and electronics.
• Experience with seismic, acoustic, or other geophysical instrumentation.
• Intellectual curiosity and eagerness to learn about mineral exploration, particularly geology.
• Interest in using KoBold’s tools to drive insights and willingness to work directly with geologists in the field.
• Strong communication skills and enjoyment of working with colleagues across the company.
• Interest in identifying the technical product that best achieves the company’s business objectives, not only in building technology.

Responsibilities

• Own technical development of mechanical and electrical systems for novel sensing and imaging instruments, from concept and prototype through deployment at remote field sites.
• Coordinate internal and external hardware and software engineering resources to deliver projects.
• Contribute to system architecture and evaluate technical tradeoffs through research and analysis, balancing cost, complexity, and timeline.
• Collaborate with data systems and exploration teams to integrate new data streams into KoBold’s proprietary data system and ensure usability for exploration projects.
• Build an understanding of mineral exploration science and operations to ensure systems and generated data meet user needs and field requirements.
• Build partnerships and source and contract with service providers and vendors to develop hardware solutions for exploration needs.
• Create product plans and mechanical and electrical designs from concept through prototyping and production.
• Contribute engineering expertise, analysis, and design to hardware projects across KoBold.
• Help develop KoBold’s hardware development tools and processes.

What This Job Offers

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