Senior Applied Scientist (Onsite/Hybrid)

KoBold Metals • San Francisco, CA

7d • $130,000 - $190,000 • Onsite

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 improve mineral discovery and develop mining projects. The company operates exploration programs in eight countries and is developing the Mingomba copper deposit in Zambia.

The Senior Applied Scientist will drive the design, development, and deployment of subsurface imaging hardware, including muon projects using high-energy physics detectors and seismic measurements using seismometers. 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 generate high-quality datasets for KoBold’s exploration machine-learning models.

The role is part of the hardware development team and will also help establish KoBold’s hardware development discipline, tools, processes, and scalable engineering practices. The position reports to the Head of Subsurface Imaging. It is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and requires the ability to work from the Berkeley, California office on any day of the week. Domestic and international travel is required for 20–30% of the time, including trips to remote field sites that may last more than three weeks.

Requirements

• A track record of developing and deploying complex state-of-the-art scientific instruments, with about five years of experience after a PhD or correspondingly more experience after a BS or MS.
• Experience deploying and supporting complex equipment at remote sites, including commissioning, validation, training, and monitoring.
• Ability to take on technical lead, project manager, product manager, and hands-on engineering responsibilities.
• Excellent communication skills for interdisciplinary work.
• 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 experience processing measured signals.
• Experience selecting and managing vendors.
• Experience selecting and managing third-party contractors.
• Ability and desire to own and take responsibility for large projects.
• Enjoys continuous learning and driving insights and innovations.
• Ability to explain technical problems and collaborate on solutions with domain experts who are not hardware experts.
• Enthusiasm for joining a fast-growing early-stage company, comfort with a dynamic work environment, and willingness to take on varied responsibilities.
• 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.
• Ability to work from the Berkeley, California office on any day of the week.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally 20–30% of the time, including visits to remote field sites and trips that may extend beyond three weeks.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in product management for scientific hardware.
• Experience with particle detectors, optics, and electronics.
• Experience with seismic, acoustic, or other geophysical instrumentation.
• Intellectual curiosity about mineral exploration, particularly geology, and willingness to learn and 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 advances the company’s business objectives, not only in building technology.

Responsibilities

• Own the 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 definition 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 they are usable for exploration projects.
• Develop 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