Job Details
Number:
120125-01
Title:
Coating Engineer
Closing Date:
Open until the position is filled.
Description:
Type: Full time, professional.
Location: GMT Project Office, Pasadena CA
Background:
The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) Project is a collaboration of major US and international educational and research institutions constructing a next-generation extremely large optical/infrared telescope for scientific astronomical research. GMT will have a segmented primary mirror 25 meters in diameter, 2.5 times larger than any current generation optical/IR telescope. GMT will consist of seven individual mirror segments, each 8.4 meters in diameter. The telescope is being designed with adaptive optics and an advanced suite of instruments to support a diverse program of key scientific investigations. The telescope will be located at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. The Project is currently preparing for the Preliminary Design Review.
The GMTO Corporation (GMTO) has been formed to construct and operate the GMT Observatory. The GMTO members include Carnegie Institution for Science, Harvard University, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Smithsonian Institution, University of Chicago, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, the Australian National University, Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL), and the University of Arizona. The project office is located in Pasadena, California.
GMT website: www.gmto.org
Job Summary:
GMTO is seeking a Coating Engineer who will be responsible for the design, development, procurement, integration, testing and commissioning of the GMT coating facility. This facility will be used to deposit reflective coatings on the 8.4 meter diameter primary mirror segments. The baseline coating is aluminum but the facility will be designed to be upgradable for future use in depositing advanced, multi-layer coatings such as multi-layer protected silver.
The Coating Engineer will be involved in preparing request for proposals for the development and construction of coating equipment and will lead the process of selecting the design and fabrication contractors for the coating chamber, vacuum pumping systems and coating deposition systems. He/she will be responsible for managing and monitoring the progress of such work once those contracts are in place, and for reporting progress to the Telescope Lead.
The Coating Engineer will work with systems engineering and others on the project team to develop design requirements and interface control documents for the coating facility and its interfaces with the primary mirror assembly and facility. He/she will be responsible for ensuring that the designs meet the project requirements and interfaces.
He/she will be called upon to write technical reports and make presentations of the designs at project reviews.
Job Duties:
The Coating Engineer will be responsible for:
- The specification of coatings for reflective and transmissive optics.
- The design, development, fabrication, integration, testing and commissioning of the GMT coating facility.
- The specification of design requirements and the generation of interface control documents.
- Directing external contract work for structural, mechanical and electrical optimization studies.
- Directing in-house and external contract work in the optimization of opto-mechanical designs using CAD systems. Experience with SolidWorks is desirable.
- Management of the procurement process for engineering design and fabrication services including identification of potential vendors/suppliers, preparation of technical specifications & statements of work, participation in the selection process and monitoring of work.
- Preparing management reports to document progress in the design and fabrication of the coating facility.
- Preparing and delivering presentations at technical reviews.
- Organizing and holding sub-system design reviews.
- Participation in system level reviews.
The Coating Engineer will work closely with others to:
- Derive subsystem requirements from high-level requirements.
- Develop design requirements and interface specifications for the opto-mechanical subsystems.
- Assist in the preparation of the relevant control documents.
- Coordinate integration and test plans.
Minimum Requirements:
- A B.Sc. degree in an engineering discipline or physics is required. An advanced degree is preferred.
- 10 years of experience in the design and development of systems associated with coating facilities such as vacuum chambers, vacuum pumping systems and coating deposition systems.
- Experience in the management of contracts for design and/or fabrication services.
- Willingness and ability to travel to foreign and domestic vendor, partner, and observatory locations as the need arises.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Knowledge of optical coating design, coating deposition system design and coating inspection and testing. Experience in the design of coating systems for large astronomical telescopes is desirable.
- Knowledge and experience in the design of opto-mechanical assemblies and precision mechanisms.
- Knowledge and experience in the design of high vacuum systems.
- Knowledge of cleaning methods for large optics.
- Working knowledge of machine shop practices, geometric tolerancing and dimensioning.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment in a leadership role.
- Experience working in a formal engineering environment working closely with a systems engineering team.
Compensation:
GMTO Corporation offers a competitive compensation package including medical and retirement benefits. The level of compensation will depend on the experience of the applicant.
Applying:
Applicants should send a Letter of Interest and a Resume to careers@gmto.org. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please refer to the Job Number in the letter and in the email subject line. GMTO is an equal opportunity employer.
