Head of Science Operations at Gemini South

NSF’s NOIRLab has an immediate opening for a Head of Science Operations for the International Gemini Observatory. The position will be based at the Gemini South facility in La Serena, Chile. We seek a person with established leadership, excellent communication skills, and strong organization skills to work with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders to lead the scientific mission of the Gemini Observatory. We are committed to diversity and inclusion at Gemini Observatory. Our managing organization, AURA, as a leader in the astronomical community, develops and supports programs that advance our organizational commitment to diversity, broaden participation, and encourage the advancement of diversity throughout the astronomical scientific workforce.

The Science Operations team performs the core duties which comprise science operations at Gemini. These include the following: supporting the time allocation process carried out by the international partners and the International Time Allocation Committee (ITAC); maintaining the telescope schedule; supporting the National Gemini Offices in their work with Principal Investigators to use Gemini, especially to prepare observations (in proposal phase II); planning and carrying out queue observing and supporting classical observing; providing scientific support for instrumentation; maintaining user information on the Gemini web pages; and conducting astronomical research. Within the science operations department at Gemini South there are research staff: Scientists, Astronomers, and Science Fellows, all with support duties; and the non-research Science Operations Specialists (SOS) group. The Head of Science Operations, of which there is one at each Gemini site, is a Scientist responsible for oversight and direction of all of these activities, either directly or via intermediate managers; he/she identifies and implements organizational improvements and performs staff functional management and scheduling for most members of the group. The Head of Science Operations also interfaces and collaborates with other groups in Gemini Observatory as well as within the wider NOIRLab, and ensures that methods and processes stay aligned between Gemini North and South.

NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) is the preeminent US national center for ground-based, nighttime optical and infrared astronomy. NOIRLab is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center that operates as a matrix organization, providing services across a range of programs: the international Gemini Observatory, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, and the Community Science and Data Center; with facilities in three geographic locations: Arizona, Chile and Hawai’i. The mission of NOIRLab is to enable breakthrough discoveries in astrophysics by developing and operating state-of-the-art ground-based observatories and providing data products and services for a diverse and inclusive community.

**Duties and Responsibilities**

The duties and responsibilities can be divided into four broad areas:

- **Strategic Planning and Leadership**:

- Develops and maintains the Gemini South Science Operations budget account and other accounts as necessary, and provides quarterly budget reports
- Takes part in resource allocation and planning meetings and processes
- Optionally supervises the generation of observatory time accounting statistics, and/or other operations statistics
- Along with the Head of the Gemini User Support Department and Gemini North Head of Science Operations, coordinates the meetings and activities of the Users’ Committee for Gemini (UCG)
- Carries out a program of astronomical research at an agreed fraction of the time
- Carries out other duties as required
- **Staff Management**:

- Provides day-to-day, as well as long-term leadership and staff functional management for the scientists within the science operations department at the respective site; is the functional manager for the SOS group manager
- Monitors the functional performance of all reportees and provides input to the annual performance review.
- Mentors staff members as appropriate.
- Ensures appropriate safety training for all reportees.
- Serves on hiring committees for new staff as needed.
- Delegates operations tasks as appropriate.
- **Regular Science Operations**:

- Manages nightly telescope operations and associated daily support activities and regular meetings.
- Produces and maintains the telescope schedule, in conjunction with ITAC coordinator and Queue Coordinators (QCs), and develops the work schedule for the Scientific staff in Operations at the site.
- Processes and approves program change requests, handles approved Director’s Discretionary proposals, poor weather proposals, emergencies, and other unexpected events.
- May be called upon at any time, including nights, holidays and weekends, except when