Observing Specialists

The Observing Specialist group is a dynamic 15-member team. Observing Specialists work with a variety of systems needed to commission and operate the Observatory, including the 8.4-m Simonyi primary survey telescope, the 1.2-m Auxiliary Telescope that supports atmospheric calibration and initial system commissioning, the ComCam — the commissioning camera, the LSSTCam — the main survey science camera, and a variety of control systems and software. Observing Specialists will develop intimate knowledge of the data and technology used in the LSST and work closely with team members across the project. Observing Specialists also contribute to the development and refinement of the Observatory and the data produced.
- An early-stage career position requires 2 to 5 years of experience.
- A mid-stage career position requires 6 to 10 years of post-graduate experience.
- A senior-stage career position requires 11 or more years of post-graduate experience.

Observing Specialists report to the Observing Specialist Manager. This position is based in Chile, with operations in La Serena and at Cerro Pachon.

Once the Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins operations, it will be part of NSF’s NOIRLab, the preeminent US national center for ground-based, nighttime optical and infrared astronomy. NOIRLab is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) which operates as a matrix organization, providing services across a range of programs: Gemini, Rubin, MSO (CTIO and KPNO), and CSDC; with facilities in three geographic locations: Arizona, Chile and Hawai’i.

**Essential Functions**:
Support nighttime commissioning and operations by:

- Developing and documenting procedures associated with the operations of the main Rubin Observatory Simonyi Survey Telescope and its Auxiliary Telescope (AuxTel) and associated subsystems.
- Safely operating the Auxiliary and/or the Simonyi telescopes at night.
- Becoming familiar with the Simonyi and Auxiliary Telescopes operation and monitoring software and their respective GUIs.
- Monitoring summit weather conditions and executing predetermined actions when conditions are adverse for operations.
- Monitoring Simonyi and Auxiliary Telescopes' subsystems’ health through subsystems GUIs.
- Basic software troubleshooting and debugging, becoming adept with extracting, and analyzing information from the Observatory's Engineering Facility Database to understand the sources of issues.
- Performing basic evaluations of delivered image and spectra quality.
- Obtaining and analyzing calibration data with both telescopes (e.g. flat fielding).
- Producing nightly observing reports that include activity log entries and automated technical assessments derived from the Engineering and Facility Database and fault reporting.

Supporting daytime commissioning and operations by:

- Participating in daytime software test activities.
- Acquiring basic knowledge of all the subsystems to understand and support their functions and operation.
- Participating in the development, review, and refinement of the Simonyi and Auxiliary Telescopes operation procedures.
- Providing feedback to optimize the telescope’s operations and monitoring software.

Required Education/Experience/Skills/Abilities
- Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Astronomy, Computer Science, Engineering, or a closely related field.
- Qualifying experience can be drawn from one or more of the following areas:

- Operation of a major ground-based telescope or space observatory.
- Optical and/or infrared observing techniques.
- Data reduction and analysis of optical and/or infrared ground-based data.
- Experience with Astronomical/Physics instruments.
- Fluency in English, with a preference for Spanish language competency as well.
- Knowledge or experience with writing bug or fault reports and issue tracking using tools such as Jira or equivalent.
- Knowledge of a high-level software scripting knowledge such as Python or equivalent.
- Must have the ability to work either at day or night on the Cerro Pachón summit, at 2,650 meters above sea level (approx. 8,700 feet).
- Willingness to stay at the summit for several days/nights on end (food and lodging provided)
- Willingness to accept responsibility for the safety of people and equipment, especially while working at night.
- Excellent organizational and communication skills.
- Reliability, dependability, and flexibility, including excellent attendance and commitment to work scheduled shifts.
- Ability to work productively and harmoniously in a multinational team.
- A self-learner, self-starter, and above-average initiative.
- Ability to communicate clearly and reach decisions quickly when issues of safety of personnel or equipment are apparent.
- Must have a valid Driver’s License; clean driving record; ability to drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

**Physical Requirements**:
There are basic physical requirements that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reason