Employment at Keck – Engineering Project Manager

W. M. Keck Observatory position announcement…

Project Manager/Engineer

The W.M. Keck Observatory seeks a Project Manager/Engineer to work under the general supervision of the Deputy Director and in close collaboration with the Principal Engineer to manage activities for a major optics renewal program. Be part of a challenging, fast-paced, technical environment where ability, leadership, teamwork, communication and interpersonal skills are highly prized. This is a regular position with future assignments to other exciting optics development programs.

The Observatory operates two of the largest, most scientifically productive optical/infrared telescopes in the world. The twin 10-meter telescopes are located at one of the premier sites for astronomy, set amidst several other world class observatories at the 14,000 foot summit of Mauna Kea, on the spectacular Big Island of Hawaii. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to join a highly skilled, innovative and deeply committed team of professionals who excel at enabling the most exciting and important astronomical discoveries in the world.

The successful candidate will need to exhibit leadership ability, very strong communication and inter-personal skills and a strong personal commitment to the success of the program.

The principal activities of this position will be:

1. Project planning, tracking, reporting and proactive management of schedule, budget, risk and contingency
2. Responsibility for requests for proposal, vendor selection, contract negotiation and contract management
3. Obtaining staff resources for project
4. Managing the overall logistics to ensure smooth and effective workflow
5. Development of quality assurance plans
6. During the production phase: management and technical responsibility for the renewal program

Subsequent assignments may involve significant technical leadership along with project management activities.

Minimum qualifications for this position include:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Optics Engineering, or other engineering or physical sciences degree with experience of optics, materials science, physics, or mechanical engineering, and at least 5 years of optical systems design and implementation experience
2. At least 5 years of significant project management experience in managing projects of $5M or greater. Experience must include devising budgets, schedules and contingency, critical path analysis, risk identification and mitigation, and project tracking and reporting
3. 5 years of experience in managing contracts, including generating and managing requests for proposal and statements of work, vendor selection, contract negotiation and contract management
4. Staff supervisory experience

Highly desirable qualifications include

1. An advanced degree: a master’s or doctorate in a relevant discipline
2. Experience dealing with optical component vendors
3. Experience in devising and running quality assurance programs
4. Familiarity with general mechanical engineering analysis techniques, ideally including experience in finite element analysis and fracture mechanics
5. Experience with Zemax
6. Experience in handling large optics (~2m diameter)
7. Experience in specifying, measuring and aligning optics
8. Experience in devising efficient information management systems for bulk technical data

This position requires you to submit your resume on-line at: http://keckobservatory.iapplicants.com with your cover letter that states why you are uniquely qualified for the position.

Additional information about WMKO and this position may be found on our website at www.keckobservatory.org EEO Employer