Imagery Scientist (EO)

Role Overview

The Imagery Scientist is the subject matter expert on electro-optical imagery. You'll provide technical direction and conduct the work necessary to acquire and prepare EO imagery of the quality, standards, and requirements the Government specifies — with solutions informed by the specific phenomenology limitations and advantages of each sensor and platform. You'll integrate emerging EO sensors into Maven pipelines, build tiling and conversion pipelines, generate pre-labels, and curate imagery to government-directed priorities. Your work feeds directly into Maven's model development pipeline.

A Day in the Life

• Integrate emerging EO sensors into Maven data pipelines; assess metadata, format, and schema differences and recommend ETL adaptations
• Execute daily EO imagery curation: assess image quality using NIIRS and information-theoretic metrics, prioritize acquisitions per government direction, convert files to required formats (specified imagery formats for unclassified and classified deliverables)
• Tile full-size imagery into precise pixel dimensions or geospatial boundaries, accounting for orthorectification to ensure spatial accuracy at tile edges
• Generate pre-labels from intelligence reporting, machine-derived observations, and human observations — conforming to defined ontology standards to tip and cue human labelers
• Collaborate with the SAR Imagery Scientist to provide coincident EO imagery aligned with SAR collection areas and temporal windows
• Oversee weekly processed imagery deliveries (high-volume curated imagery deliverables on a regular delivery cadence); execute ad-hoc quick-turn deliveries as needed

Why This Role Matters

Mission Impact: The EO data you curate, tile, and pre-label becomes the training corpus for NGA Maven's AI/ML models. The precision of your science determines the quality of model outputs that support real-world intelligence operations.

Geo Owl Impact: As a Key Position, your technical performance defines Geo Owl's reputation for EO expertise on Maven and strengthens our standing as a mission-first geospatial partner.

Your Growth: You'll work at the cutting edge of applied EO science — integrating pre-IOC sensors, developing novel preprocessing pipelines, and expanding expertise into computer vision and ML data workflows in a high-consequence environment.

Core Responsibilities

• Integrate emerging EO sensors and platforms into Maven data pipelines; assess and adapt ETL processes for metadata, format, and schema differences
• Develop and implement mathematical conversion models to transform data labels across imagery types (PNG, NITF) and between orthorectified and non-orthorectified imagery
• Execute tiling and preprocessing of full-size raw imagery to specified formats and dimensions while maintaining geospatial accuracy and metadata integrity
• Analyze and assess image quality and sensor metadata; curate acquisitions in alignment with government-directed priorities using NIIRS and information-theoretic metrics
• Generate pre-labels from intelligence reporting and machine- and human-derived observations conforming to defined ontology standards
• Identify and implement curation methods — including NLP-based intelligence extraction and automated machine techniques — to maximize high-value imagery yield
• Monitor and prioritize data holdings to support data diversity needs (geographic regions, temporal windows, metadata and scene characteristics)
• Develop, test, and evaluate new EO algorithms and methodologies using advanced processing tools and cloud-based solutions

Required Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance
• Minimum 18 experience points required (see experience point calculation below)
• 4+ years as an EO expert with deep understanding of collection, phenomenology, image formation process, and exploitation products
• Experience exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum (electro-optical) to determine the occurrence and location of objects of interest
• Experience developing, testing, and evaluating algorithms and processes using EO imagery; proficiency with Python, MATLAB, Google Earth Engine, or similar advanced processing tools
• Experience communicating EO capabilities, methodologies, and products to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Deep understanding of remote sensing principles, imagery processing, and advanced exploitation methods; experience with NIIRS and information-theoretic image quality metrics