Imagery Scientist (SAR)

About the role

The Imagery Scientist is the subject matter expert on synthetic aperture radar. You'll provide technical direction and conduct the work necessary to acquire and prepare SAR 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 SAR sensors into Maven pipelines, develop pre-processing and tiling workflows, generate pre-labels, and provide geospatial and imagery expertise to improve data curation in support of ML algorithm training and evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Acknowledge emerging SAR sensors: evaluate differences in collection characteristics, metadata, data formats, and phenomenology compared to currently utilized platforms; recommend ETL adaptations for schema and API changes
• Execute daily SAR imagery curation: assess image quality using RNIIRS and SAR-specific metrics, prioritize acquisitions per government direction, convert files to required formats (specified SAR imagery formats)
• Tile full-size SAR imagery to specified pixel dimensions or geospatial bounds; develop and implement mathematical conversion models to transform labels across imagery types (PNG to standard SAR imagery formats) and between orthorectified and non-orthorectified imagery
• Generate pre-labels from intelligence reporting, machine-derived observations, and human observations — conforming to defined ontology standards to tip and cue human labelers to objects of interest
• Identify and provide EO imagery coincident with SAR deliveries within specified geographic and temporal ranges; explore options for coincident collects across platforms
• Oversee weekly deliveries of processed imagery (high-volume curated imagery deliverables on a regular delivery cadence); execute ad-hoc quick-turn deliveries as operational needs arise

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance
• Minimum 18 experience points required (see experience point calculation below)
• 4+ years as a SAR expert with deep understanding of collection, phenomenology, image formation process, and exploitation products
• Experience using SARPy and MATLAB SAR toolbox
• Experience with RNIIRS, information theoretic-based image quality metrics, SAR imagery quality metrics (Integrated Sidelobe Ratio, Multiplicative Noise Ratio), and sensor metadata describing geometry impacts on phenomenology (graze, squint, azimuth)
• Experience exploiting SAR to determine the occurrence and location of objects of interest
• Experience developing, testing, and evaluating algorithms and processes using SAR imagery; proficiency with Python, MATLAB, Google Earth Engine, or similar advanced processing tools
• Experience communicating SAR capabilities, methodologies, and products to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Deep understanding of remote sensing principles, imagery processing, and advanced exploitation methods

Skills

• You think in SAR phenomenology — graze angle, squint, azimuth resolution, and multiplicative noise are variables you reason with, not terms you look up
• You can move from scientific analysis to code — writing Python to automate tiling, validate metadata, and build preprocessing workflows is a normal part of your day
• You're rigorous about data integrity — you understand that a mis-labeled tile or bad geospatial bound corrupts downstream model training, and you build pipelines that prevent it
• You adapt quickly when an unfamiliar sensor arrives with incomplete documentation — you assess, hypothesize, test, and integrate
• You communicate your science clearly — whether briefing a program manager or writing documentation another scientist can actually use

Benefits

• Health Insurance (Geo Owl pays 80%+ of the premium)
• 401k matching
• Dental, Vision, and other supplemental insurance plans available
• Company-paid short-term and long-term disability and life insurance
• Peer-to-Peer spot bonuses
• 120 hours of PTO per year plus federal holidays
• Fully Paid Military Leave: *You make your full Geo Owl salary while you are on military duty*
• Exiting the Military? Apply to our Military Transition Program for key insights into making the transition to civilian life from people who have been there before!