Telescope Operations Specialist

Position Title

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Qualifications

Special Instructions to Applicants

EEO Statement

The New Mexico State University Department of Astronomy is seeking a Telescope Operations Specialist (TOS) for the SDSS-V 2.5m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory (APO) in Sunspot, New Mexico.

• Telescope Operations Specialist (TOS) is responsible for nightly operation of the 2.5m telescope and instruments, quality monitoring the data streams, tracking system performance and observing efficiency.
• Works closely with Astronomers and external consortium faculty and students, operating the telescope and instruments remotely, to efficiently take observations and debug issues.
• Works with other night staff to monitor the facility, weather and safe and proper operation of the telescope.
• Performs setup/instrument preparations and calibrations, service observing and monitoring of remotely operated telescopes.
• Maintains the performance of equipment and effectively communicates any problems with the day engineering and IT staff.

Required Education and Experience

• Associate's Degree + 2 years of relevant experience or a Bachelor's degree.
• Understanding of astronomical coordinate systems and time keeping.
• Experience operating telescopes and astronomical instrumentation.
• Hands on experience operating small to medium (0.5m to 3.5m) telescopes and the associated mechanical and computer systems.
• Proficiency in Unix/Linux and IRAF; a background in imaging and spectroscopic data reduction, as well as CCD instrumentation and electronics.
• Experience programming in one or more of the following programing languages applied to astronomical problems or data: IRAF, IDL, Python, C is desirable.
• A valid driving license.

Special Instructions to Applicants

The electronic application is the *official* document that will be used to qualify applicants. Paper/email documents will not be accepted. Required documents must be attached to this application.

EEO Statement

New Mexico State University does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, military service, or other non-merit factor.