Job Posting Title:

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Hiring Department:

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Position Open To:

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

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FLSA Status:

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Earliest Start Date:

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Position Duration:

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Location:

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Job Details:

This position is located at McDonald Observatory, 16 miles from Ft. Davis, Texas (440 miles west of the UT Austin campus). This position supports the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), which is a 24/7 operation. Occasionally expected to respond to failures on the telescope outside normal work hours (nights, weekends, and holidays). Candidates selected for an on-site interview will be required to demonstrate the ability to perform the optomechanical physical tasks, including climbing ladders, stairs, and a lattice shell structure; moving mirror maintenance equipment; wearing fall protection equipment; and assembling/disassembling mechanical components.

Residence in the Observatory's residential community may not be available. If housed on-site, the position may be subject to "call-back" as an essential employee for emergencies or critical response.

Serves as the technical resource for the optical systems of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), including optical maintenance such as cleaning, metrology, coating removal, computer maintenance of the Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMS), and basic mechanical maintenance for the mirror supports.

• Segment Alignment Maintenance Systems (SAMS). Assist the Optics Team Lead in maintaining and repairing SAMS. Maintain all SAMS hardware in the mirror array, including debugging and replacing bad sensors and/or analog and digital electronics modules, maintaining sensor alignment, and repairing broken metal glass bonds for mounting sensors to mirror substrates.

• Mirror Segment Swaps. Responsible for removing mirror segments and replacing them with freshly coated segments. Set up the segments to criteria that are a function of their position in the array. Assist in rough aligning segments after installation. Keeps accurate logs for alignment and communicates these segment swaps to the night staff.

• Mirror Recoating. Prepare mirror segments for recoating by stripping mirror coatings and cleaning segment substrates. Evaluate the segments before and after this process.

• Mirror Actuators. Maintain mirror actuator zero adjustments and troubleshoot both the actuators and actuator controllers. Perform in-situ CO2 mirror cleaning and maintain the CO2 mirror cleaning equipment. Measure and process mirror segment reflectivity to determine the schedule and sequence of mirror segment swapouts and segment recoating.

• Optical Coating Maintenance. Assist the Optics Team Lead in optimizing routine maintenance procedures and improving the quality of optical coatings. This includes the operation and maintenance of metrology equipment used in verifying coating reflectivity, coating thickness, and coating adhesion to the substrates.

• Optomechanical Components. Disassemble, re-assemble, install, and align optical and optomechanical components as part of routine maintenance of all telescope's optomechanical sub-assemblies. This includes cleaning and maintaining highly specialized equipment such as the Wide-Field Corrector and Primary Focus Instrument Package optics.

• Spares. Manage spare part levels for all optomechanical sub-assemblies, including cleanroom and coating system consumables.

• Administrative. Attend and constructively participate in various technical and staff meetings. Submit a daily summary of tasks performed to the supervisor and the HET Facility Manager. Provide progress reports on HET operations to observatory management.

• Performs other functions as assigned to meet business requirements. Staff living on-site in the residential community are considered essential employees as determined by the HET Facility Manager and the Observatory Superintendent. They will be required to serve on the Observatory Emergency Response team"ERT" and perform tasks to help respond to emergencies, such as fire, medical, hazardous material, or other emergencies threatening or interfering with the facility's normal operations.

Bachelor's degree in Science or Engineering. Demonstrated good manual dexterity with fine motor skills using hand tools. Strong communication skills. Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively in a team environment. Able to work independently and is self-motivated. In addition, candidates should have the work ethic and drive to maximize the telescope's scientific output. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Two years of experience working with optical systems and/or in a laboratory environment. Math skill set, including linear algebra and calculus. Computer skill set including programming fundamentals, MATLAB, and LabView. Ability and/or experience with directing and/or managing projects. Ability to do basic troubleshooting on both electrical and mechanical systems.

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant must provide a three-year driving record from the current state of residence. If not currently a Texas resident, a Texas driver's license must be obtained within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident.

$45,000 + depending on qualifications and experience

• Wearing appropriate safety equipment when working with chemicals or working at heights up to 90 ft in varied climate conditions

• Personal protection equipment (furnished) required during mirror stripping and working with chemicals; may be required to undergo respirator fit testing

• May work around chemical and chemical fumes, and cryogenic liquids

• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards

• May work around standard office conditions, computer, and repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Use of manual, mechanical hand-tool, and fine-motor dexterity

• Working in/from man-lifts and scissor-lifts

• Working with heavy machinery

• Climbing of ladders up to 90 feet, free climbing on/around heavy equipment

• Ability to move around in a tight mirror truss - a lattice shell structure

• Pushing heavy loads, including a mirror cart that requires force

• Lifting and moving up to 50 pounds

• Climbing up to three flights of stairs at a time

• McDonald Observatory is located at approx. 6900 ft. above sea level; environmental conditions can be unpredictable; temperatures can range from -10F and +95F

• Inclement winter weather can be expected, which requires comfort in driving in wintry conditions and on mountain grades

• Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), which is a 24/7 operation

• Occasionally expected to respond to failures on the telescope outside normal work hours (nights, weekends, and holidays)

• Letter of interest

• Resume/CV

• Three work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Importantfor applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, and then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure thatALLRequired Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for current university employees and contingent workers:As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu, and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page, and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questionspresented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.