HET Mechanical Engineering Associate, McDonald Observatory

Job Posting Title:

HET Mechanical Engineering Associate, McDonald Observatory

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Hiring Department:

McDonald Observatory

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

MCDONALD OBSERVATORY

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Job Details:

General Notes

This position is located at McDonald Observatory, 16 miles from Fort Davis, Texas (440 miles from The University of Texas at Austin campus). Residence in the Observatory's residential community may be available and required. Position may be subject to “call-back” as an essential employee for emergency or critical response. Must be eligible to work in the US on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship.

Purpose

To apply mechanical engineering skills to support the maintenance and operations of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) equipment and telescope infrastructure. The telescope hardware and instrumentation cover a wide range of mechanical disciplines, including the latest technologies and older equipment. Responsible for evaluating, selecting, applying, and documenting standard mechanical engineering techniques used to support the maintenance and functionality of mechanical subsystems and instrumentation of the HET to achieve the scientific research goals of McDonald Observatory.

Responsibilities

• Science Instrument Support. Responsible for evaluating, selecting, applying, and documenting standard mechanical engineering techniques to support the maintenance and continued improvement of science instruments. Coordinate with instrument specialists and developers in Austin. Monitor and maintain instrument vacuum levels. Swap multiplexers and controllers as needed to improve instrument performance. Install and remove units as needed. Maintain VIRUS maintenance and support hardware. Run Defocused Spectral Flats on VIRUS.

• Preventive Maintenance. Tests, assists, and inspects lifts, compressors, generators, and other equipment for conformity to specifications. Perform periodic detailed inspections and preventive maintenance of equipment and systems and maintain electronic records of inspections and maintenance. Follows and assists in developing maintenance procedures and establishes schedules for equipment or systems that have not yet been defined.

• Repairs. Troubleshoot and follow detailed maintenance procedures and technical manual instructions for repairs. Maintains electronic records of inspections and maintenance.

• Design Projects. Provides system-level design and engineering support for components, products, and system applications. Evaluate and determine procedures to be used in the design of research projects. Performs and reports results of professional-level work involving mechanical designs. When appropriate, proposes, designs, and implements hardware and/or procedural improvements.

• Safety. Practices safe work habits. Identifies, reports, and helps remove safety hazards. Adheres to facility safety policies. Uses Personal Protective Equipment properly. Contributes to the development of newer safety policies.

• Teamwork. Works within a team environment and with end users to determine project requirements. Work with the HET mechanical engineer, engineering manager, and facility manager to determine priority and schedules. Work with other HET teams to balance the use of limited resources and coordinate tasks. Assist personnel from Austin when necessary. Work with vendors and contractors.

• Extended Duties. Respond as necessary to night-time/weekend repair and maintenance calls from telescope operations staff.

• Machine Shop. Maintain machine shop and storage containers for cleanliness and safety. Ensure machines are in acceptable working order. Maintain stock of fasteners, tooling, spares, etc.

• Operations. Periodically performs operations engineering duty.

• Administrative Tasks. Participate in the weekly HET staff meetings. Submit daily activity reports and weekly timesheets. Other duties as required to meet business needs.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or a related field with up to two years of experience maintaining, repairing, and troubleshooting scientific instruments and/or mechanical systems in an astronomical research or optical lab environment. Hands-on experience with machine tools and workshop equipment. Ability to work with precision measuring tools. Good mechanical aptitude. Ability to organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines and expectations. Experience with Microsoft Office products. Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and willingness to work hard. Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision. Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment and a professional manner. Demonstrated ability to develop and document procedures, update the information to a database, and create reports of equipment status. Safety conscious.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's Degree in the field related to the work to be performed. Experience working with optics and/or instrumentation. Experience working with precision mechanical systems requiring fine motor coordination and a light touch. Experience in a scientific research field with both mechanical and electrical systems. Technical training in mechanical and/or electrical disciplines. Experience in maintaining fine mechanical equipment. Experience working on chillers, HVAC, cooling systems, air compressors, and electromechanical systems. Machining skills. Electrical skills. Basic computer-aided design (CAD) skills. Open to innovative procedures.

Driving Required

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current 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.

Salary Range

$55,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Practice safe working habits.

• May work in all weather conditions and extreme temperatures.

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

• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards.

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

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

• Climbing stairs and ladders, and working at heights up to 100 feet in varied climate conditions with appropriate personal protection equipment, using a man lift or ladder; free climbing on/around heavy equipment.

• Lifting, moving, and pushing heavy equipment.

• Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including safety harnesses, hard hats, breathing respirators, and ear and eye protection, may require respirator fit testing.

• Staff living on-site in the residential community are considered essential employees as determined by the HET Facility Manager and the Observatory Superintendent and will be required to serve in the Observatory Emergency Response team.

• McDonald Observatory is approximately 6900 ft. above sea level; environmental conditions can be unpredictable; temperatures can range from -10˚F and +95˚F; inclement winter weather can be expected, which requires comfort driving in wintry conditions on mountain grades.

Work Shift

• Generally, M-F, 8 am – 5 pm.

• The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is a 24/7 operation. You may be expected to work at all hours of the day or night, weekends or holidays (when needed and within limits) to serve the scientific needs of the Observatory, specifically the HET.

Required Materials

• Letter of interest

• Resume/CV

• Three (3) work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Important for 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 that ALL Required 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 questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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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.