Remote Sensing Technician (Time-Limited)

University of North Carolina Wilmington; Wilmington (NC); Remote; USD 61,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of North Carolina Wilmington seeks a Remote Sensing Technician for the Center for Marine Science. This time-limited position involves operating UAS for coastal mapping, ensuring equipment functionality, and supporting educational programs related to marine science. The technician will engage with advanced technology to aid research and foster community engagement in coastal resilience efforts.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Tuition waiver program

Free membership to the Campus Recreation Center

12 paid holidays and paid vacation leave

Training and development programs

Qualifications

• Graduation from high school and one year in a related technology field required.
• 2+ years of experience with UAS and sensor technology preferred.
• FAA Part 107 sUAS Certificate is required.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for equipment maintenance, data collection, and processing support for UAS.
• Manage operations and maintenance of instruments to minimize downtime.
• Assist with mission planning and maintain logs for equipment usage.

Skills

Communication

Time Management

Troubleshooting

Education

MSc degree in Geosciences, Geography, Geospatial Science, or Remote Sensing

Tools

UAS technology

RTK systems

Job description

Posting Details

The University of North Carolina Wilmington's Center for Marine Science (CMS) is recognized both nationally and internationally for conducting research that contributes to the understanding of environmental processes and problems. CMS strives to engage communities to address societal issues and promote use-inspired innovations.

Through research, education and outreach, the Center strives to increase knowledge about coastal and marine sciences and cultivate community engagement in coastal resilience. This includes a variety of fields such as physical oceanography; marine and coastal biology; marine, atmospheric and natural products chemistry; marine geology; aquaculture; environmental sciences, marine policy, human health, and sociology. Currently there are more than 100 active research programs supported by CMS and over 140 scientists, staff and students broadly associated with the unit.

The teaching and research facility located on the Intracoastal Waterway in southeastern North Carolina features state of the art core facilities in spectrometry and spectroscopy, light stable isotopes, biotechnology, aquaculture, DNA and water quality analysis as well as running seawater systems, a coastal workboat fleet and a wide range of oceanographic equipment that are available to all CMS researchers.

CMS supports educational programs related to marine science, including the Applied Coastal and Ocean Science Ph.D. program and MS Marine Science degree as well as courses and students from various marine-science related academic departments across the breadth of UNCW. It also supports several outreach entities, including NC Sea Grant, the NC National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Marine Quest, among others.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington, the state's coastal university, is dedicated to the integration of teaching, mentoring, research and service. Widely acknowledged for its world-class faculty and staff and continuously recognized at a national level for scholarly excellence and affordability, UNCW offers a powerful academic experience that stimulates creative inquiry and critical thinking and a community rich in diversity, inclusion and global perspectives.

A public institution with nearly 18,000 students, UNCW offers a full range of baccalaureate- and graduate-level programs, as well as doctoral degrees in educational leadership, marine biology, nursing practice and psychology; and many distance learning options, including clinical research, an accelerated RN-to-BSN program, an Executive M.B.A. program structured for working professionals, and the nation's only bachelor's degree program focused on coastal engineering.

The university's efforts to advance research and scholarly activities have earned UNCW the elevated designation of "Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity" institution (R2 University) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

UNCW has been part of the University of North Carolina System since 1969.

The Center for Marine Science (CMS) is seeking a Remote Sensing Technician to assist with multiple interrelated projects, including operation of an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) observatory for coastal mapping. The Remote Sensing Technician will be responsible for equipment and sensor maintenance, operation, data collection, and initial processing support for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS, also referred to as drones). The position manages day-to-day operations and maintenance of all instruments and sensors to ensure they operate with minimal downtime, develops training and instruction manuals, assist researchers with mission planning, and maintains use and maintenance logs.

The technician will also be responsible for data download, pre-processing, and curation in order to meet the minimum data deliverable packages for the missions surveyed. Opportunities to develop and integrate novel sensor packages in existing UAS platforms also exist. The Remote Sensing technician also will support the maintenance and operation of other remote sensing equipment owned by the Center. Examples include, but are not limited to, RTK systems, Teledyne Z-Boat, and other UAS mapping technologies (https://uncw.edu/research/centers/marine-science/facilities/drones).

As time and training allows, this position may also contribute to other data collection activities supported by the CMS Oceanographic Instrument lab (e.g. uncrewed surface vehicles, towed instruments, etc.).

Graduation from high school and one year in the field of technology related to the positions' role. Computer coursework may be substituted year for year for the required experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

FAA Part 107 sUAS Certificate

This position is time-limited with the possibility of continuation pending availability of funds and department need. The anticipated end date for this position is 6/30/2026.

PLEASE NOTE: This posting will close at 11:59PM (Eastern time) on the posted closing date. To receive full consideration, please be sure you have fully completed the entire application, including the 'Work History' section before you apply for this position. Applications must be submitted through the online application system to be considered.

This position is being recruited at the Advanced level. If no applicants apply who meet the required competency and training & experience requirements, then management may consider other applicants. Salary would be determined based on competencies, equity, budget, and market considerations.

At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), our culture reflects our values of inclusion, diversity, globalization, ethics and integrity and innovation and we are committed to providing equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, sex (such as gender, gender identity, marital status, childbirth, and pregnancy), age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), religion, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran status, military service member status, genetic information, or relationship to other university constituents - except where sex, age, or ability represent bona fide educational or occupational qualifications or where marital status is a statutorily established eligibility criterion for State funded employee benefit programs. UNCW believes that embracing the unique contributions of our faculty, staff and students is critical to our success and paramount in being recognized for our global mindset.

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. UNC Wilmington participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Benefits of Working at UNCW	Want to become a soaring UNCW Seahawk and work at one of the best universities on the East Coast? Want to put your toes in the sand after a day of work? The University of North Carolina Wilmington offers a wonderfully vibrant university community along with a beautiful location just miles from the beach. Employees of UNCW are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other programs, resources, policies, and practices that help to support a work/life balance. Our programs have been designed to provide a variety of choices to best fit your needs and the needs of your family. Full time employees are eligible for dental, vision and health insurance plans. Health insurance benefit plans eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire. Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. Optional disability plans are also available. Full time employees are also eligible for the tuition waiver program which covers the cost of tuition and fees for up to three (3) undergraduate or graduate courses per academic year at UNCW or any other university within the UNC System. In addition, UNCW covers the cost of tuition and fees for one UNCW course each summer session. As a full time employee, UNCW also offers a free membership to the Campus Recreation Center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, meditation and yoga sessions, voluntary supplemental insurance coverages, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays, 24 hours of paid community service leave time, paid vacation and sick leave accrual and family medical leave after 12 months of continuous service. We also offer an abundance of training and development programs through our Dare to Learn Academy,and the employee assistance program, many of which are offered free of charge.
Recruitment Range	$61,213 - $66,000
Vacancy Number	S02682
Position Title	Tech Support Technician
Working Title	Remote Sensing Technician (Time-Limited)
Competency Level	Advanced
Home Department	Center for Marine Science - 30600
Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit
College	Center for Marine Science - 306 College
College/School Information
University Information
Location of Workplace	CMS Myrtle Grove
Brief Summary of Work for this Position
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
Preferred education, professional skills and experience	MSc degree in Geosciences, Geography, Geospatial Science, or Remote Sensing all acceptable 2+ years of experience working with UAS and sensor technology. Licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration for the operation of UAS for commercial/research purposes (or ability to obtain a license). North Carolina UAS Government Operators certification. Strong communication and time-management skills are critical as the RS Tech will interact with and schedule training and field data collections for many instrument users. Ability to seek out and apply for troubleshooting assistance to minimize downtime (e.g., through in-depth reading of product manuals and consultation with instrument providers). Familiarity working in coastal and marine environments, comfortable working on small boats and larger research vessels.
Required Certifications or licensure
FTE	1.0 (40 hours per week)
Months Per Year	12 Months
Work Days	Monday through Friday
Work Hours	8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Type of Position	Time-limited
Anticipated Ending Date if Time-Limited	06/30/2026
Position Number	8394
Job Posting Date	05/27/2025
Posting Close Date	06/02/2025
Number of Openings	Single Incumbent
Special Notes to Applicants
EEO Statement
Eligibility for Employment
External Link to Posting	https://jobs.uncw.edu/postings/36353