Technical Collection Lead- Satellite Operations

Carbon Mapper; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Affordable health coverage (medical, +

Generous time-off policy

Professional development

Job summary

Carbon Mapper seeks a Technical Collection Lead to coordinate satellite tasking operations, lead a cross-functional team of scientists, engineers, and analysts, and drive deployment of hyperspectral systems with Planet partnership.

The role includes flight planning, sensor operation, field processing, and developing target decks to support methane and CO2 monitoring, with opportunities to travel across the continental United States.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in satellite collection planning, satellite mission operations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with satellite tasking operations, tasking optimization, and target deck management, including supporting the tasking needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience with GIS software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS, or geopandas) and a solid understanding of spatial data formats, coordinate reference systems, and raster processing.
• Strong understanding of collection feasibility and the factors that affect successful collection.
• Proficiency with scripting in a GIS context (e.g., Python, R).
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across science, engineering, and operations teams, manage competing priorities, and communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to travel up to 25%, including continuous campaigns of up to 30 days.
• Ability to serve as a sensor operator aboard small commercial aircraft during aerial surveys.

Responsibilities

• Develop, submit, and monitor satellite collection tasks. Work collaboratively across the organization to understand stakeholders' target decks and recommend tasking strategies to meet their goals.
• Submit tasking requirements, monitor collection accomplishment, and track, validate, and manage monthly tasking credits.
• Lead routine tasking work groups to align collection requirements across Carbon Mapper departments and customer sectors.
• Develop strategies to maximize collection across all sectors while applying established priorities, and communicate limitations and conflicts clearly to Mission Management leadership.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts across the organization and coordinate with Planet engineers to resolve issues.
• Work closely with the Carbon Mapper engineering team to implement scripts and automation and identify streamlined workflows and tools that improve tasking performance.
• Analyze tasking feasibility and capacity to predict performance relative to Carbon Mapper's target decks.
• Develop analytics and metrics to characterize tasking performance and identify opportunities to improve future performance.
• Flight Planning & Operations: Plan flight tracks, analyze real-time and predictive weather forecasts, coordinate with flight crews, and serve as the airborne sensor operator during mission execution.
• Maintain flight logs, sensor calibration records, and equipment maintenance histories in strict adherence to aviation safety protocols.
• Geospatial Data Processing: Process raw post-flight sensor imagery and spectral data into core GIS deliverables (e.g., orthomosaics, georeferenced rasters, and surface models).
• Payload Installation & Maintenance: Perform physical integration, pre-flight checks, calibration, and post-flight removal of sensor payloads, along with in-field diagnosis and troubleshooting of system issues.

Skills

Satellite collection planning

Satellite mission operations

GIS software

Python scripting

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel 25%+

Sensor operator

Tools

QGIS

ArcGIS

geopandas

Job description

Carbon Mapper is a non-profit organization based in Pasadena, CA with the mission to drive greenhouse gas emission reductions by making methane and carbon dioxide data accessible and actionable. We leverage remote sensing technology to detect, pinpoint, and quantify methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at the scale of individual facilities. All of our methane and CO2 data is made publicly available for non-commercial use on our Carbon Mapper Data Portal to provide decisionmakers with the information they need to prioritize and take mitigation action.

Carbon Mapper also works with stakeholders and decision makers to fill data gaps, lead on cutting edge science, collaborate to drive reductions, and advance education and insights on emissions globally. To do this, we work with partners to leverage a constellation of satellites. Data from these satellites will offer the next major step in scaling up the organization's robust data portal featuring thousands of direct observations of global methane and CO2 super-emitters.

To learn more about Carbon Mapper, please visit us at https://carbonmapper.org.

To view our data, please visit us at https://data.carbonmapper.org.

About The Role

Carbon Mapper is seeking a Technical Collection Lead to serve as the primary technical expert and coordinator of the organization's satellite tasking operations. This role leads a cross-departmental working group of methane scientists, impact analysts, and engineers to develop target decks and tasking requirements that support Carbon Mapper's mission. The Technical Collection Lead works with technical staff at Carbon Mapper and our partners at Planet to implement existing and new tasking modes for the Tanager and follow-on hyperspectral systems.

The Technical Collection Lead also serves as an alternate airborne campaign lead, providing flight planning, sensor operation, and field processing as needed for Carbon Mapper's developmental airborne system. This includes deploying with the system to locations across the continental United States during assigned collection campaigns, serving as backup and relief support to the primary campaign manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Cross-Functional Tasking Leadership

• Develop, submit, and monitor satellite collection tasks. Work collaboratively across the organization to understand stakeholders' target decks and recommend tasking strategies to meet their goals. Submit tasking requirements, monitor collection accomplishment, and track, validate, and manage monthly tasking credits.
• Lead routine tasking work groups to align collection requirements across Carbon Mapper departments and customer sectors. Develop strategies to maximize collection across all sectors while applying established priorities, and communicate limitations and conflicts clearly to Mission Management leadership.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts across the organization and coordinate with Planet engineers to resolve issues. Work closely with the Carbon Mapper engineering team to implement scripts and automation and identify streamlined workflows and tools that improve tasking performance.
• Analyze tasking feasibility and capacity to predict performance relative to Carbon Mapper's target decks. Develop analytics and metrics to characterize tasking performance and identify opportunities to improve future performance.
• Flight Planning & Operations: Plan flight tracks, analyze real-time and predictive weather forecasts, coordinate with flight crews, and serve as the airborne sensor operator during mission execution. Maintain flight logs, sensor calibration records, and equipment maintenance histories in strict adherence to aviation safety protocols.
• Geospatial Data Processing: Process raw post-flight sensor imagery and spectral data into core GIS deliverables (e.g., orthomosaics, georeferenced rasters, and surface models).
• Payload Installation & Maintenance: Perform physical integration, pre-flight checks, calibration, and post-flight removal of sensor payloads, along with in-field diagnosis and troubleshooting of system issues.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

Must-Have Skills & Experience:

• 7+ years of experience in satellite collection planning, satellite mission operations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with satellite tasking operations, tasking optimization, and target deck management, including supporting the tasking needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience with GIS software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS, or geopandas) and a solid understanding of spatial data formats, coordinate reference systems, and raster processing.
• Strong understanding of collection feasibility and the factors that affect successful collection.
• Proficiency with scripting in a GIS context (e.g., Python, R).
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across science, engineering, and operations teams, manage competing priorities, and communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to travel up to 25%, including continuous campaigns of up to 30 days.
• Ability to serve as a sensor operator aboard small commercial aircraft during aerial surveys.

Nice-to-Have Skills:

• Experience with hyperspectral systems and processing.
• Familiarity with environmental monitoring missions, such as greenhouse gas emission monitoring.
• Experience supporting airborne remote sensing programs, campaign planning, and airborne data product delivery.
• Familiarity with cloud-based geospatial data processing applications and satellite tasking APIs.
• Experience using Python for geospatial analysis, automation, and tasking API integration.
• Knowledge of satellite simulation and feasibility modeling interpretation.
• Familiarity with the Linux command line for process management, directory navigation, and file system management, along with a basic understanding of IP configuration, Ethernet communications, and network hardware troubleshooting.

Location

Carbon Mapper is headquartered in Pasadena, California, but we embrace the virtual office and are continuing to grow our team across the United States. We have a preference for this role to be located in the Pasadena area, and the position requires the ability to travel up to 25%, including continuous campaigns of up to 30 days.

Compensation

The total compensation for this opportunity includes a base salary range of $150,000 - $170,000/year. This is our target compensation range and is subject to multiple factors including level, experience, and location. As you go through our interview process, our recruiter will work with you to identify a competitive base salary within the proposed range.

• As a Carbon Mapper employee, you will have access to a wide range of benefits including affordable health coverage (medical, dental, vision), a generous time-off policy, professional development, and more.

Carbon Mapper is an equal opportunity employer that believes a diverse team will not just lead to a better working environment, but will also help us create better products and services.

Carbon Mapper is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. If any reasonable accommodation is needed in our process, please reach out to [e-mail].