Field & Laboratory Instrument Technician

Job description

King’s College London’s Department of Geography operates a node of NERC’s National Centre for Earth Observation (  www.nceo.ac.uk/) led by Professor Martin Wooster. The work undertaken includes use of scientific Earth Observation instrumentation in laboratory experiments and on field campaigns in the UK and overseas – including air operations by UAVs and manned aircraft carrying various remote sensing instrumentation – see examples at   https://wildfire.geog.kcl.ac.uk/.  

The Group are seeking to expand the team preparing and using these capabilities. The postholder will join an existing technical team in working to prepare, install and operate the remote sensing equipment and other instruments, and to help set up experiments as part of fieldwork.A key focus will be on supporting the use of the manned aircraft platform, which hosts a LiDAR, and various optical and thermal imaging sensors. Full training will be given on the installation and operation of these sensors in the air, and in aircraft operations in general.  Most of the equipment is housed at a dedicated instrument laboratory located in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, where much of the work will be conducted prior to field deployment. Trips to the Department of Geography, King’s College London Strand Campus, around 45 minutes from Harpenden, are also expected, as is overseas travel. A UK Driving licence is essential for this post.

This post will be offered on a full-time, fixed term contract for 2 years.

Key responsibilities

• Help organise maintenance, calibration, repair and operation of the remote sensing and other instrumentation
• Assist with procurement and fabrication of mounts and interfaces to secure sensors and equipment to various aircraft hard points as needed
• Complete and collate paperwork related to specific engineering tasks
• Help prepare sensors for ground and lab-based tests and calibration
• Assist in compiling campaign specific paperwork and authorisations, risk assessments, and help conduct the campaign and associated experiments
• Assist with the operation of imaging systems on an aircraft during airborne campaigns (full training will be provided)
• Back up collected data sets and conduct quality control assessments.
• Assist in basic data processing as required to verify data validity.
• Contribute to maintaining a safe, organised and tidy laboratory and workshop

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential Criteria

1. At least HNC level Electrical/Electronic or related technical or engineering qualification or comparable experience

2. Ability to work independently on certain tasks once relevant training and directions provided

3. Experience working in an electronics engineering laboratory or workshop

4. Willingness to contribute to other non-engineering tasks associated with the deployment and use of the instrumentation and associated laboratories (e.g. administrative / logistical duties), including setting up of instruments for experiments and operation of instruments overseas including on aircraft

5. Full UK Driving License

6. Willingness to work on field and airborne campaigns in the UK and overseas, as required

Desirable criteria

1. Educated to degree level or with equivalent professional experience

2. Experience of working with remote sensing, light measurement technologies and/or scientific instrument calibration

3. Good working knowledge of relevant UK/EU legislation relating to health and safety

4. Current First Aid at Work Certificate (or ability to get this)

5. Interest and experience in one or more of CAD, Python coding, aircraft operations

This post is subject to a Occupational Health Clearance.