Satellite Product Modeler

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 09-22-2025

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) is an organized research unit whose mission is to increase knowledge of the world's oceans and inhabitants to better understand their economic importance and the impact people have on them.
Through this effort, IMS maintains the responsibility to encourage, develop, and support marine research and education and does this by providing research opportunities, resources, facilities, and support for scientists within the institute and with other marine research institutions.

As part of its mission's efforts, IMS launched the Fisheries Collaborative Program (FCP) to help foster research collaborations between NOAA scientists, UCSC faculty, IMS researchers, and students. The FCP's research activities include field and laboratory experiments, modeling, and computational studies and they involve marine and freshwater species and habitats where comprehensive studies are being conducted on the ecology and life history of Pacific salmonids and other fishes. The FCP serves to support resource managers (e.g., Pacific Fisheries Management Council), fisheries, and resource science in general.

More information can be found at: https://fisheries.ucsc.edu/

JOB SUMMARY

Working in the Fisheries Collaborative Program (FCP) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the Satellite Product Modeler addresses challenges in integrative research on ocean ecosystems off the US West Coast. The FCP is a community of UC and NOAA fisheries researchers focused on providing science to support monitoring and management of marine resources, and has a diverse research portfolio spanning multiple ecosystems, spatial scales, and levels of ecosystem organization. The Satellite Product Modeler works under the general direction of an FCP Research Team Lead and in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries and the NOAA CoastWatch Program. As a member of the FCP, the incumbent provides computer programming and data management expertise to support a workgroup of researchers using satellite algorithm-based models to track marine environmental conditions, generate habitat distribution maps, and produce forecasts for environmental anomalies like harmful algal blooms. The incumbent contributes to the development of reproducible workflows for satellite-based products, migrates them to a cloud environment, and ensures cloud-based distribution of the products. This position requires a strong aptitude for computer programming. Specific duties and responsibilities include 1) Provide programming support for a team developing cloud-based workflows for satellite environmental data products; 2) Manage the migration of environmental data, applications, and software to the cloud, with the goal of providing data access in a cloud environment for data server applications such as ERDDAP and THREDDS; 3) Use the software tools developed by this team to support FCP/NOAA teams developing cloud-based workflows for environmental data, emphasizing reproducible approaches. Programming support will include generating code to integrate scientific models written in a variety of program languages (e.g., Python, Shell scripting, R, etc) to streamline workflow and couple models (algorithms). This will require the incumbent to provide guidance for data systems management, provide clear documentation of workflow, demonstrate familiarity with large datasets and version control, demonstrate familiarity with cloud computing, and demonstrate a commitment to the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reproducible) guiding principles. Once the workflow is established for a pilot migration project, it will be adapted and applied to larger migration projects within the FCP, NOAA Fisheries, and NOAA CoastWatch communities. This is an opportunity for the incumbent to generate novel workflows and communicate effectively with senior scientists to codify best practices and reproducible methods for those communities. The hiring unit will not sponsor employment-eligible immigration statuses for this position.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $95,250.00/year - $105,000.00/year. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Monday to Friday, with the potential for an occasional evening or weekend
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: Remote

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 007300 (APPLICATIONS PROGR 3) - Grade 22

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

35% - Project Development

• Plans, designs, develops, modifies, debugs, and deploys programming for model integration workflow and data systems organization.
• Analyzes existing workflow to formulate logic for new complex systems and devises complex algorithms using reproducible methods.
• Performs complex data analysis and tests / debugs complex programming.
• Analyzes the design and use of complex data sources.
• Applies moderately complex programming security practices, and commits to the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reproducible) guiding principles.

30% - Coding and Workflow Implementation

• Negotiates, develops and executes moderately complex programming for model integration workflows and data systems organization plans.
• Trains users in the use of new workflow and data management systems using, for example, reproducible notebook methods (Jupyter, R notebooks, etc).
• Performs complex data modeling, performance, and integration testing and builds workflow for a variety of internal and external constituents.
• Monitors and employs source code control techniques and configuration management on GitHub.

25% - Documentation

• Gathers, analyzes, prepares, and summarizes recommendations for programming and data systems documentation.
• Recommends and implements changes in development, maintenance, and system standards.
• Works with scientific modelers and stakeholders on the creation of model integration systems.
• Ensures project reports and documentation are current.

10% - Distribution and Technology Transfer

• Understands and applies industry practices, community standards, and department policies and procedures relating to work assignments.
• Interacts with ecologists, scientific modelers, principal investigators, and supervisory scientists.
• Serves as the technical lead for the development of a project integrating scientific modeling into user friendly workflows and programs.
• Trains users of new work plans.
• Negotiates project plans with scientific modelers and stakeholders.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Knowledge in programming languages commonly used in research settings, such as Python (preferred), BASH-shell scripting (preferred), R or similar.
• Willingness and ability to learn a new programming language if necessary.
  Thorough experience with identification and use of code libraries and open-source forums, and commitment to FAIR practices and reproducible science.
• Basic knowledge of version control and code management (e.g., GitHub or equivalent).
• Demonstrated understanding of cloud platforms (preferably Amazon Web Service or Google Cloud Platform) and experience with data server applications such as ERDDAP and THREDDS.
• Basic knowledge of data management practices.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical information with technical and non-technical personnel at various levels in the organization.
• Demonstrated broad problem solving skills.
• Self-motivated, with the ability to meet deadlines while working independently and as part of a team.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced skills associated with software design, modification, implementation and deployment, including object-oriented programming concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to understand functional needs and how systems can support those needs. Demonstrated ability to develop conversion and system implementation plans.
• Demonstrated ability to interface with management on a regular basis.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute technical narrative to grant proposals.
• Experience with planning for deployment and creation of feedback mechanisms.
• Demonstrated software repository skills.
• Demonstrated testing and test planning skills.
• Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• In order to comply with security measures with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the candidate will be required to participate in a federal security clearance and be fingerprinted to receive a photo I.D. badge, which will be required to complete essential job duties. Additionally, candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to meet NOAA security requirements.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties. Sensitive information includes but is not limited to employee and student records, health and patient records, financial data, strategic plans, proprietary information and any other sensitive or non-public information learned during the course and scope of employment. Understands that sensitive information should be shared on a limited basis and actively takes steps to limit access to sensitive information to individuals who have legitimate business need to know. Ensure that sensitive information is properly safeguarded. Follow all organizational policies and laws on data protection and privacy. This includes secure handling of physical and digital records and proper usage of IT systems to prevent data leaks. The unauthorized or improper disclosure of confidential work-related information obtained from any source on any work-related matter is a violation of these expectations.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• This is a fully remote position, and the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

- UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
- UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
- Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.