Airborne Sensor Operator

Dewberry is currently seeking an Airborne Sensor Operator in our Tampa, FL, office.

This is an excellent career opportunity for an individual to join a team of professionals while working in a multidisciplinary consulting and engineering firm. The firm succeeds through the individual and collaborative skills of its people therefore we offer opportunities for professional growth while working with and applying the latest technology. Typical responsibilities are to work on the GIS/IT and Remote Sensing related projects for state and federal clients across the US. 

Dewberry is a leading, market-facing professional services firm with more than 50 locations and 2,000 professionals nationwide. What sets us apart from our competitors are our people. At Dewberry, we seek out exceptional talent and strive to deliver the highest quality of services to our clients. Whether you’re an experienced professional or a new graduate, you’ll have the chance to collaborate with the best and brightest and work on innovative and complex projects at the forefront of the industry. Our commitment to excellence stems from our personal integrity and from other defining attributes, which we call “Dewberry at Work,” that have inspired our employees to be successful for more than a half-century.

Position requires mid-level experience in geospatial and lidar technologies. Preferred experience in operating commercial airborne lidar sensors (Riegl, Leica, Optech) in fixed wing platforms. Candidate should have strong self-motivation with independent working mindset, is expected to operate airborne sensors in field operations aboard fixed wing aircraft. Strong communication skills with the pilot and operations staff are expected, must be able to perform work duties at various times and schedules when optimal flying conditions are present, including nights and weekends. This role will have office geospatial work duties during non-operational times. Training for operating these systems in the aircraft will be provided.  Additional responsibilities will include but not limited to:

• Acquire airborne lidar data from fixed wing aircraft
• Work directly with pilot during geospatial data acquisition
• Evaluate weather and environmental conditions prior to each mission
• Collect, download, and ship acquired data from the field to office
• Ensure complete acquisition field logs and reporting are completed
• Ensure safe operation of company equipment
• Coordinate with acquisition, calibration, and project management team
• Post processing of GPS trajectories and acquired data for quality review
• Quality checks on data post acquisition
• Data processing in office environment during non-acquisition periods.
• Create report documentation
• Lead troubleshooting of sensor and software issues and system installation into aircraft
• Facilitate sensor troubleshooting with sensor manufacturers
• Independent Task management
• Problem resolution
• Training and collaboration
• Extensive travel required

• Valid driver’s license
• Bachelor's degree in Geography, GIS, or related field. Or relevant industry experience
• Understanding of GIS, remote sensing, and GPS survey methods
• Prior experience in the GIS/Remote Sensing Field.
• 3+ years of prior experience in sensor operation and airborne data collection
• Ability to travel for up to 4 weeks at a time
• Ability to work and problem solve in remote environments independently of office teams
• Comfortable flying in small aircraft in various environments
• Proficiency in basic computer applications, especially MS Office (Word, Excel, and Access).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills. 

Desired Skills & Experience

• Specific experience with Riegl and Teledyne Optech Sensors
• Experience in topo-bathymetric lidar
• Experience in airborne mission flight planning.
• Proficiency in viewing lidar datasets in software such as Microstation (Terrasolid), Geocue LP360, or ESRI Arcmap
• Experience in other airborne sensors (imagery, hyperspectral, radar\InSAR\IFSAR, gravimetric\magnetic)
• Experience in processing acquired lidar data in sensor vendor software (Riegl RiProcess, Optech LMS, Leica Cloudpro\HxMap,)
• Experience with processing aircraft trajectories using Applanix Pospac or Novatel Inertial Explorer

Physical Requirements

• Ability to fly airborne missions of 3-6 hours in duration, potentially multiple times per day/night with rest between.
• Work during any period of day, early morning, late evenings, and\or weekends, with adequate rest time between operations.
• Deployed for extended period of times across the US
• Not prone to motion sickness
• Individual ability to lift up to 50lbs
• Ability to climb aircraft ladders (up to 6’)
• Ability to operate in outdoor conditions in various seasons, and in aircraft with limited climate controls.

Must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record and ability to pass a driving record background check.

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Dewberry we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace for our employee’s. So if you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the position description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may just be the right candidate for this or other opportunities.

*At this time, Dewberry will not sponsor a new applicant for work authorization.

*Dewberry is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

*Only recipients of an offer of employment from Dewberry, will be required to submit to a background screening which may include, but is not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification, driving record check, criminal background check, and an investigative consumer report. These screenings will be conducted by Dewberry’s background vendor of choice and will be conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local law.