Senior Civil Engineer

The Senior Civil Engineer for ngGONG plays a critical role in shaping the future of ground-based solar observations. This position supports the National Solar Observatory’s Next‑Generation Global Observing Network Group (ngGONG), a major international initiative currently in the design phase. ngGONG will modernize NSO’s global network of solar observatories, enabling continuous, high‑quality observations that advance solar physics research and improve our understanding of space weather.

The Senior Civil Engineer plays a foundational role in turning ngGONG’s scientific vision into buildable, real‑world observatories. This position ensures that each ngGONG site—from terrain and infrastructure to buildings and foundations—is thoughtfully designed, rigorously reviewed, and fully compliant with regulatory and safety requirements. By leading civil engineering concepts, overseeing external A&E design efforts, and coordinating permitting and approvals, the Senior Civil Engineer helps de‑risk the project early and sets the stage for successful construction and long‑term operations.

This role is critical to aligning technical excellence with practical constraints such as constructability, cost, schedule, and site‑specific conditions. Through close collaboration with multidisciplinary engineering teams, architects, and site stakeholders, the Senior Civil Engineer ensures that ngGONG facilities not only support the telescope systems they house, but also enable reliable operations for decades to come—making the science possible.

The ngGONG project is currently funded for a three‑year design phase, with the potential for additional funding contingent upon selection to advance into construction.

This position is based in Boulder, Colorado, on the University of Colorado campus.

• Define SBF:
  Lead the definition, documentation, and maintenance of civil and architectural design requirements for site development, buildings/foundations, and Fit‑out (SBF) at all ngGONG sites.
• Develop, evaluate, and down‑select site and facility concepts (for example, container‑based buildings, tower and foundation schemes, utility and access layouts) through structured trade studies that balance performance, risk, cost, constructability, schedule, and code compliance across diverse international locations.
• Coordinate closely with Systems Engineering, Telescope Assembly, EHS, and science teams to ensure that civil and architectural requirements, interfaces, and layouts support instrument performance, operations, safety, environmental constraints, and future expansion.
• Prepare and maintain the technical content for the SBF Design Requirements Document (DRD), reference standards package, baseline “reference design” concepts, and other internal design artifacts to be used in A&E procurement and subsequent design reviews.
• Serve as the primary technical and day‑to‑day administrative owner of the A&E contract for SBF, including developing scopes of work, participating in procurement, reviewing drawings/models/specifications/estimates, managing design iterations, and verifying alignment with ngGONG standards and NSF/federal requirements.
• Ensure that all site and building designs correctly implement applicable codes, standards, and regulations (for example, IBC, ASCE 7, NEC/NFPA, local building and zoning codes, environmental and heritage protection requirements), and elevate issues, variances, and key decisions to project leadership as needed.
• Lead identification, mapping, and tracking of all permitting, approvals, and inspections for each site (planning, building, environmental, utility, heritage/historic, and related authorities), and coordinate timely preparation and submission of permit and approval packages with the A&E firm and NSO/AURA administrative teams.
• Manage and review supporting investigations and inputs for SBF, including surveys, geotechnical studies, environmental reviews, and site‑specific constraints, and ensure that these are appropriately incorporated into concepts, requirements, and A&E deliverables.
• Serve as Control Account Manager (CAM) for the SBF work scope, and develop and maintain civil/SBF inputs to the…