Machinist-Instrument Maker Level III

Position Type:
Term - 6 months or more (Fixed Term)

Visa Sponsored Job:
No

Relocation Assistance Eligible:
No

Hiring Range: 73,140.00 USD - 91,430.00 USD

* Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role.

Final date to receive applications at 12:00am MST on

UCAR is excited to announce the job opening for the Machinist-Instrument Maker Level III role. This position serves as an advanced Machinist
- Instrument Maker within Design and Fabrication Services (DFS). Receives broad direction to plan and perform complex high-precision machining and fabrication for research and prototype instruments using advanced knowledge of machining, materials, CNC programming, inspection, and fabrication methods. Collaborates with scientists, engineers, designers, and technical staff to develop manufacturable solutions, contributes at the design level, provides technical guidance to other shop personnel as needed, and may serve as project leader on designated fabrication projects.

EOL is NSF NCAR’s observational enterprise, serving as a vital hub for scientific discovery and technological innovation in the atmospheric and Earth sciences. The majority of NSF’s Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF), part of the NSF Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) Program, are managed and operated by EOL. Through deployment of these assets, paired with a program for innovation in instrument development, signal processing, and discovery science, EOL provides US researchers with comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that have significant global implications for understanding our planet’s atmospheric systems.

The NSF NCAR Gulfstream V and C-130 aircraft serve as airborne laboratories equipped with advanced instrumentation capable of capturing data across diverse spatial and geographical contexts. On the ground, in-situ and remote sensing instrumentation probe surface and boundary layer dynamics and enable thermodynamic profiling through flexible, state-of-the-art backbone measurement capabilities and science. Through comprehensive archival and stewardship services, EOL ensures that scientific data from NSF-funded and other field campaigns are not only preserved and analyzed but also shared widely.

Design and fabrication services enable engineers and scientists to work together to develop, create and deploy innovative instrumentation and sampling approaches to address emerging research challenges.

Final date to receive applications:
This job will be posted for two weeks from the posting date.

Required application materials: (preferably in PDF Format)

Please Input the ones you need:
Resume, Questionnaire.

Background Checks:
Conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more.

Work Location:

Foothills Lab Location in Boulder, CO. Regardless of flexible work arrangements, UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

Here is a brief summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

• Plans, programs, sets up, operates, and troubleshoots CNC and manual machine tools and other fabrication equipment to produce complex, high-precision research instruments, prototypes, and components. Performs advanced CNC/CAM programming for multi-axis machining centers; develops work holding, jigs, and fixtures; selects materials, tooling, feeds, speeds, and fabrication sequences; and uses precision inspection equipment to verify conformance to drawings, tolerances, and quality requirements.
• Collaborates with scientists, engineers, designers, technicians, and other instrument makers on instrument design and development. Reviews CAD models, engineering drawings,…