Geophysical Equipment Coordinator - Polar Geophysics Laboratory

The Geophysical Equipment Coordinator is responsible for the technical oversight, readiness, and maintenance of the Polar Geophysics Lab's research instrumentation, from maintenance and repair to deployment at remote field sites in Alaska. The role blends engineering and field science: the Coordinator works independently to plan and carry out maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting, repair, and shipping of equipment, operates instruments in the field, and trains undergraduate students, graduate students, scientists, and other professionals to deploy, maintain, and acquire data with the lab's instrumentation. Serving as the project's primary technical resource for instrumentation, the Coordinator directly supports the group's research goals by keeping equipment reliable and available on the project's schedule.

The Polar Geophysics Lab at the University of Maine seeks a Geophysical Equipment Coordinator to play a central role in keeping our labs research instrumentation ready for science, from maintenance and repair to deployment at remote field sites. The role blends engineering and field science as the person will maintain and repair the lab's instruments and help deploy them at field sites in Alaska and other locations. Additionally, this team member will interface with undergraduate students, graduate students, scientists, and other professionals by helping to train them to deploy, maintain, and acquire data using the suite of instrumentation. Typical hiring salary for this soft-money funded position is up to $60,000 commensurate with qualifications and experience. 

Please review the Geophysical Equipment Coordinator job description for more information.

About the University: 
The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the state. UMaine is a land, sea and space grant university, and maintains a leadership role as the University of Maine System's flagship institution. UMaine is the state's public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, dedicated to providing excellent teaching, research and service for Maine, the nation and the world. More information about UMaine is at umaine.edu. 

The University of Maine offers a wide range of benefits for employees including, but not limited to, tuition benefits (employee and dependent), comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short and long term disability as well as retirement plan options.  

UMaine is located in beautiful Central Maine. Many employees report that a primary reason for choosing to come to UMaine is quality of life. Numerous cultural activities, excellent public schools, safe neighborhoods, high quality medical care, little traffic, and a reasonable cost of living make the greater Bangor area a wonderful place to live. Visit the Maine Office of Tourism to learn more about what the Bangor region has to offer. 

Qualifications: 
Required:

• Bachelor's degree in geophysics, geology, earth or environmental science, engineering, physics, or a related field. 
• 1 - 3 years of experience maintaining, troubleshooting, or repairing scientific instrumentation or technical equipment. 
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, set priorities, and solve complex technical problems. 
• Strong organizational, record-keeping, and communication skills. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to work with a wide range of students and professionals on a team. 
• Ability to lift 50 pounds. 

Preferred:

• Experience with geophysical instruments such as ground-penetrating radar, terrestrial radar interferometry, UAVs, LiDAR, or synthetic aperture radar (SAR). 
• Field research or instrument deployment experience, including in remote or cold-weather settings. 
• Working knowledge of electronics, power systems, or basic fabrication (e.g., 3D printers, laser cutters, soldering, or basic electronics engineering). 
• Experience with scripting or programming for instrument configuration and data retrieval. 
• Experience shipping hazardous materials (e.g., lithium batteries). 
• Demonstrated troubleshooting or problem-solving experience. 
   

Other Information: 

To be considered for this position you will need to “Apply” and upload the documentation listed below:

1.) a cover letter which describes your experience, interests, and suitability for the position
2.) a resume/curriculum vitae

Candidates selected to proceed to the final stages of the search process will be requested to provide a list of names and contact information for references.

Incomplete application materials cannot be considered. Materials received after the initial review date will be reviewed at the discretion of the University.

For full consideration, materials must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. EST on December 1, 2026.

For questions about the search, please contact search committee chair Scott Braddock at [email protected]. 

The successful applicant is subject to appropriate background screening and post offer physical.