Electrical Engineer - Atmospheric Observation

Job Description

Job Description

Overview

What if the humidity of the atmosphere could be measured just by watching how a radio signal bends? As FWI's MLOS Development Engineer supporting NSSL's Microwave Line-of-Sight (MLOS) proof-of-concept program, you'll help answer that question. You will advance a system built to demonstrate whether RF transmissions — and the phase shifts within them — can be reliably used to retrieve relative humidity estimates, working hands-on with electronic circuits, RF signal measurement, and enclosure design in Norman, Oklahoma. This is applied research at the hardware level: real circuits, real signals, real atmospheric physics, with the goal of turning a promising concept into a validated measurement technique.

FWI is expanding rapidly and has been recognized as a 2024, 2025 and 2026 Top Workplace, offering excellent growth opportunities in a collaborative environment. 

Work Schedule and Location:

Hybrid:  This full-time hybrid position will work Monday through Friday, 8 AM CST to 5 PM CST, with 90% at National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), National Weather Center, Norman, Oklahoma, or designated field deployment locations.

Responsibilities

• Continue development of the MLOS proof-of-concept system to demonstrate feasibility of using RF transmissions to retrieve relative humidity estimations
• Collaborate with NOAA/NSSL scientists and engineers to evaluate the existing project's circuitry, parts, and test plans
• Install and configure test equipment at the Norman, Oklahoma site
• Perform experiments to assess the viability of using the system to derive humidity measurements from RF phase shift data, including collecting data across a broad range of operating conditions and humidities, as conditions permit
• Use experimental results to refine the experimental design, equipment, and/or retrieval scheme to improve humidity detection, including collaborating on mechanical or electrical solution design (e.g., phase-locked oscillators, enclosure climate control, feed horn replacement, transmitter power adjustments) and testing as applicable
• Evaluate whether the measured phase difference can be digitized and used in an algorithm to obtain reliable relative humidity measurements
• Collaborate with NSSL scientists, engineers, and external partners to validate against other operational and/or experimental observations
• Assist NSSL staff in deploying other research systems, as appropriate for validation
• Create and maintain software that uses digitized phase shift data to calculate relative humidity and is capable of reporting humidity data in real time, if applicable
• Provide technical documentation (e.g., schematics, code repositories, test reports) for development activities
• Prepare quarterly reports of status
• Write a brief report following AMS guidelines and prepare a conference-style presentation; present to project stakeholders and at a national or international conference if possible

Qualifications

Required: 

• BA/BS in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline
• 6+ years of full-time electrical engineering experience

Desired: 

• Knowledge of RF electronics, circuit design, and signal propagation principles
• Experience using test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes, signal analyzers, etc.) to measure electronic signals and interfacing software
• Experience with digital receivers and data acquisition and analysis, including basic statistics
• Basic software programming skills (e.g., MATLAB, Python, C++)
• Strong communication skills, including technical writing
• Experience designing and implementing custom solutions for deploying observing platforms (preferred)
• Familiarity with atmospheric measurement techniques (preferred)
• Experience developing software and visualization techniques for scientific data collection and analysis (preferred)

Work Setting and Environment:

• Primary location: National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), National Weather Center, Norman, Oklahoma, or designated field deployment locations
• Normal work hours are Monday through Friday, 8 hours per day / 40 hours per week, excluding federal holidays; field data-collection activities may require irregular hours during active severe weather events
• Remote work arrangements must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR); on-site presence may be required based on mission, field operations, collaboration, or security needs
• Local and non-local travel may be required, not anticipated to exceed 5% annually; all unplanned travel must be approved in writing by the COR at least 10 calendar days in advance
• Must complete an online IT security awareness course within one week of starting work
• Government-furnished equipment provided, including access to HPC resources, specialized mobile observation platforms, laboratory test equipment, computers, and office workspace, as applicable

FWI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/vets. 

#ZR