Employment Opportunities with McDonald Observatory

We are beyond that moon that you are considering a career with us.

As a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin, we offer employment opportunities at both the Observatory in West Texas and on the UT campus in Austin. Please be sure to check where jobs are located when reviewing open positions.

Looking to volunteer instead? Visit our Volunteer page to learn more and apply.

Jobs in Austin, Texas

Check back for positions in Austin.

Jobs in Fort Davis, Texas

Administrative Associate

Provides administrative support to McDonald Observatory's West Texas operations, including procuring goods and services, contracts, inventory, accounting and reporting, and other administrative duties. For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Building Attendant Leader

Serves as the custodial crew leader at McDonald Observatory, while performing the same duties as other journey-level employees in the work group. For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Electronics Engineer

Leads the research and development of electronics and related infrastructure systems, with wide latitude for independent judgment, and to coordinate electronics needs with the Observing Support team and with Principal Investigators (PIs). For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Facility Maintenance Tech

Performs day-to-day technical trades skills in the maintenance, repair, fabrication, and operations of a remote research facility, and perform skilled work in an electrical, mechanical, and HVAC environment. For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Mechanic/Technician

Performs day-to-day technical trades skills in the maintenance, repair, fabrication, and operations of a remote research facility, and perform skilled work in an electrical, mechanical, and HVAC environment.
For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Hobby-Eberly Telescope Electrical Engineer

Performs electrical engineering tasks on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope's (HET) equipment and facility infrastructure, with a wide latitude for independent action and decision-making. This hands-on position maintains, designs, and improves the functionality of electrical, electronic, electromechanical, and electro-optical subsystems on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) to achieve McDonald Observatory's scientific goals. For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Hobby-Eberly Telescope Mechanical Engineer

Leads a small team of technicians and performs mechanical engineering maintenance, design, and performance improvements on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope’s (HET) equipment and facility infrastructure. This position reports to the HET Facility Manager at the McDonald Observatory site near Ft. Davis, Texas. For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Hobby-Eberly Telescope Science Operations Manager

Provides leadership, high-quality science, and technical support in the science operations of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), including managing the HET science and engineering support operations, supervising night-time operations, monitoring and reporting on HET optical and instrumentation performance, data acquisition and reduction. For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Hobby-Eberly Telescope Software Engineer

Programs, installs, maintains, and supports the computers and network of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at the McDonald Observatory with emphasis on designing and authoring new code, and maintaining existing code for the control of the telescope sub-systems. These efforts are part of continuing telescope development projects to operate and upgrade the HET as needed. For more information on this position and to apply, please see the full job posting.

Positions are security sensitive; conviction verification conducted on applicant selected.