Air Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

About CENIC:

Join the team that connects California to the world — advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class computing network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. Our organization operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network with more than 8,000 miles of optical fiber. The network serves over 20 million users across California, including the vast majority of K-20 students, together with educators, researchers, and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions.

POSITION SUMMARY

The CENIC AIR Engineer supports the development, deployment, and operation of CENIC AIR infrastructure and services, including distributed computing and storage environments, Science DMZ-connected resources, field data collection systems, and precision-agriculture research workflows. This role combines hands-on engineering, systems support, automation, documentation, and field deployment work to help CENIC AIR serve researchers, educators, and participating campuses.

Working with CENIC AIR leadership, internal technical teams, and external research partners, the CENIC AIR Engineer helps install, configure, monitor, document, and improve technical systems that support AI-enabled research and education. Responsibilities may include supporting Nautilus nodes and related distributed computing tools, collecting and managing imagery and sensor data, assisting with drones and advanced camera systems, developing lightweight software or automation workflows, and helping translate field and campus needs into practical technical improvements.

This role is intended for an engineer with a broad, applied technical foundation and a willingness to work across systems, software, networking, data, and field environments. It requires curiosity, sound judgment, strong documentation habits, and the ability to learn quickly while contributing to a new and evolving CENIC initiative.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

None. This position may provide day-to-day guidance, technical support, and task coordination for CENIC AIR interns or student participants as assigned.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

• Broad applied technical curiosity across distributed systems, software, data, networking, and field research environments

• Hands-on problem-solving ability, with comfort troubleshooting unfamiliar systems, equipment, and workflows

• Strong documentation habits and attention to detail, especially when working with research data, field deployments, and evolving technical procedures

• Ability to work collaboratively with CENIC staff, researchers, students, and external technical partners

• Willingness to learn quickly and contribute in a new, evolving initiative where tools, processes, and requirements may continue to mature

• Clear communication skills, including the ability to explain technical work to both technical and non-technical collaborators

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

CENIC AIR Infrastructure Support and Deployment

• Support the deployment, configuration, and ongoing improvement of CENIC AIR infrastructure, including distributed computing and storage resources, Science DMZ-connected environments, and related networked systems

• Assist with the installation, configuration, and maintenance of Nautilus nodes, IoT devices, LoRaWAN antennas, and related field or campus-based equipment

• Work with CENIC AIR leadership, UCSD National Research Platform engineers, and CENIC technical teams to support project plans, implementation tasks, and practical improvements to CENIC AIR services

• Help assess system performance, capacity, and reliability needs for CENIC AIR-connected campuses and research environments

• Stay informed about relevant developments in distributed computing, AI infrastructure, precision agriculture, and research and education networking

Field Data Collection and Research Support

• Support field data collection activities for CENIC AIR research projects, including imagery, video, geospatial data, sensor data, and related technical documentation

• Assist with the setup and operation of drones, advanced camera systems, sensors, and other field equipment used in precision-agriculture and AI-enabled research workflows

• Organize, process, and manage collected data to support computer vision, analytics, visualization, and related research applications

• Help identify practical field, campus, or researcher needs that can inform CENIC AIR infrastructure improvements and service development

• Support workshops, demonstrations, or training activities for participating campuses, researchers, instructors, or student cohorts as assigned

Systems, Software, and Automation Support

• Develop, adapt, or maintain lightweight software tools, scripts, and automation workflows that support CENIC AIR operations, data processing, monitoring, documentation, or research workflows

• Support the configuration, use, and troubleshooting of distributed computing environments, including Kubernetes-based tools, JupyterLab/JupyterHub environments, visualization tools, and related research platforms

• Assist with data-processing workflows for imagery, video, geospatial, sensor, or telemetry data used in AI-enabled research and precision-agriculture applications

• Contribute to the evaluation and improvement of tools used for visibility, performance monitoring, workflow automation, and operational support

• Work with internal and external technical partners to troubleshoot issues, test changes, and document repeatable procedures for CENIC AIR systems and services

Documentation, Training, and Collaboration

• Create and maintain clear technical documentation, field notes, configuration records, procedures, and project updates for CENIC AIR systems, deployments, and research workflows

• Assist with training materials, demonstrations, workshops, or knowledge-sharing sessions for CENIC staff, researchers, instructors, students, or participating campuses

• Provide day-to-day technical guidance or task support to CENIC AIR interns, student participants, or project collaborators as assigned

• Coordinate with CENIC technical teams, UCSD National Research Platform engineers, and external partners to support implementation, troubleshooting, and service improvement activities

• Communicate project status, technical issues, field observations, and support needs clearly to CENIC AIR leadership and relevant stakeholders

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, information technology, data science, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience