Remote Computer Science Research Assistant Jobs in Phoenix, AZ

Iridium is an award-winning and innovative satellite communications company with bragging rights to the only network that offers voice and data connectivity anywhere in the world.   For over 20 years, Iridium’s unique network and services have supported critical communications needs for individuals, businesses, and the evolving Internet of Things.

At Iridium, we understand the importance of staying connected and the limitations of traditional communications networks. People across the globe, including first responders, humanitarians, global militaries, scientific researchers, and lone workers, as well as ships, aircraft and remote operations all rely on Iridium to stay connected. We take our responsibility for providing these essential communications very seriously and pride ourselves on offering a reliable lifeline when needed.  Likewise, Iridium is committed to providing an exciting and innovative workplace, where employees are challenged to think outside the box and collaborate on new, bold ideas and solutions.  Our talented teams are passionate about their work and the impact our company makes around the world.  Iridium fosters an empowering and inclusive culture that allows employees to genuinely be their best selves.   We are looking for others who want to join this truly unique company that celebrates our employees and provides the opportunity to truly make a difference in the world.

We are seeking a skilled and analytical Data Analyst III to help understand and improve the performance of our satellite telecommunications network. In this role, you will analyze network traffic, service quality, usage trends, and operational data to identify patterns, investigate issues, and support data-driven decision making across the organization. Working with satellite network, RF, systems engineering, operations, customer-facing, and data teams, you will collect, analyze, and visualize data from multiple sources to help explain network behavior and support operational improvements. The ideal candidate is curious, detail-oriented, and comfortable working with large datasets using SQL, Power BI, Snowflake, and other analytical tools. Success in this role requires strong analytical skills, effective communication, and a willingness to develop expertise in satellite telecommunications and network operations.

• Analyze satellite telecommunications network data to identify trends, anomalies, service issues, and usage patterns that impact network performance or customer experience.
• Investigate operational and customer questions by querying and analyzing data using SQL, Snowflake, Power BI, and other analytical tools.
• Develop reports, dashboards, and visualizations that communicate network performance metrics, operational trends, and key findings to technical and business stakeholders.
• Analyze network telemetry, call detail records (CDRs), session data, RF metrics, gateway performance, device usage, and other operational datasets.
• Collaborate with RF Engineering, Network Engineering, Systems Engineering, Operations, and Data Engineering teams to validate data, improve reporting accuracy, and support operational initiatives.
• Build analytical datasets, semantic models, reports, and visualizations that support investigation, monitoring, root-cause analysis, executive communication, and customer-facing explanation.
• Monitor key performance indicators such as throughput, latency, call success rates, beam utilization, gateway performance, and traffic trends.
• Assist with capacity analysis by evaluating utilization patterns and identifying areas that may require further investigation or planning.
• Confidently communicate findings through concise written summaries, presentations, Power BI reports, and ad hoc analysis; tailor the level of technical detail to executive, engineering, operational, or customer audiences.
• Develop deep domain knowledge of Iridium's business, products, satellite architecture, network operations, customer usage patterns, and data landscape.

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Typically requires 5+ years of experience in data analysis, business intelligence, analytics, telecommunications, or a related analytical role.
• Advanced SQL skills, including complex joins, window functions, aggregation strategy, temporal analysis, query troubleshooting, and the ability to work with large-scale data sets.
• Strong Power BI skills, including data modeling, DAX, report design for analysis, drillthrough/drilldown, performance-aware semantic model design, and the ability to build reports that support investigation rather than only static reporting.
• Experience analyzing operational, network, telecommunications, or other high-volume datasets to identify trends, anomalies, and performance issues.
• Possess an analytical mindset, with the ability to understand a situation or problem and think critically to make decisions or come up with solutions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical findings to non-technical stakeholders and to answer direct questions from senior leaders or external customers.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across cross-functional teams and set priorities without guidance. 
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to confidently present products, deliverables, analyses, and/or issues
• High intellectual curiosity and a demonstrated ability to learn a complex technical domain without extensive oversight.

• Experience in telecom, satellite communications, wireless networks, RF systems, network operations, or network quality/performance analytics.
• Familiarity with RF/network concepts such as beams, channels, gateways, congestion, handover, link quality, signal strength, dropped sessions, capacity, availability, or quality of service.
• Working knowledge of statistical analysis, anomaly detection, forecasting, segmentation, clustering, or machine-learning techniques, with the ability to choose practical methods appropriate to the business question.
• Analytical engineering experience, including building curated marts, reusable metric layers, data quality checks, or pipelines with tools such as dbt or similar frameworks.

• Be able to work in the office at least 60% of the time (3 or more days a week) to foster collaboration with the team and stakeholders
• Be able to travel up 10%
• Be a US Citizen

This position primarily works in an office setting and is largely sedentary with the majority of the position working with a computer. The role typically requires the use of basic office equipment such as a phone, video, computer, keyboard, mouse, and printer. 

We believe in-person connection drives innovation, strengthens mentorship, and builds culture, while flexibility enables employees to do their best work. Under Iridium’s Hybrid Work Policy, employees are expected to work at least three days per week (approximately 60%) in an Iridium office to support collaboration, relationship-building, and professional growth.

Additional Information

This job description outlines the general nature and level of work for this role and is not a comprehensive list of duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Employees may be assigned additional responsibilities as needed.

Base Pay Range: $95,000 - $125,000 USD

Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors and this range represents an estimate of compensation at the time of posting. Base salary is only one part of our compensation package for this role. You may also be eligible for company stock and annual bonus. Employee benefits also include medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage; 401(k) retirement plan options; paid time off and paid holidays; paid parental leave; and other discounts and perks.  

Iridium is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.