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Remote Sensing Scientist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Umbra

Senior Program Manager - Remote Sensing

Arlington, VA · On-site +1

$133K - $134K/yr

Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms ... S. national security and intelligence, support disaster response, and advance scientific discovery.

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Remote Sensing Scientist information

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$127K

$171K

How much do remote sensing scientist jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for remote sensing scientist in the United States is $127,031.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $109,000.00 and $143,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a remote sensing scientist?

Remote Sensing Scientists are professionals who use satellite or airborne sensor data to analyze and interpret information about the Earth's surface and atmosphere. They apply techniques from physics, geography, and computer science to process and analyze remotely sensed images for applications such as environmental monitoring, agriculture, urban planning, and disaster management. Their work often involves using software to manipulate geospatial data and create maps or models that inform decision-making. Remote Sensing Scientists may work in government agencies, research institutions, or private industry, and often collaborate with other scientists and engineers.

What does a remote sensing scientist do?

Remote sensing scientists analyze data using sensors to solve problems related to local issues like urban planning to global complications like natural resource management. As a remote sensing scientist, your responsibilities include using statistical analysis or image analysis software to analyze data acquired by aircraft, satellites, and other platforms. You monitor atmospheric changes, better understand geospatial information, and even help influence decision making regarding fair and equitable land use. Remote sensing scientists are closely involved in innumerable fields.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a remote sensing scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Remote Sensing Scientist, you need a strong background in geospatial analysis, image processing, and a relevant degree in fields such as geography, environmental science, or engineering. Familiarity with GIS software (like ArcGIS or QGIS), remote sensing tools (such as ENVI or ERDAS Imagine), and programming languages (Python, R) is typically required. Analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for interpreting data and presenting findings. These competencies are vital for accurately analyzing earth observation data, supporting decision-making, and ensuring the reliability of scientific conclusions.

What are some typical challenges remote sensing scientists face when working with large datasets?

Remote Sensing Scientists often work with massive amounts of satellite or aerial imagery, which can present challenges related to data storage, processing speed, and data quality management. Ensuring the accuracy of image analysis and integrating data from multiple sensor types or platforms can also be complex. To address these issues, scientists frequently rely on high-performance computing, cloud-based platforms, and advanced algorithms for data preprocessing and analysis. Collaborating closely with data engineers and software developers is common to streamline workflow and maintain data integrity.

What is the difference between Remote Sensing Scientist vs GIS Analyst?

AspectRemote Sensing ScientistGIS Analyst
Required CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in Remote Sensing, Geospatial Science, or related fieldsBachelor's/Master's in Geography, GIS, or related fields
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, government agencies, environmental firmsUrban planning, environmental consulting, government agencies
Industry UsageSatellite data analysis, environmental monitoringMapping, spatial data analysis, infrastructure planning
Common Search IntentRemote sensing data interpretation, satellite imagery analysisGIS mapping, spatial data management

While both roles involve geospatial data, Remote Sensing Scientists focus on analyzing satellite and aerial imagery to monitor environmental changes, whereas GIS Analysts primarily work with geographic information systems to create maps and analyze spatial data for planning and decision-making.

Does remote sensing scientist pay well?

Remote sensing scientists typically earn competitive salaries that vary based on experience, education, and location. According to industry data, median salaries range from $60,000 to over $100,000 annually, with higher pay often associated with advanced skills in GIS, image analysis, and remote sensing software. Many roles also offer benefits such as flexible schedules and opportunities for professional development.

How much do remote sensing scientists earn?

Remote sensing scientists typically earn a median annual salary of around $70,000 to $100,000, depending on experience, education, and location. Advanced skills in GIS, image analysis, and programming can lead to higher compensation, especially in research or industry roles.
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Remote Sensing Scientist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Remote Sensing Scientist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 1% As Needed, 91% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $127,031 per year, or $61.1 per hour.

Rainmaker Fellow, Satellite Remote Sensing

Rainmaker Technology Corporation

El Segundo, CA • On-site, Remote

$62K - $81K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Re-posted 14 days ago

Job description

About Rainmaker

Rainmaker is pioneering a modern cloud-seeding system to increase precipitation, improve water availability, and address severe-weather challenges. We combine atmospheric science, weather-resistant UAS, radar and satellite observations, numerical weather prediction, novel sensing systems, and sustainable seeding technologies to design, operate, and evaluate precipitation-enhancement programs.

Satellite observations provide the coverage Rainmaker needs to understand clouds across large regions, while our radar, aircraft, UAS, and in-situ sensors provide unusually valuable observations for validation and improvement.

About the Fellowship

The Rainmaker Satellite Remote Sensing Fellowship is a paid, full-time research appointment for exceptional undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, recent graduates, and other early-career researchers.

You will join Rainmaker's satellite remote-sensing group and work alongside our researchers on a scoped project drawn from the team's current research priorities and defined in close collaboration with your research lead or mentor. Project matching will consider available data, mentor capacity, team needs, and your background. You will take responsibility for a concrete computational workstream while contributing to ongoing retrieval, validation, automation, and operational-support work across the team.

Examples of the Work

Fellowship projects change with Rainmaker's research and operational priorities. Examples of the work our satellite remote-sensing team may pursue include:

  • Benchmarking and improving microwave-sounder retrievals using Rainmaker in-cloud measurements, radar, geostationary imagery, and model fields.
  • Fusing intermittent polar-orbiting observations with frequent geostationary imagery to track cloud properties between overpasses.
  • Automating an existing manual satellite-analysis workflow used by Rainmaker scientists or operators.
  • Validating cloud-phase, cloud-top, precipitation, moisture, temperature, or related satellite products against Rainmaker observations.
  • Developing a bounded retrieval or satellite data product for research or operational use.
What You'll Do
  • Acquire, process, collocate, and quality-control microwave, polar-orbiting, and geostationary satellite observations.
  • Reproduce an existing retrieval or operational baseline before testing improvements.
  • Validate satellite products against radar, NWP, soundings, surface observations, and Rainmaker aircraft, UAS, or in-situ measurements.
  • Quantify detection skill, bias, uncertainty, spatial representativeness, latency, coverage, and failure modes by meteorological regime.
  • Implement physically motivated, statistical, or ML retrieval improvements when justified by the project and data.
  • Build documented, reproducible workflows that other Rainmaker scientists can run and extend.
  • Present findings to satellite scientists, radar scientists, meteorologists, operators, and technical leadership.
  • Deliver a final artifact such as a collocation dataset, retrieval benchmark, automated data product, error analysis, fusion prototype, or research paper.
What We're Looking For
  • Current undergraduate, master's, or PhD students; postdoctoral researchers; recent graduates; and other early-career researchers are all eligible.
  • Strong quantitative and programming ability, preferably in Python.
  • Experience with atmospheric remote sensing, satellite meteorology, physics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
  • Interest in microwave sounders, polar-orbiting observations, geostationary imagery, retrieval methods, or scientific data products.
  • Ability to implement a scientific method, establish a baseline, and validate the result carefully.
  • Comfort working with large, imperfect, multidimensional observational datasets.
  • High agency and the ability to take responsibility for a bounded workstream while collaborating with experienced researchers.
  • Clear written and verbal communication.
  • Availability for full-time, on-site work in El Segundo for the agreed appointment.
What Success Looks Like

By the end of the fellowship, you will have answered a clearly defined scientific or operational question and delivered a trusted computational result the satellite remote-sensing team can continue using. Depending on the project, that might be a quality-controlled validation dataset, retrieval benchmark or improvement, error analysis, fusion prototype, automated data product, or operational workflow.

Success does not require a positive result. A rigorous conclusion about what the available observations can and cannot support can be as valuable as an improved retrieval.

Fellowship Details
  • Paid, full-time, and on-site in El Segundo.
  • Three-to-six-month appointment, with four months as the standard duration.
  • Rolling applications and project-specific start dates.
  • Attached directly to Rainmaker's satellite-science group with a named mentor.
  • Consideration for future full-time roles
  • Publication may be supported when it does not compromise Rainmaker intellectual property or operational know-how.
Compensation and Benefits

$8,000 per month

Benefits:

  • Full health coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance)
  • Lunch provided when working in-office and a fully stocked kitchenette
  • Free EV charging at the HQ
$8,000 - $8,000 a month
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