Career Opportunities
Welcome to the Bay Area Geophysical Society job board. We connect leading Earth science professionals with premier opportunities in geology, geophysics, and geospatial engineering across the San Francisco Bay Area. Explore our current openings below.
Geophysical Data Acquisition & Quality Team Lead
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
First Review Date: Feb 16, 2026
Open until Filled.
Summary: Lead the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory’s technical team in managing real-time seismic, geodetic, and DAS data streams across Northern California. This role ensures the high-fidelity operation of critical earthquake monitoring systems and the MyShake early warning application through advanced cloud integration and state-of-health monitoring.
Salary Range: $112,400 – $150,000 per year.
Full Position Range: Up to $214,000 (commensurate with extensive experience and internal equity).
Key Skills:
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Domain Expertise: Advanced knowledge of geophysical data/metadata formats and real-time acquisition protocols.
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Systems Engineering: Experience with containerized (Docker/Kubernetes) and cloud environments, CI/CD pipelines, and source code management.
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Monitoring Tools: Proficiency with Nagios, Grafana, and time-series databases for state-of-health alerting.
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Leadership: Proven ability to manage technical teams and interface with senior stakeholders and federal partners.
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Programming (Preferred): Familiarity with Python, C++, and IP networking/routing.
Key Tasks:
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System Architecture: Design, deploy, and maintain advanced geophysical data acquisition systems in scalable cloud environments.
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Real-Time Monitoring: Oversee automated alerting tools to ensure maximum data timeliness and quality from field stations to the campus data center.
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Team Leadership: Define roles, provide technical guidance, and conduct performance assessments for the data acquisition and quality team.
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Infrastructure Management: Maintain station metadata (SIS/Netbox) and manage the testing and acceptance of new geophysical equipment.
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Innovation & R&D: Evaluate emerging technologies, including machine-learning components, to improve seismic data processing and alerting capabilities.
Geophysical Software Engineer
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
First Review Date: Feb 17, 2026
Open until Filled.
Summary: Support the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory by developing and maintaining robust software systems for earthquake monitoring and hazard information. This role focuses on ensuring the reliability of real-time alerts and data processing pipelines that serve both the research community and the public through critical seismic monitoring applications.
Salary Range: $100,200 – $144,300 per year.
Full Position Range: Up to $188,400 (commensurate with experience and internal equity).
Key Skills:
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Programming: Advanced proficiency in Python and C++ for scientific data processing and system integration.
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Software Architecture: Experience designing scalable, high-availability software for real-time data streams and alerting systems.
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Geophysical Systems: Familiarity with seismic data formats (SEED, QuakeML) and specialized processing libraries.
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DevOps: Knowledge of containerization (Docker), version control (Git), and automated testing frameworks.
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Collaboration: Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team of seismologists, field engineers, and data scientists.
Key Tasks:
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Software Development: Lead the design and implementation of back-end services for real-time earthquake detection and notification.
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System Optimization: Refine data processing algorithms to reduce latency in early warning alerts and improve computational efficiency.
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Maintenance & Support: Monitor and troubleshoot production software systems to ensure 24/7 operational continuity of the BSL network.
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Documentation: Create and maintain technical documentation, APIs, and user manuals for internal and external research tools.
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R&D Support: Implement new research-driven features into the production environment, including machine learning-based seismic phase pickers.
Geophysical Data Processing Team Lead
Berkeley Seismological Lab – UC Berkeley
First Review Date: Feb 27, 2026
Open until Filled.
Summary: Apply advanced software and team management skills to lead the development of complex geophysical data processing systems. This role oversees the team responsible for earthquake monitoring, early warning (including the MyShake app), and research applications, ensuring high-quality data delivery and system reliability for the BSL network.
Salary Range: $110,000 – $150,000 per year (Budgeted).
Full Position Range: Up to $189,800 (commensurate with experience and internal equity).
Key Skills:
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Programming & Architecture: Advanced knowledge of C++ and Python for complex processing, archiving, and state-of-health monitoring software.
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Infrastructure: Proficiency with CI/CD pipelines and experience with containerized and scalable cloud environments.
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Leadership: Proven experience managing technical teams, including performance assessments, hiring, and project management.
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Geophysical Domain: (Preferred) Knowledge of SeisComP, seismic processing pipelines, and machine learning algorithms.
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Communication: Ability to translate technical information for various stakeholders and collaborate with state and federal partners.
Key Tasks:
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System Development: Design and deploy advanced software for processing seismic, geodetic, and DAS data in cloud environments.
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Team Management: Define roles, provide technical guidance, and manage the full employment lifecycle for the data processing team.
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Operations & Monitoring: Develop and use complex state-of-health alerting solutions to ensure 24/7 delivery of high-quality data products.
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Quality Assurance: Oversee CICD pipelines and perform complex data analysis to troubleshoot and resolve issues in real-time pipelines.
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Collaboration: Lead technical working groups and ensure operational readiness with external federal and state seismic networks.