Remote Sensing and GIS Specialist (DOE, Water Power Technologies Office)
A dynamic role blending GIS, remote sensing, and renewable energy modeling under the U.S. Department of Energy.
Job Title: Remote Sensing and GIS Specialist Company: U.S. Department of Energy, Water Power Technologies Office Location: Federal Remote: No — this is a federal on-site position Schedule: Entry- to mid-level position (full-time) Salary: Approximately $30.43–$38.51 per hour / $63,300–$80,100 per year Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in geography, geology, computer science, or a related field; familiarity with GIS and remote sensing software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS); strong analytical and communication skills
Job Description:
In this role, you’ll build and maintain GIS databases and use GIS and remote sensing tools to analyze geospatial data and create visualizations like maps, charts, and graphs. A significant focus is on supporting hydropower-related projects—such as modeling hydropower potential, evaluating environmental impacts, and working with public geodata to support water resource decision-making.
This opportunity suits anyone who enjoys combining spatial analysis, visual storytelling, and environmental science—especially within a renewable energy context.
Pros:
Solid federal wage range with transparent structure
Hands-on use of geospatial tools in a high-impact sector (hydropower)
Clear qualification path and support from a federal department
Cons:
Requires on-site federal employment (no remote flexibility)
Federal hiring process may be extensive
Specialized focus (water power), which may limit flexibility in topic area
I’d be interested if it’s a real DOE hire (GS-12/13-ish, remote OK) using Python/R + Earth Engine for hydro resource mapping; if it’s an ORISE at ~$70–85k, I’d pass. Do they list salary, location flexibility, and whether it’s SAR/Sentinel-1 + NHDPlus/3DEP-heavy?
Sounds fun if it’s actual resource assessment — SAR, lidar, GEE/Python pipelines for hydro/marine energy — rather than map monkey work. What’s the pay range and is it ORISE/contract or a direct DOE hire with telework?
Tempting if it’s truly a mix of remote sensing + modeling and not just map production. Mission’s great, but I’d want clarity on GS level (or if it’s contractor/ORISE), salary band, and whether it’s remote vs DC hybrid. Tech stack matters too — are they using GEE/Python/xarray and SAR for hydrology, or living in ArcGIS Pro and story maps.
I supported a WPTO project as a contractor and the work was great when we owned the SAR/LiDAR to GEE/Python pipeline, not so much when it was just map production. Ask for the PD with series/grade and a short tech chat; also confirm GS vs ORISE/contractor up front since pay/benefits and onsite policy hinge on that.
If you move forward, ask for the PD and series (e.g., 1301 vs 0150) and whether it’s a true GS hire or ORISE/contractor; that drives salary/benefits and how much time you can spend on modeling vs map requests. On a WPTO-adjacent project, getting in writing that we owned the SAR-to-GEE/Python pipeline and could keep code in the DOE GitHub made the work genuinely analytical instead of one-off cartography.