Expert EO Imagery

Geo Owl · SDVOSB · Est. 2013

Expert EO Imagery Scientist (Lead)

NGA AGAIM PROGRAM · ELECTRO-OPTICAL · GEOINT · EXPERT LEVEL · KEY POSITION

Every AI model that NGA deploys for computer vision missions must be independently accredited against real operational imagery before it goes into use. As the Expert EO Imagery Scientist and modality lead on AGAIM, you are the person who ensures the electro-optical side of that pipeline has the right imagery — identified, assessed, and prepared with the precision that rigorous AI testing demands. You will lead the EO team and set the technical standard for image identification, sensor assessment, and data preparation that supports one of the most consequential oversight programs in the intelligence community.

Role Overview

As the EO Lead, you are AGAIM's authoritative voice on electro-optical imagery. Working from model cards, data cards, and test procedures provided by the AGAIM government team, you'll determine what EO imagery is required for Level 3 AI accreditation testing — by modality, geography, resolution, and collection geometry — and direct the work to identify, assess, and pre-process it. You'll lead the EO team, collaborate closely with the SAR lead to ensure coincident coverage, and interface with the government customer on all EO-related technical requirements. This is a SCIF-based role performed at a contractor facility.

Source-Derived Role Summary

The Imagery Scientist is the subject matter expert on their respective imagery modality (e.g., Electro-Optical). They shall provide technical direction and conduct the work necessary to acquire and prepare imagery of the necessary quality, standards, and requirements provided by the Government. Developed solutions should be informed by specific phenomenology limitations and advantages of the sensors and platforms in mind.

A Day in the Life

• ✓ Review model cards and test documentation from AGAIM; assess what EO imagery — by modality, geographic area, resolution, and look angle — is required to support Level 3 testing for each model
• ✓ Assess emerging EO sensors: evaluate differences in collection characteristics, phenomenology, metadata formats, and schema changes compared to currently utilized platforms
• ✓ Define pre-processing requirements: file format conversions (e.g., PNG, NITF), tiling to specified dimensions or geospatial bounds, and ETL adaptations needed for new sensor integration
• ✓ Coordinate with the SAR Imagery Scientist Lead to provide coincident EO imagery aligned with SAR collection areas and temporal windows
• ✓ Perform imagery forecasting: anticipate upcoming accreditation testing needs by monitoring the incoming model pipeline and relevant world operational developments
• ✓ Lead and technically mentor the EO team; be available during NGA core hours (10am–2pm EST) for government meetings and technical direction

Why This Role Matters

Mission Impact

AGAIM is mandated to accredit GEOINT AI models — including those supporting multiple NGA computer vision and imagery programs, and the Hyperspectral office — for robustness against adversarial tactics. The EO imagery you identify and prepare is the operational test bed that determines whether those models clear accreditation and can be trusted in the field.

Geo Owl Impact

As EO Lead and a Key Position on this program, your technical performance anchors Geo Owl's credibility on AGAIM and directly supports our ability to grow and perform within the contract.

Your Growth

You'll develop expertise at the intersection of EO science, AI/ML model testing, and national security governance — a narrow domain where few practitioners operate. Experience leading EO imagery support for a government AI accreditation program is a high-value and genuinely rare career credential.

Core Responsibilities

• ▸ At the direction of the AGAIM government team, identify and acquire priority EO imagery necessary to conduct Level 3 AI model accreditation testing
• ▸ Conduct assessments of new and emerging EO sensor characteristics, capabilities, metadata, and data format differences compared to currently utilized platforms
• ▸ Determine acquisition pathways, latency factors, data formats, and security domain requirements for new EO data sources
• ▸ Define pre-processing and standardization requirements to transform EO data into states usable for labeling and model testing — file format conversion, tiling to pixel dimensions or geospatial boundaries
• ▸ Investigate sensor capability gaps and identify supplemental or coincident imagery sources; collaborate with SAR lead to provide EO imagery aligned with SAR temporal and geographic collection windows
• ▸ Perform imagery forecasting to anticipate future accreditation needs based on upcoming models and world operational developments
• ▸ Develop, test, and evaluate new EO algorithms and methodologies using advanced processing tools to advance AGAIM's accreditation capabilities

Required Qualifications

• ✓ Active TS/SCI clearance with eligibility for SI/TK/G/HCS/NATO access; CI polygraph required or willingness to obtain
• ✓ Minimum 18 experience points required (see experience point calculation below)
• ✓4+ years as an EO expert with deep understanding of collection, phenomenology, image formation process, and exploitation products
• ✓ Experience exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum (electro-optical) to determine the occurrence and location of objects of interest
• ✓ Experience developing, testing, and evaluating algorithms and processes using EO imagery; proficiency with Python, MATLAB, Google Earth Engine, or similar advanced processing tools
• ✓ Experience communicating EO imagery capabilities, methodologies, and products to both technical and non-technical audiences
• ✓ Deep understanding of remote sensing principles, imagery processing, and advanced exploitation methods

Preferred Qualifications

• ▸ Experience applying computer vision (CV) and machine learning (ML) techniques to EO imagery to address intelligence problems

Experience Point Requirement

This is a Expert-level (Level 5) position requiring a minimum of 18 experience points. Points are calculated as follows:

• Education: Associate's = 2 pts · Bachelor's = 3 pts · Master's = +2 pts · PhD = +3 pts
• Professional / Military Experience: 1 pt per year of relevant experience
• Certifications: 0.5 pts each
• Specialized Training: 0.25 pts per relevant course
• Professional Impact (publications, presentations, patents): up to 3 pts total

Tools, Technologies & Tradecraft

Python MATLAB Google Earth Engine EO Phenomenology NIIRS PNG / NITF ETL / Data Pipelines Orthorectification Computer Vision [Preferred] ML Techniques [Preferred]

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role

• ▸ You read a model card and know immediately what EO imagery — by spectral band, resolution, geometry, and scene type — is required to make the accreditation test meaningful
• ▸ You lead by technical authority — your team acts on your guidance and the government customer trusts your assessments
• ▸ You think ahead — you know what models are coming and you position EO imagery resources before the requirement lands in your inbox
• ▸ You collaborate naturally — you and the SAR lead operate as a coordinated team, not parallel workflows
• ▸ You are precise about data quality — you understand that imagery that fails the accreditation standard wastes testing cycles and you prevent it at the source

Is This Role For You?

✔ Great Fit

You are a senior EO imagery scientist who wants to lead at the technical frontier of AI model governance. You're energized by the challenge of translating model requirements into imagery specifications, assessing new sensors under operational conditions, and driving the accreditation pipeline with technical rigor in a SCIF environment.

✘ May Not Be For You

This may not be the right fit if you prefer individual contributor or finished intelligence work without program leadership responsibility, or if working from a certified contractor SCIF rather than remotely from home is not compatible with your situation.

Career Growth & Professional Value

This role positions you at the intersection of EO imagery science and AI model governance — an area with growing demand as NGA and the broader intelligence community scale their computer vision programs. You'll build expertise in accreditation methodology, multi-program imagery assessment, pre-IOC sensor integration, and cross-modality imagery operations. For a senior EO scientist who wants to stay technically sharp while expanding into a program leadership and government advisory role, this is a distinguishing career move.

Benefits:

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Health Insurance (Geo Owl pays 80%+ of the premium).

401k matching.

Dental, Vision, and other supplemental insurance plans available.

Company-paid short-term and long-term disability and life insurance.

Peer-to-Peer spot bonuses.

120 hours of PTO per year plus federal holidays.

Fully Paid Military Leave: *You make your full Geo Owl salary while you are on military duty*

Exiting the Military? Apply to our Military Transition Program for key insights into making the transition to civilian life from people who have been there before!

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