SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 130,000 - 190,000 / annual
KoBold Metals is an AI-native mineral exploration and technology development company focused on discovering critical minerals (copper, lithium, cobalt) needed for electric infrastructure, vehicles, data centers, and electronics. The company integrates artificial intelligence, human intelligence, and new technology to turn mineral exploration into a repeatable science. KoBold has already made its first major discovery—Mingomba, a high-grade copper deposit in Zambia—and operates exploration programs across eight countries.
This Senior Applied Scientist role is within the Advanced Technology Group and focuses on designing, developing, and deploying novel subsurface imaging hardware. You will own mechanical and electrical systems of new imaging instruments through their full technical lifecycle: from concept and prototyping through validation, manufacturing, and field deployment. Key projects include muon imaging with high-energy physics detectors and seismic measurements with seismometers.
You will work at the intersection of science, engineering, and data, collaborating closely with data scientists, engineers, and geoscientists to design instrumentation that produces rich, high-quality datasets feeding KoBold's machine learning models. You will be responsible for orchestrating internal and external resources, defining system architecture, navigating technical tradeoffs, and ensuring new data streams integrate into KoBold's proprietary systems for exploration use.
Key responsibilities include: owning technical development of mechanical and electrical systems from concept to remote field deployment; contributing to system architecture and balancing cost, complexity, and timeline; collaborating with data systems and exploration teams; building deep understanding of mineral exploration science and field operations; sourcing and contracting with vendors and service providers; creating product plans and designs from concept through production; and helping develop KoBold's hardware development tools and processes.
You will report to the Head of Subsurface Imaging and help build the hardware development discipline at KoBold, contributing to a culture and process that makes engineering efforts innovative, scalable, and repeatable.
Travel is required 20-30% of the time, including visits to remote field sites in Zambia and exploration sites globally, with trips potentially extending 3+ weeks. You must be able to work from the Berkeley, CA office any given day of the week.
**Requirements:**
- Successful track record developing and deploying complex state-of-the-art scientific instruments: approximately five years post-PhD, or correspondingly more after BS or MS
- Experience deploying and supporting complex equipment to remote sites, including commissioning, validation, training, and monitoring
- Ability to simultaneously wear multiple hats: technical lead, project manager, product manager, and hands-on engineer
- Excellent communication skills for highly interdisciplinary work
- Extensive experience with: end-to-end technical product development from concept through testing and deployment; physical measurement and data analysis systems; applying scientific knowledge to prototype emerging technologies; automation, systems integration, and data acquisition; mechanical or electrical design for scientific instruments and signal processing; vendor and third-party contractor selection and management
- Ability to take ownership of large projects, drive insights and innovations through continuous learning, explain technical problems to domain experts, and work independently to prioritize multiple tasks
- Valid passport and willingness to travel internationally
**Helpful but not required:**
- Product management experience for scientific hardware
- Particle detectors, optics, and electronics experience
- Seismic, acoustic, or geophysical instrumentation background
- Geology domain knowledge and willingness to work directly with geologists in the field
