Facilities Maintenance Technician (NASA Balloon Program)

Peraton provides management and technical support for NASA’s scientific balloon program which supports enabling science missions for NASA and universities across the United States and foreign scientific communities. Scientific balloon missions provide researchers inexpensive, relatively quick, long duration access to near space altitudes and environments. Balloon missions cost orders of magnitude less than satellite missions and provide platforms for heavy experiments (some greater than 5000-lbs) to operate for weeks and even months. Balloon missions have provided significant science theories and discoveries about cosmic rays, gamma ray and x-ray astronomy, optical and UV astronomy, atmospheric sciences, and cosmic microwave background studies.

Our staff are located at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Palestine, TX where we design, analyze, build and assembly the support hardware and balloon gondola payloads for the missions. We launch the balloons from locations within the United States (Texas, New Mexico, and Hawaii) and around the world including Antarctica, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia. Our engineers and technician staff support the launches and balloon and payload recoveries in the US and many worldwide locations.

Peraton’s NASA Balloon Operations Contract (NBOC) program is seeking a Facilities Maintenance Technician to join our team in Palestine, Texas.

Responsibilities of the position: 

• Assist licensed electricians with non-technical repairs as appropriate
• Monitor performance of heating, ventilation, and cooling systems for the facility; perform standard repair / replacement of components, as appropriate, and non-technical maintenance tasks such as cleaning of heating and cooling fan coil units and adjustment of system controls
• Monitor and perform non-technical maintenance of plumbing systems, to include standard repair of leaking fixtures, cleaning obstructed waste lines, installing water coolers, and/or performing non-technical modifications to plumbing and water supply systems; assist licensed plumbers, as appropriate
• Perform carpentry maintenance tasks including routine sheet-rock / drywall installation and/or repair, window replacement, cabinet and counter-top replacement, painting and texturing, and door and hardware installation; paint interior and exterior finishes, as appropriate
• May assist in maintaining water treatment and storage system
• May perform general maintenance, custodial, and trash removal tasks
• May repair kitchen equipment
• Ensure proper care in the use and maintenance of equipment and supplies; promotes continuous improvement of workplace safety and environmental practices
• Document facilities maintenance requirements; maintain appropriate records of work performed
• Perform snow removal, as required
• Perform grounds keeping activities as required
• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned

Specific Requirement/Licensing

• Ability to perform physical activities, i.e., recurrent walking, bending, climbing, lifting up to 50 pounds
• Must maintain a valid Driver’s License

Required experience:

• High School Diploma or GED
• A minimum of five years of experience 
• Experience with building maintenance
• Experience with maintenance of power equipment
• Experience with painting, hardware installation 

Desired Experience:

• Good communications skills
• Ability to work with others with good team player skills
• Familiar with NASA Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility
• Basic computer skills
• Self-starter / motivated to create own tasks