Description

About Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking a dedicated R&D Systems Engineer with nuclear weapons experience to play a crucial role in assessing both conceptual and realized design details across various engineering domains in support of nuclear safety principles. In this position, you will conduct thorough analyses of component responses under normal and abnormal environments, ensuring that all systems work together effectively to uphold the highest standards of safety and reliability.

You will partner with Assessment Teams, Significant Finding Investigation committees, and Red Teams, to perform comprehensive nuclear safety analyses that support stockpile sustainment and development activities, such as the State of the Stockpile and Annual Assessments. Your ability to communicate assessment findings effectively will be vital, as you will prepare technical reports and presentations for a diverse audience, ranging from staff engineers to executive leadership. Your contributions will directly inform risk-informed decision-making processes that impact the future of nuclear safety.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Independently review detailed technical documents and identify salient issues related to nuclear safety.
• Engage with weapon system, component design, assurance, and other surety organizations.
• Maintain awareness of issues related to design, development, production, maintenance, and dismantlement of weapon systems.
• Assess tests, materials, and components for adequacy against requirements.
• Evaluate procedures, product specifications, and standards for compliance.
• Lead independent safety assessments of nuclear weapon systems and components, analyzing responses under thermal, shock, vibration, and EMI/EMC environments.
• Define problem scope and requirements, develop technical approaches, and apply quantitative and qualitative methods (e.g., fault-tree, FMEA, margin quantification).
• Design experiments or simulations to evaluate safety-critical subsystems, collaborating with system and test engineers to verify requirements.
• Develop analytical frameworks and digital models to support risk-informed decisions
• Mentor junior engineers in safety-analysis techniques and review their deliverables for technical accuracy
• Communicate findings in technical reports and executive-level briefs that directly inform leadership decisions and stockpile assessment reviews

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range

$114,000 - $227,500

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require

• A bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development
• An active DOE Q clearance, or equivalent is required to start

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D Systems Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience working with Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) laboratories and plants including Pantex, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLNL) and Kansas City National Security Campus/New Mexico Operations (KCNSC/NMO).
• Experience working on engineering design, qualification, production, or related modeling/simulation projects.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• High proficiency in foundational science and engineering principles, including safety-analysis methods such as fault-tree analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and margin quantification.
• Experience with systems engineering for nuclear or high-consequence weapons systems, including applying system-of-systems thinking to ensure end-to-end functionality.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical projects on schedule, mentor team members, and deliver high-quality products, with demonstrated leadership experience as a project manager, technical lead, principal investigator, or similar role.
• Understanding of nuclear surety and reliability requirements, including familiarity with nuclear weapon safety standards, related DOE orders, and the SNL nuclear weapon product realization process.
• Background in reliability engineering or advanced margin-quantification frameworks.
• Excellent technical writing and executive presentation skills.
• Proven ability to work on challenging engineering problems in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment requiring extensive cross-organizational teamwork.

About Our Team

The Nuclear Safety Assessment Department is responsible for providing independent assessments for nuclear weapon safety activities at the Laboratories. This includes the assessment of current and future safety components, subsystems, systems, ancillary equipment, testers, training, and operations in terms of modern requirements and safety standards. Also included is the training and managing of the Sandia members of the NNSA Nuclear Explosive Safety Study team and the Sandia technical experts on the DoD Nuclear Weapon Safety Study Group. This department is the liaison to NNSA for existing nuclear explosive safety orders, standards, and implementation plans. The Department also provides nuclear safety experts to the Accident Response Group.

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance

Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). Sandia is required by DOE directive to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.