Cleared Senior/Principal R&D Systems Engineer - W80-5 JTA Qualification Lead, Onsite

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:

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• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

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The W80-4/W80-5 JTA Systems Engineering Department has an immediate opening for an experienced R&D Systems Engineer with experience in either systems, mechanical, electrical or other similar engineering field to serve as JTA Systems Qualification Lead for the W80-5 program. The successful candidate will work closely with the Dept manager, the JTA team, and broader program communities for the W80-5, including National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and DoD partners integral to the development and qualification of JTA1 and JTA2 flight test assets for the W80-5 program. Close interaction with key individuals across these organizations is required to ensure that sound systems engineering principles are applied to meet technical and programmatic requirements. The position will provide the successful candidate significant career growth opportunities.

Day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Leadership and engagement with the broad community within the W80-5 program to ensure sound systems engineering principles are applied to the development and qualification of JTA1 and JTA2 flight test assets.
• Problem-solving with multidisciplinary teams across the Nuclear Security Enterprise.
• Develop qualification plans, tester requirements, and test data needs.
• Conduct technical planning and reviews for W80-5 JTA designs, including development of derived requirements and systems engineering tools to accelerate the development and qualification of W80-5 JTA designs.
• Partner with the system design team, test organizations, hardware management and assembly organization, and surety engineering to devise and execute functional system testing (benchtop and in simulated environments).
• Verify system performance against requirements.
• Present at program technical reviews - including schedule feasibility, risks, issues, and handling plans.
• Other systems engineering duties as assigned.

This team plays a critical role in specifying and reviewing activities involving all aspects of the W80-4 / W80-5 JTA systems to establish flight test surveillance programs. Critical thinking skills are applied to design JTA systems, and to integrate components developed in other Orgs into the JTA system designs.

Specific responsibilities of the Dept include:

• Design, development, and qualification of the JTA system to closely simulate weapon performance in a surveillance environment.
• Development of JTA system and component requirements.
• Design and assembly of several different test units during development stages of the program.
• Production support activities for JTA components.
• Testing of development ground and flight test units leading up to final JTA qualification.

The position requires an ability to travel up to 25% to support the mission.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite 100% of the time.

Applicants on this requisition may be interviewed by multiple organizations at Sandia National Laboratories.

$117,500 - $235,700

*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.

• 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.
• Active US DOE Q level security clearance or equivalent DOD Top Secret level security clearance

The ideal R&D S&E 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:

• Masters degree in Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace Engineering or related field with one or more years of relevant experience; or Bachelors degree in related field with five or more years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated leadership on a multidisciplinary team
• Experience with Nuclear Deterrence (ND) Product Realization and familiarity with processes within the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE)
• Experience with systems engineering development tools, techniques, and management
• Coaching/mentoring skills; desire and ability to develop team members
• Proven project management skills
  

The W80-4/W80-5 JTA Systems Engineering Team partners with Groups 2330 and 8240/8260 on W80-4/W80-5 program scope. The scope of the Dept is focused on design and development of JTA systems to closely simulate weapon performance in future surveillance programs, which forms the basis for Annual Assessment of the nuclear weapon systems. Dept scope also includes significant contributions to WR qualification through system test data collected during JTA system tests. This organization supports the Weapon Systems Engineering Centers, which are responsible for assuring the safety, reliability and security of US Nuclear weapons enabling the defense of our nation through nuclear strategic deterrent. The organization is comprised of a group of dedicated and motivated engineers and technologists, primarily in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Systems Engineering. The W80-4 program is currently in Phase 6.4, Production Engineering, and the W80-5 program is currently in Phase 6.3, Development Engineering.

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.

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.

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.

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.