Cleared Early Career R&D Mechanical Engineer - Hardware Development, 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:

• 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.

Join a dynamic and innovative team as an R&D Mechanical Engineer and Hardware Development within the Weapon Modernization Lab, where innovation meets national security.

In this role, you will apply your mechanical engineering expertise in a fast-paced, mission-critical environment where you will directly influence the development and qualification of advanced weapon systems. You will work with cutting-edge tools and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to deliver hardware solutions that ensure the reliability and modernization of the Nations strategic deterrent capabilities.

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

• Receive and triage incoming customer requests, assigning tasks to the most suitable team members.
• Collaborate closely with engineers and stakeholders to translate complex technical needs into actionable hardware solutions.
• Analyze work requests to develop multiple solution pathways and assist in gathering and presenting data to stakeholders.
• Review product definitionsincluding Materials Lists, AY, and IPLfor accuracy and completeness, negotiating technical corrections and creating drawings as needed.
• Interpret 2D mechanical drawings to assess design feasibility and manufacturing constraints.
• Lead technically informed procurement efforts by collaborating closely with procurement teams to source parts and services, ensuring all technical specifications and quality standards are met.
• Apply a deep understanding of mechanical design to assist in making informed decisions during procurement activities.
• Monitor project progress, communicate status updates to requester, and perform inspections on received hardware prior to delivery.
• Deliver high-quality hardware solutions to customers, ensuring their needs are fully met.
• Ensure that modernization efforts stay on schedule and meet rigorous quality standards, all while fostering a culture of creativity, flexibility, and teamwork.
• Track team performance metrics and address any issues with individual work requests, escalating to management when necessary.

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

$102,400 - $199,700

*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 bachelors degree in a relevant discipline, 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 Q clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain Sigma 15 clearance.

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

• Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience with mechanical engineering and product realization in the NNSA complex.
• 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:

• Experience with nuclear weapons systems or components, including engineering design, testing, qualification, production, or quality assurance.
• Manufacturing engineering experience, such as additive manufacturing, machining, sheet metal fabrication, coatings, heat treatment, assembly/disassembly, or related processes.
• Proficiency in CAD, GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, design for manufacturability, material properties, and metallurgy.
• Self-driven, creative problem solver who can brainstorm and develop design solutions.
• Some electrical engineering experience, including CAD, wiring schematics, surface-mount technology (SMT), cables, and connectors.
• Familiarity with handling classified information, hardware, and accountable or hazardous materials.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, PDMLink, and PRIME software tools.

We directly support and execute lab operations for the B61-12/13, W80-4, W87-1 Life Extension Programs (LEP), W88 ALT370 & ALT940, and W93 programs. Our mission encompasses hardware management (production planning and operations), assembly/disassembly, component fabrication, PRT support, and quality assurance.

Our team contributes to the research and development, design and engineering, experiments and qualification testing, design maturation, and production of these weapon systems. We coordinate internally and externally to ensure timely development and acquisition of parts and components, enabling test assemblies and full test units to support development, qualification tests, and other experiments.

Within the assembly team (2331-1), we assemble, disassemble, test, and maintain test units during environmental, electrical, thermal, flight qualification tests, and other experiments. Across the organization, we plan work activities, assist design, qualification, and test engineers with assembly/disassembly procedures, and perform hands-on hardware work at both component and system levels. Most work within 2331 is activity-level, requiring keen attention to detail, high quality standards, and strict adherence to security and safety protocols.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Sandia is required by DOE 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 obtain and 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.