What Your Job Will Be LikeWe are seeking a driven R&D Mechanical Engineer to join the W93/Mk7 systems AF&F mechanical design team. In this role, you will play a critical part in shaping the future of the program by applying cutting-edge design concepts, advanced tools, and innovative engineering solutions.
In this role, you will work at the forefront of nuclear weapon modernization, leveraging lessons learned from past programs while pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver safe, reliable, and manufacturable system designs that meet stringent performance and safety requirements. Your technical expertise will directly contribute to national security and the success of one of the nation's most important defense initiatives.
On any given day, you may be called on to:
- Research past and current nuclear weapon systems to inform design activities.
- Lead the development of system-level design concepts, architecture, and physical layouts, defining the position, size, and location of major components and subassemblies within the AF&F, while incorporating requirements related to nuclear safety, advanced concepts, and modularity.
- Conduct system and subsystem trade studies and technical evaluations, balancing performance, cost, risk, materials, functionality, and technology maturation to guide down selection toward a new warhead design.
- Support the characterization and qualification of the W93/Mk7 AF&F design.
- Collaborate with other laboratories, production sites, and component organizations (including DoD, NNSA, LANL, LM Space, KCNSC, Pantex, and AWE) to enable design integration and manufacturability of the W93/Mk7 system.
- Review and approve CAD drawings at the system, subsystem, or component level.
- Review and validate simulation results against performance requirements.
- Develop technical requirements, interface documents, and design definitions for systems, subsystems, and components using program configuration management tools such as PRIME, DOORS, PDMlink, and MBSE, in coordination with the requirements team.
- Coordinate and execute modeling, analysis, and model-based engineering activities to meet system objectives.
- Support problem-solving and issue resolution related to hardware interface challenges.
Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. This position will require domestic travel, and potentially occasional international travel.
Salary Range$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.
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.
- Active US DOE Q security clearance and the ability and willingness to obtain additional security clearances as required (ex. Sigma 15) (requires random polygraphs).
Qualifications We DesireThe 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 in systems engineering of complex systems, including system design, development, production, and related modeling/simulation projects.
- Experience working on nuclear deterrence (ND) programs, either within systems or component organizations.
- Nuclear weapon design and development experience, including designing for nuclear safety and manufacturability.
- Demonstrated ability to understand and work across diverse technologies and disciplines.
- Proven ability to plan, execute, and lead technical work independently and within team environments, showing initiative and leadership.
- Strong analytical skills and self-direction.
- Proven ability to collaborate effectively across technical teams, interface with customers and subcomponent teams, conduct tradeoffs, and negotiate competing requirements to achieve optimal system-level outcomes.
- Ability to discover, understand, and articulate constraints, options, and paths forward.
- Motivation to work within a large, integrated systems team with broad interaction.
- Familiarity with GD&T per ASME Y14.5-2009.
- Experience with CAD tools such as Creo or SolidWorks.
- Familiarity with PDMLink configuration management and Prime or other ND data repositories.
- Experience in design and analysis for additive manufacturing.
- Previous working relationships with external partners (e.g., AWE, KCNSC, LANL, LM Space, or PX).
About Our TeamThe W93 Arming, Fuzing, and Firing (AF&F) Systems Department (2392) provides the design and technical maturation leadership for the W93/Mk7 AF&F, leveraging the engineering knowledge of our team members to realize a compliant and qualified system. We engage with our multiple sub-component Product Realization Teams (PRT's), external agency partners (Kansas City National Security Campus, NNSA, Navy), support organizations across the laboratory, as well as across our Systems Teams including W93 System Integration Department (2399), Evaluation and Qualification (2382), and W93 Reentry Body (2391) to accomplish this monumental program objective which supports the future viability and effectiveness of our nation's nuclear deterrent.
Posting DurationThis 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.
