What Your Job Will Be LikeWe are seeking a motivated and experienced R&D Systems Engineer to perform all-source technical analysis of the evolving nuclear weapon threats against the United States. In this role, you will interact with the national security community to develop a deep understanding of foreign state and non-state technical capabilities related to nuclear weapons and other related technologies, and develop technical assessments, using the broad technology base within Sandia. Key focus areas include: weaponization, hardware assessment, logistics and supply chain analysis, modeling and simulation, and testing.
As the largest national laboratory and one of the three nuclear weapons labs, Sandia plays a primary role in supporting IC efforts to assess the capabilities of foreign nuclear systems. Participating in fast-paced, technical support to senior government officials is only one aspect of our work in the Proliferation Assessments Program of 5900.
On any given day, you may be called on to:
- Collaborate with colleagues to understand and assess all-source intelligence.
- Produce written assessments used to advise senior government officials on emerging and persistent national security issues.
- Partner with subject matter experts across Sandia's broad technical capabilities to address specific or urgent needs.
- Collaborate with technical team members to define future analysis opportunities.
- Serve as a technical/programmatic interface for multiple levels of customers from various government organizations.
- Inform Sandia's decision makers and contributors with threat assessment briefings and trainings.
Qualified candidates will be asked to provide a writing sample (500 words or more) prior to any scheduled interviews. Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.
Applicants on this requisition may be interviewed by multiple organizations at Sandia National Laboratories .
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 DOE Q or DOD TS clearance is required to start, plus the ability to obtain and maintain a SCI which may include a polygraph examination.
Qualifications We DesireThe 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), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), 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: - Active SCI security clearance
- The ability to understand and draw insights from multiple types of data streams (e.g., technical, economic, policy) and synthesize this into logically argumented assessments.
- Proven track record of leading teams in a scientific or technical environment, demonstrating the ability to inspire and motivate team members to achieve common goals.
- Experience in developing and implementing strategic plans that align with organizational objectives, showcasing strong decision-making and problem-solving skills
- Demonstrated success in mentoring and developing junior staff, providing guidance and support to enhance their professional growth and performance
- Ability to prioritize and implement multiple projects within scope, budget, and schedule
- Experience producing analytic products for the Intelligence Community and/or proficiency in a foreign language
- Experience in one or more specific technical domains used in 5920's areas of responsibility, including:
- Experience with nuclear weapons, to include one or more of the following areas: weapon physics, effects, safing/arming/fuzing/firing, delivery vehicles, qualification, operation, and maintenance.
- Experience with missile systems and/or hypersonic vehicle systems, to include one or more of the following areas: rocket/motor/vehicle design/engineering, operations, testing, guidance, control, telemetry, qualification, and flight testing
- Experience with component, subsystem, and system level hardware/material logistics and supply chains in support of nuclear weapon, missile, and/or hypersonic vehicle systems
- Experience with microelectronics design and fabrication.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to meet scheduled work completion dates.
About Our TeamThe primary mission of the Threat Assessments Group (5920) is to assess the threats posed to US national security interests by foreign advanced weapons and technological capabilities, with emphasis on nuclear weapons. Our analyses inform policymakers and senior officials across the US government responsible for understanding the threats and risks posed by these weapons and relevant technologies. This high impact program area is steadily growing and stewards key capabilities associated with all-source intelligence analysis, computational modeling, and engineering studies.
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.
