Job DescriptionThe Director of Facility and Testbed Engineering (F&TE) provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and operational management for the multi-disciplinary engineering organizations operating within nuclear and high-hazard facilities at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Operating under Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS), the prime contractor for the Department of Energy (DOE) / National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Director aligns F&TE resources to execute national security and stockpile stewardship mission priorities. These include executing the Subcritical Experiment (SCE) schedule of record, fielding next-generation diagnostics, deploying high-hazard qualification testbeds, and executing infrastructure modernization.
ResponsibilitiesKey ResponsibilitiesThe Director of F&TE is responsible for the administrative, financial, safety, and technical performance of all assigned engineering and operational functions.
- Drive the execution of NNSA mission priorities, including increasing SCE and JASPER experimental cadence, supporting high-explosive physics experiments, and modernizing waste disposition services.
- Establish long-range plans, organizational policies, and tactical objectives that align technical capabilities with future NNSA and NNSS business opportunities.
- Direct the cost, schedule, technical baseline, and performance metrics for all F&TE functions; implement corrective actions to address performance variances or operational issues.
- Partner with the NNSA Nevada Field Office (NFO), NNSA headquarters, National Weapons Laboratories (LANL, LLNL, SNL), and internal peer organizations to achieve integrated, shared mission objectives.
- Maintain the design authority and technical baselines for advanced experimental testbeds, subterranean facilities (e.g., U1a Complex / PULSE), and nuclear facilities (e.g., DAF).
- Ensure compliance with DOE Orders Facility Safety and Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets, and Conduct of Engineering principles.
- Coordinate with nuclear safety organizations to align engineering activities with Documented Safety Analyses (DSA), Preliminary DSAs (PDSA), and Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) per 10 CFR 830.
- Model and champion a Safety Conscious Work Environment (SCWE) where personnel are empowered to identify, report, and resolve safety and security concerns without fear of retaliation.
- Implement and consistently enforce NNSS and federal environment, safety, health, and quality policies. Take immediate action to correct any non-compliant conditions or behaviors.
- Ensure personnel are provided with the necessary procedures, training, safety equipment, and tools to execute high-hazard operations safely and compliantly.
- Lead recruitment, hiring, and retention strategies to build and sustain a highly technical workforce capable of supporting expanding NNSA mission requirements.
- Establish clear performance expectations; hold direct and indirect managers and staff accountable to company values, behaviors, and core procedures.
- Mentor and develop technical leadership talent, ensuring robust succession planning and structured career pathways for engineering personnel.
- Create an environment where employees feel safe to raise issues, empowered to address issues, and supported to resolve issues.
Qualifications- Master's degree in related field or equivalent training and experience, plus a minimum of 20 years of related and progressively responsible engineering, technical, or facility operations experience in a nuclear, high-hazard, or heavily regulated industrial/defense environment.
- Bachelor of Science degree in an ABET-accredited engineering discipline (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, Nuclear, Civil, Systems) or a related physical science field.
- A minimum of 8 years of direct managerial experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering organizations, including supervising subordinate managers, executing technical work scopes, and administering operational budgets.
- Demonstrated success managing or influencing large organizations (e.g., teams of 100+ full-time equivalents or substantial matrixed technical teams).
- Demonstrated understanding of engineering management in Hazard Category 2/3 nuclear facilities and high-hazard operations.
- High-level familiarity with Documented Safety Analyses (DSA), Technical Safety Requirements (TSR), and readiness review frameworks.
- Proven ability to build trust, gain consensus, and resolve conflicts across diverse internal and external organizations, including federal oversight bodies and national laboratory partners.
- Experience managing complex operational budgets, project management frameworks, and resource-leveling strategies.
- Demonstrated capability to make sound, defensible technical and management decisions under conditions of ambiguity or limited information.
- Current registration as a Professional Engineer (PE), preferred.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, preferred.
- Firsthand experience navigating DOE/NNSA engineering, operations, and facility maintenance requirements, preferred.
- The primary work location will be at the Nevada National Security Site (located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada).
- The work schedule will be 4/10s Monday through Thursday (subject to change).
- Must possess a valid driver's license.
Annual salary range for this position is:
$221,540.80 - $365,539.20.Starting salary is determined based on the position market value, the individual candidate education and experience and internal equity.
