What Your Job Will Be LikeAre you a licensed Attorney who has Environmental, Safety, and Health legal experience? Do you want to join a diverse team that advises on challenging issues of national interest? Then please apply!
At Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) you will provide environmental, safety, health, and other regulatory legal advice to enable Sandia to comply with laws and regulations while addressing the nation's most pressing national security needs. You will work for National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS), which operates Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Sandia has facilities in multiple states, a budget of approximately $5B, and numerous complex operational test sites. As a federally funded research and development center, NTESS operates under a Management and Operating (M&O) Contract with NNSA.
A successful candidate will be called upon in any given day to ensure Sandia can meet its national security mission by:
- Providing legal advice and counsel on environmental, safety and health law matters, including compliance, permitting, enforcement actions and litigation. Matters may cover Department of Energy nuclear or non-nuclear safety and health requirements; federal environmental requirements (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act, Toxic Substances and Control Act) as well as state and local equivalents; emergency management requirements; and related internal policies
- Interacting with technical program staff, subject matter experts, management at all levels, DOE/NNSA oversight, and other regulatory bodies
- Providing review of environmental, safety and health regulatory deliverables for legal sufficiency, including permits, policies, and responses to enforcement actions and other court actions
- Providing analyses of proposed environmental, safety and health legislation or regulations for impacts to operations and advise on mitigation of risks
- Handling administrative permit or rulemaking hearings, appeals and other legal proceedings, and managing and working with outside counsel as appropriate
- Learning and providing legal advice and counsel in other administrative law areas
- Drafting legal analyses, including memoranda, as appropriate
The selected applicant can work a combination of onsite and offsite work. The selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary and is expected to work on-site a minimum of 2-3 days/week. This position may be filled at the Counsel or Senior Counsel level depending upon the experience and qualifications of the selected applicant.
Salary Range$163,700 - $278,000
*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- Law degree from an ABA accredited law school and active bar membership
- Three or more years of experience at in-house legal department(s), government and/or law firm(s) specializing in environmental, safety and health matters
- Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to communicate environmental, health and safety requirements
- Demonstrated experience in advocacy or negotiation with regulatory agencies and citizen organizations to settle or resolve matters
- Demonstrated ability to apply legal knowledge and judgment to clients, which may include experience in or demonstrated aptitude for in-house counseling, e.g., triage and issue spot quickly and competently, communicate complex legal challenges clearly, help inform and advise in a practical manner
- Demonstrated ability to work with legal research tools (e.g., Westlaw), legal matter management and document systems (e.g. ServiceNow), litigation databases (e.g., Relativity), and collaboration platforms (e.g., Teams)
- Ability to obtain and maintain a required DOE-Q level security clearance
Qualifications We Desire- Scientific or technical degree or experience
- Administrative or other litigation experience, including administrative hearings and enforcement proceedings
- Experience with compliance programs
- Demonstrated legal project management skills or other complex project management skills
- Demonstrated strong writing, communication, and organizational skills
- Flexibility and ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks/projects
About Our TeamThe Regulatory and Contract Law Center provides legal support to NTESS across a wide range of areas, including procurement, corporate law, environmental and safety regulations, FOIA, privacy, taxation, and government contracting. The Center is part of the Legal and Prime Contract Division, which includes 17 attorneys and a total staff of 63 engaged in compliance and regulatory functions.
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.
