Description

Job Title R&D Engineer 1/2 - 201 MHz HPRF & LLRF team

Location Los Alamos, NM, US

Organization Name AOT-RFE/Radio Frequency Engineering

Minimum Salary

Maximum Salary

This position is open for external candidates only to apply.
What You Will Do
The Accelerator Operations and Technology Division (AOT), Radio Frequency Engineering (RFE) group is seeking an R&D Engineer Level 1 or Level 2 for their 201 MHz HPRF team.

The AOT division maintains, operates, and upgrades all accelerator systems used at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) complex. These consist of two 750-keV Cockcroft-Walton-based injector systems (H+ and H- systems), a 201.25-MHz drift-tube linear accelerator (LINAC) utilizing high-power diacrode tubes, an 805-MHz coupled cavity LINAC utilizing high-power klystrons as the primary power source, a proton storage ring, and roughly a kilometer of beam transport lines that deliver beam to the five independent research programs.

The RFE group is principally responsible for all radio frequency (RF) systems. The group consists of three teams: (1) Low-Level RF (LLRF) focused on real-time phase and amplitude controls; (2) High-Power RF (HPRF) systems at 201 MHz; and (3) High-Power RF systems at 805 MHz.

The 201 MHz High-Power RF (HPRF) team at LANSCE is looking for a candidate with a Mechanical Engineering (or similarly applicable) background to join the RF Engineering group. This is a support role with dynamic functions; these functions are guided by the priorities of the HPRF plant at LANSCE. These functions include engineering and supervisory facets of project execution (e.g., perform initial calculations, providing budget estimates, writing specifications and following the procurement of high priced items, coordinate testing and delivery, and installation and testing). Additionally, the position will also involve working under the direction of senior engineers to plan and implement RF system upgrades as part of the LANSCE Modernization Project and will participate in building tube and solid-state amplifier systems for radio-frequency quadrupole and drift tube linac cavities. Additionally, this position will involve work in solid-state amplifier development for UHF and 1-10 MHz. Though AOT-RFE supports mainly electrical and RF systems, all of these projects require mechanical engineering input, since there is heating and cooling of equipment, footprint considerations as well as supporting heavy equipment with specific requirements.

This position will be filled at the R&D Engineer 1 or R&D Engineer 2 level, depending on the skills of the selected candidate. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if the candidate is hired at the higher level.

R&D Engineer 1 - $96,600 - $158,000
This position will involve collaborating in the planning and implementation of future RF system upgrades as part of a larger team. This includes building high power RF test stands followed by the implementation of large scale changes to the existing high voltage and Diacrode amplifiers for the initial portion of the LANSCE linac. The successful candidate will collaborate in the design of portions of the system and their interconnections and work with other engineers, technologists and technicians to implement, install and test their contributions. This position involves the design and procurement of high power components and as such, their installation involves communication with other teams to determine the power, water cooling and mechanical requirements and come up with a coordinated solution.

R&D Engineer 2 - $106,400 - $176,000
The successful candidate will lead the mechanical design of the system and their interconnections and work with other engineers, technologists and technicians to implement, install and test their contributions. Additionally, the position involves leading the entire lifecycle of a design, from obtaining constraints from clients to designing and simulating/calculating stresses, all the way to the coordination with the manufacturer, the procurement and the installation. This position will involve the design of portions of water cooling and air cooling systems.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:
The successful candidate must have experience in:

• Individual and team assignments.
• 2D and 3D CAD software such as AutoCAD or SolidWorks.
• Modeling existing components from measurements or drawings and creating assemblies and drawing packages in accordance with ASME Y14.5 standards.
• Analytical and computational analysis for structural component design in accordance with applicable engineering standards.
• Manufacturing techniques for both manual and CNC machines to aid design and fabrication process.
• Interacting with manufacturers to determine best engineering solutions.
• Producing written documentation and presenting results in front of an audience.
• Capable and willing to work in radiation environments while adhering to ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principles.

Additional requirements for R&D Engineer 2:
The successful candidate must have experience in:

• Thermal analysis of components and the design of air or water cooling systems.
• Designing support structures for complex geometries subject to thermal gradients.
• Producing component specifications and design documentation.
• Leading the procurement, testing and installation of high priced items.
• Mentoring and professional development of junior staff or students.

Education/Experience at R&D Engineer 1 level: A Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related degree) from an accredited institution and 2 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to Mechanical Engineering.

Education/Experience at R&D Engineer 2 level: A Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related degree) from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to Mechanical Engineering.

Desired Qualifications:

• Producing water cooling designs including manifolds, flow, temperature and pressure measurement devices and associated connections.
• Coordinating multi-disciplinary teams in complex projects.
• Providing budget estimates for materials and effort in high-consequence jobs.
• Following the development of individual pieces and complex assemblies from design to installation.
• Realigning efforts to meet project deliverables in a timely manner.
• Electrical and/or electronic systems.
• Multi-physics simulations.
• Operations experience at an accelerator facility.

Note to Applicants: For full consideration, please provide a bulleted, detailed cover letter and resume explaining how you meet the minimum and desired qualifications.

Essential Job Functions (can perform with or without reasonable accommodation) : Ability to speak, Ability to discriminate speech, Ability to hear in a normal range (20 Hz to about 20 KHz), Sitting, Standing, Walking, Climbing Ladders, Bending, Stooping, Crouching, Kneeling, Twisting the trunk or back, Lifting 30+ pounds, Carrying 30+ pounds, Use of both hands, Use of both arms, Reaching overhead, Reaching horizontally, Reaching down, Applying torque with hands or arms.

Work Environment:

Work Location : The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Position commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.

Note to Applicants:
Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Employment Status Full Time

Appointment Type Regular

Regular