Description

Job Title R&D Engineer 2/3

Location Los Alamos, NM, US

Organization Name Q-6/Detonation Science and Technology

Minimum Salary

Maximum Salary

What You Will Do

This position is open for external candidates only to apply.

This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 2 or 3 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.

The Detonation Science and Technology Group (Q-6) serves the Laboratory and the Nation providing the knowledge base and component design responsibilities for the Nuclear Weapons Program and other critical national security areas. The Group's capabilities include design engineering for nuclear weapon detonators and detonator cable assemblies, design, fabrication, qualification, and installation of test fire control systems, pulse power engineering, advanced detonator design and testing, and applied problem solving. Additional capabilities include expertise in the detonation science and physics of detonator energetic materials, and engineering responsibility for the cradle to grave care of the detonators and detonator cable assemblies used by Los Alamos National Laboratory. Q-6 is also responsible for engineering, fabricating, or acquiring precision high explosives detonators for a diverse R&D customer base to meet present and future national security needs in a safe, secure, and efficient manner.

Q-6 is offering an opportunity to join the Detonation Science and Technology Group as a mid-career R&D Engineer. You will work closely with a diverse team of engineers, technologists, and technicians on timing and firing control systems, facility infrastructure integration with high-voltage and laser operations that support critical high consequence experiments. We are looking for a thoughtful, collaborative engineer who enjoys solving real problems, learning quickly, and contributing to a team-oriented environment. In this role, you'll help design and deliver high value projects end-to-end and support the development of tools and systems.

R&D Engineer 2 ($106,400- $176,000)

R&D Engineer 3 ($128,000-$215,900)

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:

Ideal applicants will have experience in the following areas:

• Pulse power engineering, including hardware, software, electrical interfaces, printed wiring diagram (PWB) layouts, schematic development, and mechanical definitions for boards, chassis, and connectors
• Develop capacitive discharge units, including design, development, testing and documentation of all components and operations
• Experimental facility integrations, deployment of hardware, safety and hazard analysis, experimental execution involving high explosives
• Troubleshoot complex systems, using oscilloscopes, high-voltage test equipment, digital/analog diagnostics, and data-driven isolation methods
• Document engineering work clearly, including test results, user documentation, lessons learned, version control notes, and integration guides

Desired Qualifications:

At the Lower Level:

• Experience with data processing electrical simulation, and PWB layout software
• Strong background in mixed-signal circuit design, signal/power integrity, and PWB manufacturing or DFM practices
• Proficiency with advanced diagnostics such as high-bandwidth scopes, delay and function generators, network analyzers, or precision LCR equipment
• Familiarity with high-voltage, pulse-power, or safety-critical electrical environments and related engineering standards
• Experience with system-level integration involving sensors, data acquisition (DAQ) hardware
• Competence with version control, technical documentation, and engineering review processes, including validation & verification or environmental qualification testing
• Ability to independently lead subsystem-level design, including architectural decisions, and PWB design ownership
• Demonstrated skill in solving complex mixed-signal issues using advanced diagnostics (network analyzers, high-bandwidth scopes) and data-driven root-cause analysis
• Experience overseeing hardware build and integration, including fabrication reviews, design for manufacturing considerations, and validation of signal/power integrity
• Experience contributing to or leading verification, validation, environmental qualification, and engineering review processes
• Demonstrated excellence in technical documentation, producing integration guides, test reports, design notes, and engineering artifacts used by multi-disciplinary teams

At the Higher Level:

• Expertise developing and reviewing complex embedded control systems, or safety-critical logic with rigorous verification and documentation standards, FPGA development, real-time hardware-control firmware and communication interfaces (SPI, I²C, Ethernet, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary design efforts, driving system architecture decisions across electrical, firmware, and software
• Proven experience owning full product or subsystem lifecycles, from concept development through prototype build, qualification testing, and operational deployment
• Strong communication and presentation skills, ability to communicate at various levels of the complex and work in a strong team environment
• Ability to mentor junior engineers and guide peer design reviews, offering technical direction supported by data-driven analysis and diagnostic insight
• Experience designing scalable test frameworks, simulation environments, or automated validation workflows for mixed-signal systems
• Demonstrated success in resolving high-complexity integration issues involving timing, power integrity, high-speed interfaces, or cross-domain interactions

Education/Experience for R&D Engineer 2: Position requires a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

Education/Experience for R&D Engineer 3: Position requires a Master's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 6 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation. At this level a Ph.D. may be preferred.

Essential Job Functions: (can perform with or without reasonable accommodation):

• Reading vision
• Ability to speak

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:

• For full consideration, a comprehensive cover letter addressing your qualifications against the minimum and desired skills requirements is required.

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.

Contact Details

Contact Name Robinson, Loren

Email [email protected]

Work Telephone