What Your Job Will Be LikeSandia National Laboratories is seeking an experienced R&D Systems Engineer to join the Code Management System (CMS) team to act as a Product Realization Team (PRT) Lead. CMS is used by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to manage Permissive Action Link (PAL) codes and keys and to support critical nuclear weapon operations (e.g., recode/rekey, Limited Life Component Exchange (LLCE), training, deployment readiness, and assembly/disassembly). The system ensures authorized use and prevents unauthorized use of air-delivered weapons.
In this role, you will lead CMS product realization activities across the full systems engineering lifecycle, with an emphasis on translating mission needs into executable plans, coordinating multidisciplinary engineering work, and maturing products from requirements and design through development, production, and delivery. You will work closely with domain experts, systems engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, software engineers, test engineers, technologists, business professionals, and partner organizations to shape technical direction, guide execution, and deliver practical mission-focused outcomes.
On any given day, you may:
- Lead a Product Realization Team to deliver CMS products that meet technical, programmatic, and mission requirements
- Apply core systems engineering principles to deliver mission-driven outcomes across the product lifecycle
- Partner closely with domain experts and fellow engineers to develop, mature, and integrate product requirements, concepts, and technical solutions
- Elicit, define, decompose, allocate, trace, and manage system and component requirements
- Coordinate product realization activities across design, development, production, and qualification
- Identify, document, and elevate risks and issues that could impact mission execution, product quality, cost, or schedule
- Estimate, plan, and manage work scope, budgets, and schedules aligned to program priorities
- Support technical decision-making through trade studies, design reviews, and cross-functional coordination
- Balance multiple priorities and adapt quickly as technical and program needs evolve
- Build and communicate a roadmap aligned to a long-term strategic vision for CMS product realization
- Integrate Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approaches and tools into day-to-day engineering where appropriate
- Mentor junior staff, influence technical direction, and engage effectively with senior staff and management
- Operate effectively both independently and in a collaborative team environment across multiple sites
The position requires an ability to travel up to 15% to support the mission.
Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite 100% of the time.
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.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.
Qualifications We DesireThe ideal R&D S&E 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), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Kansas City National Security Campus/New Mexico Operations (KCNSC/NMO).
- Experience working on engineering design, qualification, production, integration, 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:
- Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering efforts to deliver complex products or systems in a mission-focused environment.
- Experience coordinating product realization activities such as requirements maturation, design development, integration, verification, configuration management, and delivery planning.
- Experience developing or managing project budgets, schedules, and execution plans.
- Experience developing system requirements and maintaining traceability from mission need through implementation and verification.
- Experience with system architecture, design, and development in a high-consequence engineering environment.
- Experience with MBSE methods and practical tool use (e.g., MagicDraw/Cameo or similar).
- Experience with the Product Realization Process 6.x process.
- Demonstrated ability to identify technical risks, work through ambiguity, and drive practical solutions with multidisciplinary teams.
- Leadership experience guiding junior staff, influencing senior technical staff, and engaging management.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clearly written reports and deliver well-organized briefings.
- Ability to learn new tools and processes quickly and execute within defined engineering frameworks.
- Track record of leading systems engineering or product realization activities within a technical domain.
About Our TeamYou'll contribute to a mission of national importance while working with highly skilled teams tackling complex, high-consequence engineering challenges. This position is well-suited for a systems engineer who enjoys turning ambiguity into clear requirements, leading multidisciplinary product realization efforts, coordinating execution across technical boundaries, and shaping a strategic direction that delivers real operational value.
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.
