Sandia National Laboratories

Senior/Principal R&D Electrical Engineer - Test Systems Design, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories • $117K — $235K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field with 5+ years of relevant experience
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance and Sigma 15 access
  • Strong expertise in analog circuit design, familiarity with digital design
  • Hands-on experience with custom electrical assemblies
  • Ability to create and interpret design definition drawings

Responsibilities

  • Design and integrate innovative analog circuit systems for nuclear weapon testing
  • Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team on project goals
  • Develop advanced data-collection systems for diverse signals
  • Define and create custom cables, boards, and racks
  • Integrate and troubleshoot tester systems for stockpile monitoring
  • Validate designs to meet customer requirements
  • Participate in all phases of product realization, from concept to deployment

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on mission-driven projects with national security implications
  • Dynamic and technically challenging work environment
  • Multidisciplinary collaboration with skilled professionals
  • Direct contribution to U.S. nuclear safety and reliability
  • Engagement in product realization from concept to deployment
Full Job Description
What Your Job Will Be Like

Are you an innovative electrical engineer ready to make a critical impact on national security? The Air Delivered Weapons Systems Tester Development Department (2256) and the Ballistic Missile Tester Development Department (2255) are looking for a passionate and highly skilled R&D Electrical Engineer to join a cutting-edge, mission-driven team.

Here, you will design, fabricate, qualify, and deploy some of the most sophisticated system-level nuclear weapon testers in the world tools essential to ensuring the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. If you thrive in a dynamic, technically challenging environment and want to contribute directly to the nation's defense, this is the opportunity for you.

On any given day, you will have the opportunity to:
  • Innovate and Design: focus primarily on analog circuit design within complex test systems, with working knowledge of digital design concepts. You will design and integrate cutting-edge equipment that emulates the delivery sequences of nuclear weapons in a controlled laboratory environment.
  • Collaborate with Experts: Lead or work alongside a multidisciplinary team of engineers, technologists, and subject matter experts to achieve project goals.
  • Capture Critical Data: Develop advanced data-collection systems to capture a wide range of normal and exotic signals generated by the tester or a unit under test.
  • Customize Solutions: Define and design custom cables, boards, chassis, or racks tailored to specific project requirements.
  • Integrate and Troubleshoot: Work on integrating and troubleshooting tester systems that monitor the health of the U.S. Stockpile, ensuring optimal performance.
  • Validate Designs: Assess and validate tester designs against customer requirements, ensuring compliance and functionality.
  • Engage in Product Realization: Participate in product realization activities, from concept through fabrication and deployment, ensuring successful delivery of test systems.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant will be required to work onsite in Albuquerque, NM, and some travel will be necessary for this position.

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 clearance and Sigma 15 access, which may require a polygraph


Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D Electrical Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:
  • Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
  • Ability to work independently and collaborate well in a multidisciplinary team of designers and test engineers.
  • Outstanding verbal and written skills, including the ability to develop and present briefings that are clear and compelling.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:
  • Active DOE Q clearance or equivalent
  • Strong expertise in analog circuit design, with proficiency in digital circuit design and analysis, demonstrating a solid foundation in electrical engineering principles.
  • Hands-on experience designing and fabricating custom electrical assemblies, demonstrating creativity and technical aptitude.
  • Experience creating and interpreting design definition drawings, including wiring diagrams and power distribution diagrams, ensuring clarity and precision in documentation.
  • Experience using common electrical laboratory equipment (e.g., oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, arbitrary waveform generators, etc.).
  • Demonstrated commitment to working safely in a laboratory environment, prioritizing safety protocols and best practices.
  • Applying system-level thinking to ensure designs integrate effectively within broader system architectures and meet overall system objectives.
  • Leveraging modeling and simulation tools to guide design decisions, ensure effective solutions, and reduce development iterations and cycle-times.
  • Providing technical direction to electromechanical technologists for installation, calibration, troubleshooting, and operation of electrical, controls, data, and instrumentation hardware and systems.
  • Strong attention to detail and the ability to comprehend and synthesize large amounts of information, ensuring accuracy and thoroughness in all tasks.
  • Experience in product realization, including taking designs from concept through fabrication and deployment.
  • Leadership and/or mentoring experience (e.g. guiding small engineering teams or projects.)
  • Experience with or willingness to learn Mentor Graphics Xpedition PCB design software is a plus.
  • Demonstrated self-motivation and effectiveness in dynamic environments with competing priorities and firm deadlines.
  • Analyzing test data and system performance against requiremewnts, collaborating with system engineers to verify performance, analyze issues, and drive effective resoluation.


About Our Team

We are the premier test equipment engineering capability for the Stockpile Surveillance Program. We design, develop, and sustain qualified test systems used to evaluate the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nuclear weapon stockpile. These departments provide an opportunity to learn about the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, nuclear weapon design and function, and the role of Sandia National Laboratories in the nation's nuclear deterrence mission.

Posting Duration

This 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.

About Sandia National Laboratories

The Sandia National Laboratories is one of three National Nuclear Security Administration research and development laboratories in the United States, managed and operated privately by the National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia. Their primary mission is to develop, engineer, and test the non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons and high technology. Headquartered on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it also has a campus in Livermore, California, next to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and a test facility in Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii. It is Sandia's mission to maintain the reliability and surety of nuclear weapon systems, conduct research and development in arms control and nonproliferation technologies, and investigate methods for the disposal of the United States' nuclear weapons program's hazardous waste. Other missions include research and development in energy and environmental programs, as well as the surety of critical national infrastructures. In addition, Sandia is home to a wide variety of research including computational biology, mathematics, materials science, alternative energy, psychology, MEMS, and cognitive science initiatives. Sandia formerly hosted ASCI Red, one of the world's fastest supercomputers until its decommission in 2006, and now hosts ASCI Red Storm, originally known as Thor's Hammer. Sandia is also home to the Z Machine. The Z Machine is the largest X-ray generator in the world and is designed to test materials in conditions of extreme temperature and pressure. It is operated by Sandia National Laboratories to gather data to aid in computer modeling of nuclear weapons. In December 2016, it was announced that National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, under the direction of Honeywell International, would take over the management of Sandia National Laboratories starting on May 1, 2017. Educational opportunities are conducted in collaboration with university students through several programs, including the Securing Top Academic Research & Talent at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program and the Sandia University Partnerships Network.
Learn more about Sandia National Laboratories
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Founded
1948

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