DescriptionWe are seeking a Journeyman Test Engineer specializing in Health and Safety to support the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). This is a full-time, on-site position located at Kirtland Air Force Base (AFB) in Albuquerque, NM.
In this role, you will be responsible for evaluating, monitoring, and mitigating occupational health, industrial hygiene, and environmental safety hazards during high-hazard physical test events. You will focus on test execution involving weapons effects, structural collapse, and CBRN simulant releases within Underground Facilities (UGFs) and hardened deeply buried targets (HDBTs). You will ensure that field testing, data collection, and post-detonation entry operations are conducted safely while maintaining compliance with federal, military, and range safety protocols to protect test personnel and the Joint Force.
Key Responsibilities
- Test Safety Planning & Compliance: Develop and execute comprehensive Site Safety and Health Plans (SSHPs) and hazard assessments for high-hazard kinetic, structural, and chemical/biological simulant test events within UGF environments.
- CBRN Simulant Monitoring: Deploy and operate specialized environmental monitoring equipment and industrial hygiene sensors to track gas concentrations, particulate matter, and airborne contaminants during field tests.
- M&S Hazard Tool Support: Utilize empirical environmental health data and sensor readings collected during testing to validate safety boundaries and support downwind hazard predictions generated by HPAC and VLSTRACK models.
- Subterranean Entry Oversight: Direct safety protocols for post-detonation or post-event entry into confined subterranean spaces, ensuring proper air monitoring, ventilation, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) utilization.
- Incident Prevention & Range Safety: Collaborate closely with Kirtland Range Safety Officers (RSOs) and Test Directors to monitor real-time site conditions, enforce OSHA and DoD safety standards, and execute emergency response procedures if necessary.
- Data Logging & Reporting: Document industrial hygiene metrics, blast overpressure exposure levels, and safety compliance logs to generate formal test safety reports and support verification, validation, and accreditation (VV&A) frameworks.
- Team Collaboration: Work alongside senior test engineers at Kirtland AFB to integrate robust health and safety frameworks seamlessly into complex test architectures and day-to-day operations
Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Engineering, Systems Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, or a relevant STEM discipline; Master's degree or Doctorate (Ph.D.) preferred.
- Experience: 5 to 10 years of progressive engineering experience, with a direct focus on test and evaluation (T&E) safety, industrial hygiene, or high-hazard field testing environments within the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Energy (DOE), or aerospace/defense sector.
- Specialized Domain Expertise: Demonstrated experience implementing safety protocols for high-explosive operations, confined spaces, hazardous materials (HAZMAT), or testing within Underground Facilities (UGFs) or industrial test beds.
- Predictive Tool Familiarity: Working knowledge of or exposure to DoD hazard prediction and environmental transport tools, specifically Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability (HPAC) and Vapor, Liquid, and Solid Tracking (VLSTRACK
- Security Clearance: An active U.S. Government Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance is strictly required.
- Work Location: Ability to work full-time on-site at Kirtland AFB (Albuquerque, NM), with flexibility for frequent travel to regional testing ranges (e.g., White Sands Missile Range).
Preferred Attributes
- Professional Certifications: Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or Associate Safety Professional (ASP) designation
- Confined Space & HAZWOPER: Active 40-hour HAZWOPER certification and formal training in Confined Space Entry/Rescue procedures
- Range Operations Familiarity: Prior experience executing test safety workflows at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS), or DTRA-specific test beds
