Cleared Senior/Principal R&D Electrical Engineer - Advanced and Exploratory Systems Engineering, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

We are seeking a dedicated R&D Electrical Engineer who is passionate about leading engineering systems development for future Sandia programs and serving our customers.

In this role, you will be part of newly formed team to design and evaluate system concepts for a warhead intended to defeat Hard and Deeply Buried Targets via a Reentry Vehicle. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the Systems Team and Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE), to:

• Analyze the viable trade space to facilitate informed architectural decisions.
• Develop technically robust War Reserve (WR) design concepts, including innovative physics package designs that challenge past assumptions regarding safety, security, and reliability.
• Participate in a platform CONOPS study and identify key requirements to guide the development of the Stockpile-to-Target Sequence (STS) and Military Characteristics (MCs)

You will lead the electrical WR design of several concepts for a three-year Phase 1 study with both LLNL and LANL in a competition of ideas.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Plan, conduct, and execute Sandia's science and engineering programs across fundamental research, development, or demonstration.
• Synthesize anticipated future deterrence needs to define requirements for weapon systems and subsystems.
• Define and guide development of weapons systems architectures and layouts.
• Partner with the System Program Manager, Systems Engineers, and Physics Engineering to ensure technical options result in effective Hard Target Defeat, delivering options to the warfighter to select for a Phase 2.
• Assure technical rigor of system design architecture options and qualification approaches, balancing model and simulation, and testing within resource constraints.
• Work with the Systems Engineering Team and Product Realization Teams to develop technical program level guidance and implementation strategies, in partnership with Mission Enabling Partners and Customers.
• Identify areas of technical maturation needed to close knowledge gaps in design.
• Implement strategies to maximize the benefits of digital engineering, model-based systems engineering, and advanced manufacturing within program constraints.
• Engage with external partners and internal stakeholders to define program goals and requirements, collaborating with NNSA, military service partners as required, and other NSE partners, including LLNL and LANL to ensure product realization expectations are met.
• Demonstrate adaptability and strong problem-solving skills in navigating challenges related to safety concepts and system design.
• Conduct or direct system-level design architecture analysis that integrates various components or subsystems into a complete functional system.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

$135,700 - $270,900

*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.

• 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.
• Active DOE Q clearance or equivalent with the ability to obtain an SCI, which may require a polygraph.

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:

• Ten years of direct technical experience with nuclear weapons systems, subsystems, and/or components, demonstrating the ability to realize Nuclear Deterrence (ND) products through multiple phases of the product lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience throughout the product realization process, including successful product delivery and the ability to navigate requirements ambiguity.
• Proven ability to develop strong, trusting relationships with external partners, particularly the Air Force, NNSA, and DTRA, along with significant experience in negotiating requirements and operating in ambiguous environments.
• Familiarity with DoD, NNSA, and SNL requirements, including DOE Orders, NAPs, R Docs, T Docs, NNSA SDs, and RPPs.
• Demonstrated experience in the following areas:
  • Collaborating with physics labs to conduct engineering concept or feasibility studies and developing system architectures and interface definitions.
  • Designing electrical systems, weapon electrical systems, or subsystems, including safety, surety, and firing systems, as well as warhead to vehicle interfaces and fuzing.
  • Conducting modeling and simulation to analyze the performance of electrical systems.
  • Understanding intercontinental and sea-launched missile systems CONOPS and employment use cases.
  • Defining model-based electrical systems and implementing them in CAMEO or similar tools.
  • Designing or analyzing weapon systems or components for strategic reentry environments, including normal nuclear environments, Military Characteristics, and Stockpile-to-Target Sequence.
  • Addressing nuclear weapon reliability, safety, or surety, and synthesizing military requirements to develop novel solutions for advanced reentry vehicles/reentry bodies.
  • Experience with rugged weapon firing systems, particularly impact-fuzed firing systems.
• Proven technical background in one or more of the following areas:
  • Engineering or electrical engineering tools and software.
  • Analog, digital, and RF circuit design and simulation.
  • Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).
  • Cable design, manufacturing, and fabrication.
• Evidence of independent resourcefulness in developing new ideas or programs.
• Ability to conduct engineering work in a systems context.
• Background and understanding of nuclear weapons across the lifecycle is desired, but training within the organization to fill experience gaps is acceptable.

As part of the Nuclear Deterrence Futures, the California Advanced and Exploratory (A&E) Demonstrator Systems Engineering department has the responsibility to provide Systems Engineering leadership for technology acceleration and future nuclear deterrence systems. Working with our military service partners and the design physics laboratories, we develop weapon system level demonstrations that accelerate component technologies, answer knowledge gaps for future design, and explore future system concepts to meet critical, urgent national needs. As part of the demonstrator systems, the team:

• Develops innovative weapon system concepts and architectures with features resilient to future uncertainties (e.g., threat environment)
• Designs and builds physical, functional, and flight demonstration test units for future systems
• Provides a system framework for future technologies needs to internal Labs-wide research programs

The California A&E Systems Engineering Demonstrators department partner with the broader Sandia community to bridge Science and Technology capabilities with systems needs. The department maintains key collaborations around the Nuclear Security Enterprise, such as KCNSC, LANL, Pantex, Y-12, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, and others.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). Sandia is required by DOE directive to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.