Senior/Principal Mechanical Flight Test Engineer - W87-1 Modification Program, 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.

Envisioning your future as a Sandian

The W87-1 Modification Program at Sandia National Laboratories is working with the NNSA, U.S. Air Force and other national labs to develop a ground-based strategic warhead that improves on the safety and security elements of legacy weapons in the U.S. nuclear stockpile. This program is a critical element in our nations nuclear deterrence strategy.

JOIN OUR DEDICATED TEAM

We are seeking an R&D Mechanical Engineer for the W87-1 Joint Test Assembly (JTA) & Trainer Engineering team. In this role you will contribute to a high-impact nuclear weapon modernization program, working in advanced facilities with skilled professionals across the Nuclear Security Enterprise.

As a Mechanical Flight Test Engineer, you will help shape the design process from concept to delivery. Your responsibilities will include developing system-level design concepts, testing prototypes, and qualifying fabrication techniques. You will also support engineering efforts throughout all project phases, including conceptual design, feasibility studies, and full-scale engineering.

This is a unique opportunity at Sandia to gain invaluable experience in a national and international priority program. We invite you to join our innovative and collaborative team, where you can make a significant impact on both the nation and the world! This position offers an excellent chance to advance your career in systems engineering while working on diverse projects aligned with your interests.

As the Mechanical Flight Test Engineer, you will:

• Collaborate with personnel across multiple Sandia organizations, as well as with external partners such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and Department of Defense (DOD) organizations, to ensure effective communication and teamwork.
• Engage in engineering activities, from developing system-level design concepts to testing prototypes and qualifying innovative fabrication techniques, while supporting systems and component engineering efforts across all project phases, including conceptual design studies, feasibility and cost analyses, and full-scale engineering.
• Design the mechanical architecture and system-owned components of JTA systems, ensuring the maintenance of product definitions, procedures, and mechanical envelopes.
• Work closely with a component product realization team or mission realization capability partner to solve technical problems, address issues, and mitigate risks, while collaborating across systems teams (e.g., design, requirements, qualification) to perform system integration tasks and resolve issues.
• Contribute to BDR readiness by performing detailed mechanical requirements tracing and tolerance stackups to ensure mechanical fit.
• Author documents, procedures, and requirements for subsystem and system-level deliverables, and support JTA build procedures and processes at SNL, PX, and USAF.
• Team with colleagues to understand status or issues, document lessons learned and execute deliverables to meet customer requirements.
• Iterate designs based on findings from testing and environmental assessments, ensuring that lessons learned are documented and applied to improve future designs.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite 100% of the time. This position will require up to 25% travel domestically, as needed.

$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.

• 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 DOE Q or equivalent clearance.

The ideal R&D Mechanical Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience with mechanical engineering and product realization in the NNSA complex.
• 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:

• Active DOE Q clearance.
• Detail-oriented and safety-conscious attributes, with a strong emphasis on meticulousness in engineering tasks to ensure high quality, rigor, and reliability in all aspects of work.
• Possesses a solid understanding of nuclear deterrence programs and associated processes, with recent contributions to a nuclear weapon modernization program.
• Experience in using PTC CREO, PDMLink (Windchill), and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• Demonstrated ability to integrate, build, and work effectively across technical teams, to resolve issues and conduct trade-offs to identify system solutions.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and work efficiently under competing demands.

The Weapon Systems Engineering Centers (across CA and NM) perform system engineering and systems management for the stewardship of developed nuclear weapons and associated nuclear weapon capabilities. We ensure the safety, security, and reliability of weapons throughout their lifecycle and the development and maintenance of competency through advanced development of new technologies are an essential part of center activities. We are responsible for W87-1 product realization for the JTA10, JTA11, Type 3 and Type 5 Trainers.

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.

Sandia is required by DOE 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 obtain and 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.