Cleared Early/Mid-Career RD Mechanical Engineer - W93 Flight Test Program, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 102,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join the W93/Mk7 Flight Test Team and support the development of flight bodies for Phase X. You will apply creativity and problem-solving to keep the program on schedule.

Primary focus includes environmental flight bodies and qualification testing, with potential to expand to broader mechanical design across the program. A bachelor’s degree and active DOE Q clearance are required; experience with CREO, ANSYS or SolidWorks, and

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience.
• Active DOE Q clearance or equivalent with Sigma 15 access.

Responsibilities

• Conduct mechanical modeling, development, integration, and testing from component to system levels.
• Perform hands-on mechanical and electrical assembly, integration, and testing of flight bodies and system components.
• Support testing and qualification of flight bodies across lab, ground, and flight environments.
• Deliver project information via reports, assembly procedures, and presentations to stakeholders.
• Collaborate with design, test, evaluation, and simulation teams; engage with external partners.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Communication

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Graduate degree (preferred) in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CREO

CAD modeling

ANSYS

SolidWorks

Job description

About Sandia:

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.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join the W93/Mk7 Flight Test Team and play a key role in laying the foundation for the first Phase X program in over 40 years. In this position, you will design, build, and support the flight bodies for the W93 program, applying your creativity and problem‑solving skills to develop alternative solutions that keep the program on schedule.

Within the W93 Flight and System Enabling Technology department (2383), your primary focus will be supporting the design of environmental flight bodies and the environmental qualification of Joint Test Assemblies. Over time, your responsibilities may expand to include broader mechanical design and testing needs across the program.

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

• Conduct mechanical modeling, development, integration, and testing at the piece part, sub‑system, and system levels.
• Perform hands‑on mechanical and electrical assembly, integration, and testing of flight bodies and system components.
• Support the realization and testing of flight bodies or other system‑level deliverables across laboratory, ground, and flight environments.
• Deliver project information in the form of reports, assembly procedures, and presentations to project stakeholders.
• Collaborate internally with teams across component design, design definition, test and evaluation, foundational research, and computational simulation.
• Partner with external stakeholders including the Department of Defense (US Navy), DOE/NNSA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Space, and the Kansas City National Security Center.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships across diverse teams to ensure all partners understand the big picture and work together effectively toward shared goals.

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

Salary Range:

$102,400 - $199,700

*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, 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 and maintain Sigma 15 access.

Qualifications We Desire:

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:

• A proven track record of conducting research/development within a team environment from concept to delivery
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Design and Modeling: CREO and CAD modeling, GD&T and drawing fundamentals
• Simulation and Analysis: ANSYS or SolidWorks simulations
• Testing and Documentation: Test planning, procedural documentation, test data collection, and reporting
• Hands‑on Operations: Mechanical and electrical assembly and integration, additive manufacturing
• Systems and Hardware: Development and delivery of flight‑quality hardware, mechanical design of WR systems, subsystems, or components, ND reentry systems, JTA experience
• Systems Knowledge and Collaboration: System‑level understanding of RB and legacy systems, manufacturing liaison or development hardware team experience
• Proven ability to work both within a team as well as independently
• Proven ability to thrive in fast‑paced, dynamic environments by effectively prioritizing, managing, and executing multiple projects within defined scope, budget, and schedule

About Our Team:

The W93 Flight and System Enabling Technology Department is responsible for Flight Test planning and integration, System test asset builds, and the entire suite of logistics including the Integrated Surety Architecture. We directly engage across much of the Nuclear Security Enterprise including SNL/CA, LANL, PX, NNSA, LM, Navy, and KCNSC.

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.

Security Clearance:

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.

EEO:

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.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

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.

Job ID: 698545

Job Family: RD

Regular/Temporary Position: R

Full/Part-Time Status: F