Cleared R&D Computer Engineer - Counter-Autonomy, Onsite

Women In Science; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 102,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements (9/80 / 4/9

Relocation assistance

Generous vacation and benefits

Onsite facilities and research support

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is seeking a highly motivated computer engineer to tackle challenging problems in intrusion detection for national security. You will work in a multi-disciplinary team to develop and integrate solutions for national security challenges.

Responsibilities include designing algorithms, writing code for security systems, developing ML models for autonomous platforms, and collaborating on customer and internal projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience.
• Active DOE L or higher level clearance or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Formulate algorithms and machine learning approaches for data analysis and target localization.
• Write clean, efficient code for physical security system implementations.
• Develop ML models and integrate them into autonomous platforms.
• Design and implement robotic systems for surveillance and tracking.
• Analyze and visualize large datasets from intrusion sensors and UAS.
• Develop and execute test plans, and analyze results to advise sponsor decisions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify project requirements.

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline

Job description

Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, USA
Job posting number: #7369275 (Ref:Sa698747)
Posted: August 22, 2026
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 LikeWe are seeking highly motivated computer engineer to assist with a broad range of challenging technical problems associated with intrusion detection of physical threats to national assets from unauthorized people, vehicles, and autonomous platforms (drones or unmanned aerial vehicles). The successful candidate will work in an innovative, multi-disciplinary team environment to develop and integrate solutions for our national security.
On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Formulate algorithmic and machine learning approaches to solve data analysis and target localization and classification tasks.
• Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code for physical security system implementations.
• Develop machine learning models and integrate them into autonomous platforms.
• Design and implement robotic systems for various applications such as surveillance and tracking.
• Assist other staff as a contributor on both customer and internally funded projects.
• Work in a sensor testing and data collection team, in both indoor and outdoor field settings.
• Analyze and visualize large datasets from intrusion sensors, UAS, and other sources.
• Develop and execute test plans, integrate hardware and software, conduct experiments, and analyze results to advise government sponsor decisions.
• Troubleshoot issues with existing code and collaborate with colleagues to resolve technical challenges.
• Write proposals for internally or externally funded R&D projects.
• Summarize and present results to other staff and sponsors and develop papers and briefings for publication.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify project requirements and develop solutions that meet those needs.
• Stay up-to-date with emerging trends and technologies in robotics, machine learning, and UAS technology.

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

• 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 L or higher level clearance or equivalent

Qualifications We DesireThe ideal R&D S&E Computer Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Computer Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Demonstrated ability to execute and deliver technical work products with application of appropriate rigor and pedigree documentation (design/code reviews, technical oversight/approvals, project team concurrence, artifact generation, etc.).
• Experience in computer systems design and software development for real-time and embedded processing systems, distributed processing systems, or real-time client server implementations.
• Familiarity with hardware/software requirements generation for verification, validation and qualifications
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multidisciplinary, multi-disciplinary team setting for a common purpose.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• Strong knowledge of computer vision, deep learning, and reinforcement machine learning techniques.
• Strong written communication skills (e.g., published research in technical journals)
• Desire to work on solutions to National Security problems, especially in counter-autonomy and physical security system applications.
• Experience with S3 buckets, OpenCV, and dynamic visualization of sensor data.
• Demonstrated ability to perform machine learning related activities such as pipeline development, model explainability, and uncertainty quantification.
• Strong teamwork and leadership skills.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed (less than 15% of the time).
• Experience with C++, Python, Go, JavaScript, TypeScript, or similar languages.
• Experience with GPU, embedded, or constrained-compute inference optimization.
• Familiarity with CUDA, TensorRT, ONNX Runtime, NVIDIA Triton, NVIDIA DeepStream, OpenCV, PyTorch, or comparable frameworks.
• Experience training, evaluating, or deploying computer-vision models.
• Understanding of multi-sensor fusion, track correlation, time alignment, coordinate transformation, confidence handling, and uncertainty management.
• Experience integrating third-party sensors, vendor hardware, or externally developed software components.

About Our TeamThe Mission of department 6554 is to counter evolving autonomous threats to key national facilities and to improve the performance of physical security systems protecting those sites. We are part of a larger group focused on Autonomy and Unmanned Systems. We address real-world problems through research, development, testing, and evaluation of components and systems to advance the science of physical security. This enables customers to mitigate threats to these facilities by improving the ability to sense, assess, track, and respond to physical incursions. Our work addresses current physical security operational challenges and evolving threats such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). We specialize in the testing and evaluation of Counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems, which counter the danger posed by UAS, and we are a C-UAS test agent for DOE, NNSA, and DHS.
Posting DurationThis 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 ClearancePosition requires a Department of Energy (DOE) L security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD).
Job Family: RD
Regular/Temporary Position: R
Full/Part-Time Status: F
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.
EeoAll qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
NNSA Requirements For MedPEDsIf 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.
Contact InformationMore Info
Job posting number: #7369275 (Ref:Sa698747) Application Deadline: Open Until Filled Employer Location: Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque,New Mexico
United States More jobs from this employer.