Cleared Senior/Principal R&D Systems Engineer - Instrumented Flight Test Development, Onsite

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 118,000 - 236,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, seeks a highly motivated R&D Systems Engineer to join the W76-1 Joint Test Assembly (JTA) Weapon System Team. In this role, you will contribute to the requirements definition, testing, and qualification of the new instrumented JTA flight test body for the W76-1 weapon systems.

As part of our dynamic team, you’ll translate complex requirements into actionable specifications, maintain traceability, and collaborate with design, production, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant engineering or scientific experience.
• Active DOE Q Clearance or equivalent to start.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles and methodologies.
• Experience in requirements elicitation, analysis, and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and translate complex functional and non-functional requirements into clear, actionable technical specifications.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive requirement traceability matrices across the project lifecycle.
• Lead collaborative requirement reviews with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with customer intent.
• Define interfaces, integration plans, and ensure designs are manufacturable and testable.
• Assist in crafting robust test plans and validation strategies for qualification and delivery.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements elicitation

Requirements analysis

Leadership

Teamwork

Negotiation

Conflict resolution

Coaching/mentoring

Adaptability

Self-motivation

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Graduate degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

DOORS

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 highly motivated R&D Systems Engineer to join the W76-1 Joint Test Assembly (JTA) Weapon System Team. In this role, you will contribute to the requirements definition, testing, and qualification of the new instrumented JTA flight test body for the W76-1 weapon systems.

As part of our dynamic team, you ll dive into a variety of engineering challenges from defining and tracing complex system requirements to planning and executing large-scale flight tests. Your work will involve close collaboration with internal Sandia teams as well as external partners at LANL, KCNSC, Pantex, NNSA, and Navy SP-28.

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

• Analyze and translate complex functional and non-functional requirements into clear, actionable technical specifications.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive requirement traceability matrices, ensuring every detail is tracked throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead collaborative requirement reviews with cross-functional teams to ensure requirements align with customer intent and mission needs.
• Partner with design and production teams to define interfaces, integration plans, and ensure that designs are both manufacturable and testable.
• Assist in crafting robust test plans and validation strategies that ensure smooth qualification and product delivery that meets surveillance mission needs.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to refine how we gather and manage requirements, making our processes more efficient and effective.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant will be required to work onsite full-time in Albuquerque, NM and may require some travel (up to 25%.)

Salary Range

$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.

Qualifications We Require

• 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 is required to start

Qualifications We Desire

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

• Graduate degree in Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience working on engineering design, qualification, or production projects within the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• High attention to detail to provide critical review for requirements tracing.

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

• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles and methodologies.
• Proven experience in requirements elicitation, analysis, and documentation.
• Familiarity with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS).
• Background in nuclear weapons lifecycle and familiarity with processes within the NSE.
• Experience working with NNSA, Department of Defense customers and contractors, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), and Pantex.
• Effective leadership abilities, including delegation, teamwork, negotiation, conflict resolution, and coaching/mentoring skills.
• Self-motivated and adaptable, comfortable working in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment.
• Commitment to fostering a culturally and technically diverse workplace.

About Our Team

The Flight Systems Engineering department is responsible for the development of flight test assets for the nuclear weapon systems within the NM stockpile. Our primary focus is on creating Joint Test Assemblies (JTAs), which are essential for collecting performance data on nuclear weapon components during flight. JTAs are designed to simulate system configurations that closely resemble war reserve conditions, ensuring that critical interfaces are maintained. This design philosophy allows us to effectively assess the reliability and safety of the components.

To achieve our objectives, we employ a disciplined systems engineering approach that addresses the diverse needs of various applications and customers. Our team collaborates across Sandia and with other NSE partners to ensure solutions are delivered within achievable technical capabilities and programmatic constraints.

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.