Department Planner for Operations - National Ignition Facility

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Livermore (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Referral Bonus: $1500

Job summary

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA seeks a Department Planner for Operations at the National Ignition Facility to direct 24/7 facility operations, maintenance and upgrades, and to lead cross-disciplinary teams in a fast-paced research environment.

The role requires DOE Q clearance eligibility, a science or engineering degree, and proven experience planning complex projects across multiple work centers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and significant related experience.
• DOE Q-level security clearance eligibility and U.S. citizenship.
• Experience managing operations for large and complex technical systems.
• Experience managing and executing an integrated safety management system.
• Strong leadership and cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead operations, engineering, and maintenance teams for large-scale, complex systems critical to experiments.
• Develop and lead facility operations planning and scheduling, ensuring projects stay on schedule.
• Plan and coordinate engineering projects across multiple work centers.
• Mentor technicians on safety, security, quality, and efficiency (SSQE) requirements.
• Manage priorities and resource load for the operations and maintenance teams.

Skills

Leadership

Project planning

Team management

Advanced communication

DOE Q clearance eligibility

Safety leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering

Master’s degree in Science, Engineering, Physics, or MBA

Job description

Department Planner for Operations - National Ignition Facility

• Full-time
• Employee Referral Bonus: $1500
• Job Code 1: TSL.3 Technical Services & Ops TSL 3
• Pre-Employment Drug Test: Required for external applicant(s) selected for this position (includes testing for use of marijuana)
• Pre-Placement Medical Exam: Not applicable
• Security Clearance: Anticipated DOE Q clearance (requires U.S. citizenship and a federal background investigation)

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability.

Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi-domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact.

We have multiple openings for Department Planners for Operations in several sections at the National Ignition Facility. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the team that achieved fusion ignition in December 2022, a historic moment in science that opened new physics regimes and set the stage for future fusion energy possibilities.

You will join a team which is responsible for directing the 24/7 activities of the National Ignition Facility. You will be responsible for the strategies required for successful planning and execution of complex facility operations, maintenance, and upgrade activities in the NIF. This position is in the Laser Systems Engineering & Operations (LSEO) Division within the Engineering Directorate and supports projects within the National Ignition Facility & Photon Sciences (NIF&PS) / Light Matter and Fusion (LMF) directorate.

This position requires full-time on-site presence due to the nature of the work.

In this role, you will

• Function independently with minimal direction, taking significant responsibility and using advanced knowledge and judgment to establish objectives, prioritize parallel tasks, allocate resources, and collaborate in the development of innovative methods/technology to guide the completion of projects and contribute to the development of organizational goals.
• Provide advanced technical leadership of the operations, engineering, and maintenance teams for large-scale, complex, integrated systems critical to the successful execution of scientific experiments on NIF in support of established section and facility strategy.
• Develop, implement, and lead facility operations and maintenance planning and scheduling, monitoring workflow to achieve established goals and objectives, ensuring operations activities are appropriately staffed and that projects are completed on schedule, and working with other work centers to de-conflict scope and share resources as needed.
• Partner with section management to plan and schedule engineering projects, working with and gaining the cooperation of other work centers to ensure the successful coordination of projects and timelines.
• Collaborate with and provide technical leadership to a large multi-disciplinary team of support personnel including scientists, engineers, operators, and technicians.
• Develop and communicate work priorities operations, engineering and maintenance team, working with section management and Work Center Supervisors to prioritize, schedule and resource load work, exercising independent judgment within established policies and objectives to modify approaches using improved methods and processes when appropriate.
• Provide leadership and direction in the field to an operational team responsible for mentoring technicians safety, security, quality and efficiency (SSQE) functional requirements. Analyze trends in these functional areas, identify and implement mitigations, and report findings to management.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and significant related experience.
  • Advanced knowledge in and significant experience with science or engineering as it relates to implementation of integrated, complex, and large-scale systems through the full operational lifecycle.
  • Significant experience in the management of operations for a variety of large and complex technical control and hardware systems operated by multidisciplinary teams.
  • Significant experience managing and executing an integrated safety management system.
  • Significant experience formulating strategies for planning, resources, project scheduling, tracking milestones, and modifying scope when necessary for work integration functions, including collaborating across multiple technical disciplines.
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage personnel conflicts and maintain high morale in a demanding and dynamic environment.
  • Experience effectively leading and managing a team and/or group of 10 or more employees, providing consultative direction and overseeing independent work in a fast-paced, high pressure, complex, multidisciplinary team environment, working across organizational boundaries.
  • Advanced verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate and lead in a team environment, present and explain technical information, and provide advice to management, personnel, and internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications We Desire

• Master’s degree in Science, Engineering, Physics, or Business Administration.
• In-depth knowledge of DOE, sponsors, and Laboratory management structures and requirements..

Pay Range

$167,340 - $212,160 Annually

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

#LI-Onsite

Position Information

This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Lab employees and external candidates.

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Included in 2026Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)

This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance.If you are selected, wewill initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if youmeet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. Also, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing. Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship.

Pre-Employment Drug Test

External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.

Wireless and Medical Devices

Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the useand/or possession ofmobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area whereyou are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile devicein your possession. This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices.

Ifyou useamedical device, whichpairs with a mobile device,you must still follow the rules concerningthe mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities requireseparate approval. Hearing aids without wireless capabilities or wireless that has been disabled are allowed in Limited Areas, Secure Space and Transit/Buffer Space within buildings.

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request.

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