Early Career Navigation Systems Electrical Engineer, Onsite

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 102,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work options

Generous vacation

Relocation assistance

Medical benefits

401k plan

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque is seeking a Navigation Engineer with strong R&D in estimation, software, and hardware integration for national security missions.

You will develop navigation systems, test prototypes, and collaborate across disciplines to mature concepts from simulation to flight tests, including complex field experiments and data analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in engineering or science.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop, integrate, test, and analyze hardware navigation prototypes.
• Create and assess navigation algorithms and sensor fusion.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary researchers and engineers.
• Transition technologies from modeling to hardware for flight tests.
• Perform field tests and analyze results for national security missions.

Skills

Navigation systems

Python/C++/Matlab

Technical communication

Team collaboration

Independent R&D

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

GNSS simulation hardware

Spirent / PNT-X / Broadsim

RF testing equipment

Python

C++

Matlab

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

Organization 05443, Navigation Warfare, is actively seeking a Navigation Engineer who has significant interest in estimation, software engineering, and applied R&D for national security missions to join our team!

The successful candidate will have R&D experience in software engineering and/or stochastic estimation for dynamic systems, and interest in developing, testing, and analyzing prototype hardware systems for future alternative PNT systems, navigation algorithms, and navigation warfare threats.

Navigation Warfare supports a large range of Technical Readiness Levels (TRLs) to apply innovative conceptual ideas to both near‑term and future warfighter needs.

On any given day, one may be called upon to:

• Develop, integrate, test, and analyze results from hardware prototype navigation systems, including GNSS, Inertial sensor, and alternative PNT solutions (such as RF signal of opportunity systems)
• Develop novel alternative positioning sensors, navigation solutions, and anomaly detection algorithms for contested navigation application for complex national security mission spaces
• Collaborate with a team of researchers, engineers, and technologists to develop innovative, integrated navigation technologies and to mature them from concept to simulation to flight tests
• Transition alternative PNT technologies, sensors, and software from Modeling and Simulation to hardware prototype for flight test experimentation
• Perform testing in complex contested navigation warfare environments in the field, and analyze results to draw meaningful conclusions in support of national security missions

This position will include simulation, laboratory, and field‑testing operations.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite at Sandia laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including the Flight Dynamics Laboratory. Some travel is required for this position.

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
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D S&E Electrical Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Ability to work independently and collaborate well in a multidisciplinary team of designers and test engineers.
• Outstanding verbal and written skills, including the ability to develop and present briefings that are clear and compelling.

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

• Coursework and/or 1+ years of experience with modern navigation systems (e.g., GNSS architectures/receivers, sensor fusion, inertial measurement systems, Kalman filtering, alternative PNT solutions such as RF Signals of Opportunity or terrain‑aided navigation, or sensor integrity algorithms such as anomaly detection)
• Experience programming in object‑oriented and scripting tools/languages (e.g. Python, C++, Matlab)
• Experience with industry GNSS simulation hardware (e.g., Spirent, PNT‑X, Broadsim), RF recording equipment, or hardware testing of navigation systems
• Experience in technical communication as demonstrated by technical presentations and/or technical publications
• Experience working collaboratively as a member of a multi‑disciplinary team
• The demonstrated ability to conduct guided research and development in a self‑directed fashion
• Coursework and/or experience with aerospace flight system or subsystem modeling and simulation
• An active DOE Q-level security clearance; or other equivalent active security clearance such as DOD Top Secret
• An active SCI-level Clearance; or a willingness to apply for an SCI-level clearance

About Our Team

The Navigation Warfare (Navwar) Department (05443) seeks to develop technology for robust and resilient navigation in increasingly challenging operational environments. Through Navigation Warfare Assessments to characterize and respond to US navigation contestation, engagement with the national Navwar community, and R&D towards the development of GPS‑denied and contested technologies such as Alt‑PNT (Position, Navigation, and Timing), the Navwar department creates enduring capabilities to support warfighter needs in increasingly contested navigation engagements.

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

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.

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.