Early Career R&D Mechanical Engineer - Equipment Qualification Engineer, Onsite

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

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Flexible work arrangements

Medical benefits

401k

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories seeks a R&D S&E Mechanical Engineer to safely manufacture neutron generators for war-reserve weapon systems and develop new processes and designs. You will oversee production equipment, identify issues, and drive process improvements in a high-security environment.

The role requires travel and onsite work with collaboration across the Neutron Tube Value Stream Department, leveraging state-of-the-art facilities, lean manufacturing, and advanced materials

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Maintain technical oversight for new Neutron Tube Production equipment and identify problems impacting performance.
• Identify new technology and contribute to process development and procedures for Neutron Tubes.
• Provide guidance to process technologists and act as a process consultant on the production floor and development lab.
• Propose and lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve center metrics.
• Collaborate with partners in the NGE to advance equipment characterization and qualification.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Analytical skills

Lean Six Sigma

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

MRP systems

Manufacturing processes knowledge

Job description

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 R&D S&E, Mechanical Engineer who can safely manufacture Neutron Generators for War Reserve weapon systems and the development of new processes and generator designs.

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

Be responsible for maintaining technical oversight responsibility for new Neutron Tube Production equipment, recognizing problems that can impact performance, and taking initiative to solve them expeditiously.

Identify new technology, process development and qualification, and authoring of initial work instructions/operating procedures to support the development and production of Neutron Tubes.

Provide technical guidance and direction to process technologists and serve as a process consultant to assist in the daily operations of the production floor and development lab, when necessary.

Manage and propose continuous improvement initiatives to improve Center metrics.

Work closely with our partners in the NGE to ensure equipment characterization and qualification moves forward efficiently.

This position requires some travel.

Due to the nature of the work, successful candidate must 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.

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

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:

Experience in a manufacturing environment with knowledge of industry standard Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP) system and related business practices

Experience with product realization processes or process development.

Experience in providing technical support to manufacturing or development operations

Current/active DOE security clearance

Systems oriented person able to manage production process maintenance activities, and identify/manage associated process risks

Ability to conduct analyses as needed to optimize the manufacturing processes to balance quality, responsiveness and pre-defined metrics

Ability to learn the technical aspects of manufacturing processes in order to apply integrated technical judgment as required to anticipate, innovate, and deliver solutions

Demonstrated capability to monitor process health by identifying, collecting, and analyzing effective metrics and presenting results

Able to successfully multi-tasking across multiple projects

Willingness to actively participate in Lean Six Sigma program

Dedication to a culture of safety and security

Experience working in a fast-paced production environment

Strong analytical skills

About Our Team:

Neutron Tube Value Stream Department (7562) is the sole source supplier of neutron tubes for nuclear weapons in the United States. We provide the technical leadership in various engineering disciplines to pursue state-of-the-art solutions in product and process engineering to manufacture sophisticated high-vacuum tube devices. We sustain and ensure the highest quality and reliability of this specialized product by operating in an agile production environment for low volume, low product mix with high yields, minimal variation, and compliance with all environmental, safety, security, and health mandates.

Our team members are experts in realizing the conceptual design and development of miniature particle accelerators. We apply the practical knowledge and expertise for fabrication of the devices using a combination of complex processes, including thin-film deposition, metallization, thermal operations, plating, brazing, welding, encapsulation, and testing. We employ the most advanced concepts in resource planning, lean manufacturing, and defect prevention to meet our mission assignment.

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.

• Affordable housing, reasonable cost of living
• Minimal traffic congestion compared to larger cities
• At Sandia, recruiters manually review resumes on each job posting instead of using a resume screening software program
• By following the best practices outlined, this ensures that recruiters can accurately determine your qualifications for the position