Early Career R&D Mechanical Engineer - Measurement & Test, 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 (9/80, 4/10

Generous vacation and benefits

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking an Early Career R&D Mechanical Engineer for Measurement & Test, onsite at Kirtland AFB. You will work in the Integrated Flight Environments group to plan, design, analyze, and execute critical mass properties measurements and tests for nuclear security systems.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) with 3+ years post-bachelor experience and a DOE Q clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience.
• Requires a DOE Q security clearance to start.
• Three years of post-bachelor's professional experience outside academia.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate within a team to achieve objectives safely, punctually and within budget.
• Perform daily operations of mass properties measurement systems and related analysis.
• Rigging, hoisting, and hardware assembly with proper calibration.
• Interpret, analyze, and report measured data from large-scale tests.
• Conduct large-scale field experiments or operate large test systems.
• Assist with program management and scheduling across multiple projects.

Skills

Communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate degree

Job description

Early Career R&D Mechanical Engineer - Measurement & Test, Onsite

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:

Are you passionate about hands-on engineering and dream of utilizing and developing state-of-the-art equipment and systems to validate the Nation's most critical weapon systems? You could be the motivated measurement and test engineer that we are seeking to join our dynamic team of experimentalists at the Nation's most capable and exciting experimental complex!

As a member of the Integrated Flight Environments department in the Validation and Qualification Sciences Group, you will join a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, designers, test operation teams, business partners and technicians to develop, plan, design, analyze, schedule, implement, and execute critical large‑scale tests and measurements towards assuring the reliability and safety of the Nation's nuclear deterrent systems.

On any given day, your responsibilities may include:

Collaborating within a team to ensure customer objectives are achieved safely, punctually, and within budget, while adhering to all corporate and Group Work Planning and Controls requirements.

Performing daily operations of mass properties measurement systems. Utilizing engineering principles, methodologies, and tools for the design and analysis of precision measurement hardware, data acquisition, evaluation, and preparation of comprehensive mass properties reports.

Engaging in hands‑on rigging and hoisting activities, hardware assembly and disassembly, and operating high‑precision mass properties equipment. Ensuring that all equipment is properly calibrated and operational.

Contributing to the development and implementation of innovative techniques and systems to further Sandia's approach to mass properties measurements and integrated flight environment tests.

Travel may be required, but is expected to be less than 30%.

We invite you to join our team and leverage your technical expertise, creativity, and engineering judgement to support Sandia's national security missions.

*Please note that due to the nature of the position, onsite work will be required for the selected candidate.

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.

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).

Qualifications We Desire:

The ideal R&D S&E Mechanical Engineer candidate 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:

Three years of post-bachelor's professional experience outside of academia

Design, manufacturing, analysis, and hands‑on assembly of test hardware and systems.

Rigging and hoisting system design and hands‑on crane experience.

Interpretation, analysis, and reporting of measured data.

Conducting large-scale field experiments or operating large test systems.

Applying technical knowledge and innovative thinking to address engineering challenges.

Program management, including scheduling and coordination of multiple projects and team members.

About Our Team:

The Validation and Qualification Sciences Group is responsible for large-scale experimental activities located in TAIII on Kirtland Air Force Base. The Integrated Flight Environments department is one of six departments within the group with the responsibility for developing and delivering experiments to provide information on the performance, safety, and reliability of nuclear weapons and other systems and to acquire data to validate computational simulations of these events. The department owns and operates two major environmental testing facilities/capabilities:

Mass Properties Measurements

The Centrifuge/Superfuge Complex

(http://www.sandia.gov/vqsec/INDEX.html ). Group 1530 is a significant contributor to Sandia's nuclear weapons stewardship mission and serves the greater Sandia community and external partners per federal policies.

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.

Essential Functions:

If offered the position, you may be required to demonstrate your fitness to perform certain physical aspects of the position, including lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling.

• Affordable housing, reasonable cost of living
• Minimal traffic congestion compared to larger cities