Hydrodynamic Test Device Engineer (R&D Engineer 2/3)

Los Alamos National Security LLC; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 106,400 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Tuition assistance

Flexible schedules

Onsite gyms

Job summary

A leading national security institute is seeking an R&D Engineer in Los Alamos, NM. This role involves designing, building, and testing prototype hardware essential for advancing national security missions. Successful candidates will have strong engineering knowledge and excellent problem-solving abilities. They will coordinate and execute complex tests while collaborating with diverse teams to achieve shared goals. This position offers mentorship opportunities and the chance to impact cutting-edge national security research significantly.

Qualifications

• Basic knowledge of professional engineering concepts and practices.
• Good communication skills with diverse teams.
• Capability to problem solve complex issues.

Responsibilities

• Design and test functional prototype hardware assemblies.
• Coordinate test design and execution.
• Plan and lead meetings to track project status.

Skills

Engineering concepts

Communication skills

Problem solving

Project management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Job description

What You Will Do

The Weapon Verification and Validation Division (V‑Division) ensures that weapon designs meet all requirements and perform as intended. The division verifies design compliance and validates performance through a combination of investigations, qualification tests, and evaluations. This mission is accomplished through close communication and collaboration with sister divisions within the Weapons Engineering Directorate (ALDW). V‑Division carries out its work through assembly, non‑destructive evaluation, test design and planning, and test execution, all aimed at confirming the reliability and effectiveness of weapon systems.

The Weapons Test Execution Group (V‑21) is responsible for planning and overseeing the execution of weapon tests. V‑21 supports experimental evaluations across multiple domains, including mechanical, thermal, hydrodynamic, and sub‑critical testing. The group leverages capabilities across the national security enterprise, integrating diverse experimental expertise to design, field, and execute large‑scale joint tests in partnership with weapon development organizations. As ALDW's center of excellence for complex weapon experimentation, V‑21 plays a critical role in advancing the sustainment and modernization of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, ensuring that each experiment delivers the data and insight necessary to maintain a safe, secure, and effective stockpile.

This position is part of the Physics Validation (PV) team within V‑21, which supports a range of Integrated Weapon Experiments, including weapon hydrodynamic tests and subcritical experiments. In hydrotesting, the PV team provides device engineers and the Lead Test Engineer, who together form one part of a three‑person leadership team for each weapon hydrotest. The leadership team consists of the Lead Test Engineer, Lead Physicist, and Lead Experimenter. The Lead Test Engineer follows a Systems Engineering Lifecycle to design, develop, and deliver the experimental device for each test. This role involves extensive collaboration with more than a dozen groups across the laboratory, requiring individuals who can work effectively with team members from diverse technical backgrounds and experience levels to achieve the common goals of the experiment. Because these tests involve many stakeholders, success in this position depends on the ability to communicate clearly, understand differing objectives, and balance competing priorities. The role offers a unique opportunity to learn about various weapon systems and future concepts, while building hands‑on experience in prototyping, design, and experimental execution. Our work spans many scientific and engineering disciplines, and success requires working closely with subject‑matter experts (SMEs) to expand technical knowledge and develop expertise in relevant areas. The position also provides strong leadership opportunities, as the Lead Test Engineer heads the experiment team and serves as the primary point of contact among all participating organizations.

As an R&D Engineer on our team, you'll take ideas from concept to reality—designing, building, and testing functional prototype hardware assemblies that directly support our national security mission. You'll tackle a wide variety of mechanical and systems engineering challenges, from defining and managing requirements to performing concept modeling, component design, system integration, and full‑scale testing and validation. Every project offers the opportunity to apply creativity and technical expertise to solve complex problems. In addition to hands‑on engineering, you'll contribute to the success of our programs by preparing and presenting technical reports, planning documents, and briefings for both internal and external stakeholders. You'll also engage directly with senior laboratory management and external partners on high‑visibility projects that shape the future of our mission. This role is ideal for engineers who are collaborative, curious, and driven to learn. You'll have the chance to mentor junior staff, grow your leadership skills, and make a direct impact in advancing cutting‑edge national security research.

R&D Engineer 2 ($106,400‑$176,000)

Plan project scope

• Coordinate test design
• Coordinate part procurement & fabrication
• Coordinate assembly process
• Execute pre‑test and post‑test activities
• Generate project reports & analysis
• Complete professional development & administrative tasks
• At this level more direction and mentorship will be provided from senior staff

R&D Engineer 3 ($128,000‑$215,900)

In addition to what was outlined at the lower level, at this level the expectation is that the employee will provide leadership support to the team and provide extensive expertise to the team & stakeholders.

• Capability of self‑starting on tasks will be required with less direction; this will be an intermediate to senior role on the team.
• In this role mentorship to team members is expected.
• At this level representing the team to higher‑level stakeholders will be required.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements

• Basic knowledge of professional engineering concepts, principles, practices, and procedures; demonstrated through experience researching, designing, testing, analyzing, verifying, and validating engineering solutions.
• Good communication skills with individuals with varying expertise and backgrounds through proactive engagements
• Program management (PM) skillset, with the ability to track schedule, cost, and status throughout lifecycle
• Capable of problem solving complex and technical issues
• Demonstrated ability to initiate and sustain activities to meet deliverables
• Ability to plan and lead meetings to achieve intended goals and track any resulting action items
• Capable of appropriately handling classified matter and following security and safety policy and procedures

Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 3

• Demonstrated mentorship and leadership experience
• Ability to mentor and develop other team members
• Provide subject‑matter expertise in hydrodynamic or other relevant testing for stakeholders and other experiment team members

Education / Experience at lower level

Position requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

Education / Experience at higher level

Position requires a Master’s Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 6 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation. At this level a Ph.D. may be preferred.

Desired Qualifications

• Active DOE Q clearance
• Formal systems engineering training, certification, or education (e.g. INCOSE ASEP) (Level 3 specific)
• Knowledge of and demonstrated experience with nuclear weapon design, development, qualification, certification, assembly/production, or surveillance
• Experience working with the LANL Weapons Engineering and Weapons Physics organizations
• Knowledge of nuclear weapons, NNSA facilities, or DoD customers that support the U.S. stockpile
• Program management‑status track while collaborating with other teams (budgeting, scheduling, and scoping)
• Leading formal reviews such as design reviews
• Experience with tooling design
• Formal model‑based system engineering (MBSE) training or certification (e.g. OCSMP, Cameo)
• Experience with requirements development and maintenance
• Knowledge of or experience with hydrodynamic testing
• Experience with ASME Y14.5 Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerance
• Knowledge of or experience with design for manufacturing principles
• Experience with performing safety structural analysis
• Experience working with or around high explosives

Work Location

The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Work Schedule

9/80 with either A or B Friday off; 5/40 is acceptable with management agreement. 4/10 is not allowed.

Position Commitment

Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required time, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is one year.

Note to Applicants

• Along with your resume, submit a detailed cover letter explaining how you meet the minimum requirements and any of the applicable desired requirements.
• Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China—including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau—as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Where You Will Work

Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:

• PPO or High‑Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
• Dental and Vision insurance
• Free basic life and disability insurance
• Paid childbirth and parental leave
• Award‑winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
• Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
• Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
• Onsite gyms and wellness programs
• Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50‑mile radius)

Clearance: Q

Position will be cleared to this level. Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance and obtaining such clearance requires U.S. citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.

*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.

New‑Employment Drug Test

The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new‑employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre‑offer.

Regular Position

Term status Laboratory employees applying for regular‑status positions are converted to regular status.

Internal Applicants

Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.

Equal Opportunity

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal‑opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to [e-mail] or call (505)-664-6947.