Intern, R&D Graduate Year Round - Mission Tech, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories seeks motivated graduate students for the Mission Tech internship in New Mexico. The program focuses on engineering design, component development, and product testing, offering real mission-related deliverables with national security impact.

Ideal candidates are pursuing a graduate degree in mechanical/electrical engineering or computer science, with strong academic records and the ability to work part or full time during the school year and full time in the summer.

Qualifications

• Earned bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Currently attending and enrolled full time in a science, engineering, or math graduate program.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0.
• Ability to work up to 30 hours per week during the academic year and up to 40 hours per week during the summer.
• Ability to obtain U.S. citizenship and security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and test advanced materials as part of component science, engineering and production.
• Collaborate with design engineering and assurance teams to collect and analyze data through observation and experimentation.
• Support advanced system development through code refresh and full-stack programming.
• Assist in testing and optimization of circuits, chips, and other high‑reliability electronics.
• Support telemetry development from design to production transition.

Skills

Engineering fundamentals

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

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Ready to join the Sandia mission and work on real-world projects with national security impact?

Mission Tech, Sandia's Nuclear Deterrence and Science (ND&S) Mission Technologies student program, is seeking motivated mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science graduate students to join us for a year-round internship. With a technical focus in engineering design, component/subsystem development, and product testing, you will partner with ND&S teams to collaborate on real mission-related deliverables. You will use your foundational engineering skills in mechanical, electrical, and software design and analysis in an applied contribution to our nations security.

What Your Job Will Be Like

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

• Develop and test advanced materials as part of component science, engineering and production and presenting the data and results of these tests to Sandia engineering teams
• Collaborate with design engineering and assurance engineering teams in the collection and analysis of data through observation and experimentation
• Support advanced system development through code refresh and full-stack programming.
• Assist in the testing and optimization of circuits, chips, and other high-reliability electronics using common engineering environment tools
• Support various aspects of telemetry development, including conceptual design, prototype development and testing, and transitioning of production work

Salary Range:

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here (https://www.sandia.gov/app/uploads/sites/51/2024/12/Student-Rate-Sheet-2025.docx) .

Qualifications We Require:

You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:

• Earned bachelor's degree
• Currently attending and enrolled full time in an accredited science, engineering, or math graduate program
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 30 hours per week during the academic year, and up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship

Qualifications We Desire:

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0
• Pursuing a graduate degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills
• Demonstrated ability to interact well with diverse teams
• Demonstrated ability to develop new knowledge and learn new skills
• Experience with engineering software platforms, computational programs, modeling and simulation suites, or programming languages
• Experience with prototyping, process/product quality assurance, software or hardware integration
• Ability to obtain a Q-Level security clearance

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.

About Our Team:

Mission Tech is an internship program that serves the Nuclear Deterrence and Science (ND&S) mission at Sandia National Laboratories. Mission Tech comprises five mission centers: 1) System Modernization, Advanced Systems and Digital Engineering; 2) Design Engineering and Assurance; 3) Component Science, Engineering, and Production; 4) Stockpile Systems; and 5) Surety, Design Engineering, and Weapons Quality. Our projects span multiple disciplines across mission-critical work and crosscut across all of ND&S; projects include engineering design, product testing, component research and development, remote sensing, data analytics, and more.

Mission Tech interns are onboarded as an integrated part of their project teams and work collaboratively with experienced technical staff who are leaders and experts in their fields. All projects are reviewed for substance and impact to ensure that interns have a productive learning experience and are contributing to deliverables with real national security implications.

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…

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.

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