Laser System Engineering and Operations Group Leader
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is seeking an Engineering Group Leader to guide a multi-disciplinary team within the Laser Systems Engineering and Operations Division. The role supports operations, design, and R&D activities across key facilities and systems.
This on-site position in Livermore, CA involves leading staff, coordinating design reviews, mentoring engineers, and aligning resources to meet program goals while advancing national security science and engineering.
Qualifications
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field; equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Significant leadership experience in a multidisciplinary team.
- Experience with hardware or systems in optomechanical or electromechanical domains.
- Extensive experience in design reviews and engineering project management.
Responsibilities
- Lead teams or functions with technical focus and substantial authority to meet program goals.
- Provide technical leadership and supervision to a multi-disciplinary engineering group.
- Lead recruiting, training, career development, and performance management for staff.
- Collaborate with senior leaders to assign group members and objectives.
- Lead formal and informal design reviews and enforce Engineering Safety Standards.
- Mentor staff in design, analysis, and integration using systems engineering methods.
- Manage workforce projections and align staffing with program needs.
- Communicate program risks and requirements to senior leadership in a timely manner.
- Identify and foster initiatives in lasers, optics, or diagnostics relevant to NIF&PS / LMF.
Skills
Education
Job description
Company Description
Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability.
Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi-domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact.
We have multiple openings for Engineering Group Leaders to lead a multi-disciplinary group of engineers responsible for supporting key operations, design, and R&D activities in the Laser Systems Engineering and Operations (LSEO) Division, within the Engineering Directorate. The openings include administratively leading groups that support teams in the Systems Engineering, Integrated Engineering, and Systems Integration Engineering Sections. You will have a critical role in fostering successful careers, creating a positive and inclusive working environment, and providing an outstanding staff to meet program needs.
This position requires full-time on-site presence due to the nature of the work.
These positions will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level.
- Lead teams, programs, or functions with a technical focus, operate under consultative direction with substantial authority, use subject matter expertise and significant team leadership experience, and exercise judgment within established policies to monitor workflow, allocate resources, ensure timely completion of projects, independently determine strategies, and achieve objectives while managing organizational impact and pursuing actions to achieve long-term goals.
- Provide technical and operational leadership and supervision, and administrative direction to a multi-disciplinary team of engineers.
- Lead and coordinate recruiting, hiring, training, career development, and performance management activities to meet programmatic staffing, employee development, and performance related and salary management needs, including providing career counseling, mentoring, and technical guidance.
- Collaborate with the NIF&PS / LMF leaders to identify and manage the assignments for the group members, define work objectives, and advise and evaluate staff on the execution of technical work.
- Lead and participate in formal and informal design reviews; provide guidance to group members on engineering excellence using Engineering Safety notes in accordance with Engineering Design Safety Standards, industry best practices, systems engineering, and project management.
- Mentor group members in design, analysis, implementation, and integration for components and systems with implementation of the systems engineering methodology in the Integrated Product Review Board process.
- Manage workforce projection working with programmatic managers to meet staff availability and training needs, using this information to help develop a vision for the group.
- Advocate for and prioritize alignment of work scope, ensuring it is adequately staffed and resourced to support successful execution and achievement of milestones and deliverables while managing multiple parallel tasks, resolving conflicting work requirements and setting priorities to meet defined targets.
- Maintain strong communications, collaborations, and contacts, internal and external to LLNL, and ensure that program risks and requirements are communicated in an effective and timely manner to senior leadership.
- Identify and foster Science & Technology initiatives in lasers, optics, diagnostics, or other applicable research areas for NIF&PS / LMF and Engineering.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Provide technical and/or programmatic management solutions to highly unusual, complex, and/or sensitive issues where the solution path is not known ahead of time.
- Determine, build, and deliver strategic planning efforts and succession planning on long range goals, working with Division Leader, Deputy Division Leader, Associate Division Leader, Section Leader, and peer Group Leaders on refinement and successful execution of those goals.
- Influence strategic technical decisions made by senior management and external customers based on technical expertise.
- Serve as an organizational spokesperson and senior technical expert for Laboratory management and/or as an external advisor for customers and sponsors.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering discipline or related field or the equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Significant technical and operational leadership experience working effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment, including leading technical staff, coordinating across functions and disciplines, and fostering a collaborative, high performance culture focused on delivering highly complex program objectives.
- Significant experience with, subject matter expert knowledge of, and leadership skills in the design, analysis, and implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: hardware or systems used on precision optomechanical or electromechanical systems; design, assembly, and commissioning of systems; shot or facility operations; fabrication and process engineering of highly integrated systems; systems and project engineering; and project management with extensive interaction with funding sponsors.
- Significant experience leading technical presentations and participating in design reviews, identifying technical needs, developing practical approaches, and delivering strategic working solutions for program customers.
- Expert communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills necessary to lead a team, to present, explain, influence, and provide advice to management, program leaders, and sponsors, and to interpret and convey Laboratory policies to employees and promote situational awareness, as well as interpersonal skills to attract, motivate, and retain high performing technical staff.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and manage in a positive, professional manner by communicating effectively, empathizing with others, overcoming setbacks, and proactively defusing conflict, with an aptitude for mentoring and supervising staff and managing sensitive personnel matters with discretion and integrity.
- Extensive experience leading highly complex personnel management issues, innovative workforce development activities, incident investigation teams, and policy initiatives at the Institutional or national level.
- Subject matter expertise and extensive leadership experience in advancing state-of-art technologies related to one or more precision clean systems, optomechanical or electromechanical systems, project management, optical engineering, or precision alignment.
- Extensive experience and expert ability to champion, lead, and develop innovative cutting-edge principles, theories, concepts, and technologies.
- Extensive experience translating abstract, high-level requirements into specific technical development strategies, and outlining project plans, tasks, and milestones.
- Master's degree/PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, or Optical Engineering or related field.
- Significant experience with LLNL and Engineering administrative policies, procedures, and design safety practices and standards.
- Experience in payroll supervision, preparation of performance reviews, ranking and salary management, and knowledge of Engineering Directorate policies and procedures.
- Experience in high energy and power laser systems.
- Experience in Ombuds program or equivalent.
$227,430 - $346,140 Annually
$227,430 - $288,396 Annually for the SEL.4 level
$272,970 - $346,140 Annually for the SEL.5 level
This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.
#LI-Onsite
This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Lab employees and external candidates.
- Included in 2026Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
- FlexibleBenefits Package
- 401(k)
- Relocation Assistance
- Education Reimbursement Program
- Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
- Our values - visithttps://www.llnl.gov/inclusion/our-values
This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance.If you are selected, wewill initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if youmeet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. Also, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing. Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship.
External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.
Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the useand/or possession ofmobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area whereyou are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile devicein your possession. This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices.
Ifyou useamedical device, whichpairs with a mobile device,you must still follow the rules concerningthe mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities requireseparate approval. Hearing aids without wireless capabilities or wireless that has been disabled are allowed in Limited Areas, Secure Space and Transit/Buffer Space within buildings.
We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.
Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitlesjob applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.
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