Metallurgy Team Lead (R&D Engineer 3/4)

Los Alamos National Security LLC; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 128,000 - 267,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance (PPO/UHD)

Dental & vision

Life & disability

401(k) with matching

Tuition assistance

Flexible schedules & PTO

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM seeks an experienced R&D Engineer to serve as the Metallurgy Team's Front-Line Manager. You will lead a multidisciplinary team in a nuclear environment, ensuring safety, security, and timely execution of work while developing personnel and fostering collaboration.

The role includes oversight of performance, budgets, and staff development, with potential escalation to higher leadership levels for R&D Engineer 4. A DOE Q clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Leadership readiness to lead technical personnel or multidisciplinary teams.
• People leadership: build trust, address conflict and performance concerns.
• Operational execution: plan and execute work to defined scope, schedule, quality, safety, and security.
• Nuclear or regulated operations: knowledge of nuclear facility operations and regulatory compliance.
• Communication and collaboration: engage technicians, scientists, engineers, customers, and managers.
• Decision making: sound judgment under changing priorities and conditions.
• Program eligibility: ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance and HRP certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day line supervision for team members, including performance management and development.
• Set clear safety, security, conduct, accountability, and teamwork expectations.
• Ensure training, qualification, time-keeping, staffing, and acting leadership during absences.
• Maintain a visible leadership presence in labs and facilities, remove barriers, and pause work when needed.
• Fulfill assigned nuclear supervisory roles with control, safety, authorization, and compliance.
• Recruit, retain, and develop personnel and participate in MST-15 management decisions.
• Lead engineering judgment on materials characterization and coordinate with senior technical authorities.

Skills

Leadership readiness

People leadership

Operational execution

Nuclear operations

Communication

Decision making

DOE Q clearance

Education

Master's Degree in Engineering

6 years related experience

PhD preferred

Job description

What You Will Do

MST-15 (Plutonium Microstructure and Mechanics) is seeking an experienced R&D Engineer to serve as the Metallurgy Team's Front-Line Manager. The team performs metallographic specimen preparation, microstructural characterization, technical evaluation, and reporting in support of national security programs, including plutonium manufacturing, surveillance, and applied materials research.

In this role, you will provide day-to-day line management and operational leadership for a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and technicians working in nuclear and laboratory environments. Your primary responsibility will be the performance, development, and well-being of the team and the safe, secure, compliant, and timely execution of its work. You will partner with technical leads, capability leaders, project managers, and program stakeholders so that technical authority and line-management accountability work together effectively.

The successful candidate will set clear expectations, make timely decisions, address performance and conduct issues directly, and build an environment characterized by professional respect, ownership, candid communication, collaboration, and continuous learning. This position requires a leader who is regularly present in the work areas, understands the conditions affecting the work, and helps employees convert problems into practical solutions.

This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 3 or R&D Engineer 4 level, depending on the skills and experience of the selected candidate. Additional scope and organizational leadership responsibilities will be assigned at the higher level.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision for assigned personnel, including performance management, regular feedback, recognition, career development, and timely resolution of employee concerns.
• Set and consistently reinforce clear expectations for safety, security, professional conduct, accountability, communication, and teamwork.
• Ensure personnel are trained, qualified, authorized, and fit for duty; approve time, maintain appropriate staffing coverage, and designate acting leadership during absences.
• Maintain a visible presence in laboratories and facility work areas, understand the conditions affecting employees, remove or elevate barriers, and exercise pause- or stop-work authority when needed.
• Serve in assigned nuclear-facility supervisory roles, which may include Operations Responsible Supervisor, Fissile Material Handler supervisor, and Human Reliability Program supervisor, with responsibility for operational control, criticality safety, authorization, and compliance.
• Recruit, retain, and develop employees and participate as an active member of the MST-15 management team in decisions affecting workforce capability, organizational performance, and future mission needs.

R&D Engineer 3 ($128,000 - $215,900)

At the R&D Engineer 3 level, the successful candidate will:

• Lead the ongoing activities of the Met team and remain accountable for results in terms of personnel performance, technical quality, cost, schedule, safety, security, and compliance.
• Evaluate issues of diverse scope, set practical objectives, determine how to use available resources, and make timely decisions that protect both mission delivery and the workforce.
• Lead cooperative efforts across disciplines and organizations, gain commitment to shared priorities, and resolve conflicts at the working and management levels.
• Develop and administer team schedules and performance requirements and contribute to budget and staffing plans.
• Provide credible engineering judgment on materials-characterization work and ensure the team engages the appropriate technical authorities for complex or novel decisions.

R&D Engineer 4 ($153,600 - $266,500)

In addition to the duties outlined at the lower level, the successful candidate will:

• Provide highly experienced leadership for a broad and technically complex work portfolio with significant programmatic, operational, and organizational consequences.
• Establish longer-range operational objectives and improvement strategies for the team, anticipate future capability and staffing needs, and integrate those plans with group and program priorities.
• Lead resolution of sensitive or unforeseen issues that require negotiation, influence, and sound judgment across organizational boundaries and with senior management.
• Sponsor major improvements to work execution, laboratory capability, technical quality, and organizational culture, and assess their effectiveness using meaningful performance indicators.
• Mentor other leaders and senior staff, strengthen succession pipelines, and represent the Met team and MST-15 in high-consequence technical and operational forums.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:

Leadership Readiness: Demonstrated ability to lead technical personnel or multidisciplinary teams, establish expectations, assign work, provide constructive feedback, and hold contributors accountable for results.

People Leadership: Ability to transition from technical peer to manager, build trust, address conflict and performance concerns, support employee development, and maintain a respectful work environment.

Operational Execution: Experience planning and executing work to defined scope, schedule, quality, safety, and security requirements.

Nuclear or Regulated Operations: Working knowledge of the operational rigor, work control, authorization, and regulatory compliance required in a nuclear facility or similarly regulated environment.

Communication and Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with technicians, scientists, engineers, customers, and managers and to gain cooperation across organizational boundaries.

Decision Making: Demonstrated sound judgment and practical problem‑solving under changing priorities and consequential operating conditions.

Program Eligibility: Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance, HRP certification, and required facility and material‑handling qualifications.

Technical Requirements for R&D Engineer 3

• Advanced knowledge of materials science, metallurgical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience independently solving complex engineering or materials-characterization problems.
• Experience leading defined technical activities involving multiple contributors and managing work to scope, schedule, and quality requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate technical results, prepare or review defensible technical products, and engage appropriate subject‑matter experts.
• Experience mentoring less‑experienced technical staff and contributing to improvements in laboratory methods, work processes, or technical capability.

Additional Technical Requirements for R&D Engineer 4

In addition to the Engineer 3 requirements:

• Expert‑level knowledge in a technical discipline relevant to metallography, materials characterization, manufacturing, surveillance, or nuclear‑materials research.
• Demonstrated technical leadership of highly complex, multidisciplinary, or cross‑organizational work.
• Experience establishing technical direction, developing capabilities, or improving methods and standards that influence work beyond an individual project.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve novel technical problems, integrate competing technical and programmatic considerations, and influence decisions with senior technical leaders and customers.
• Sustained record of mentoring technical staff and developing the technical capability of teams or organizations.

Education / Experience R&D Engineer 3:

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.

Education / Experience R&D Engineer 4:

Position requires a Master's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 12 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.

DOE Order 426.2: This position requires a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or a related science and 4 years of nuclear experience. Education or experience that is job related may be substituted on a case‑by‑case basis. The degree may fulfill 3 of the 4 years of nuclear‑experience requirements on a one-for-one time basis.

Desired Qualifications:

• Education or professional experience in materials science, metallurgical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience with metallography, materials characterization, microscopy, mechanical testing, component evaluation, failure analysis, or preparation and review of formal technical reports.
• Experience working in both research and development and manufacturing or production‑support environments.
• Experience supporting plutonium manufacturing, pit surveillance, experimental science, engineering maturation, or other nuclear‑weapons programs.
• Prior qualification or experience as an Operations Responsible Supervisor, Fissile Material Handler supervisor, Human Reliability Program supervisor, Responsible Line Manager, or equivalent nuclear‑facility leadership role.
• Experience with nuclear criticality safety, conduct of operations, integrated work planning, readiness, occurrence response, causal analysis, or corrective‑action management.
• Demonstrated success improving team culture, employee engagement, technical capability, work processes, or delivery performance.
• Active DOE Q clearance and current Human Reliability Program certification.

Essential Job Functions (can perform with or without reasonable accommodation)

Peripheral vision, depth perception, reading vision and distance vision (corrected), ability to hear in a normal range (500 to 3000 Hertz), standing, walking, and lifting 20-30 pounds.

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.

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 time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.

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 maternity 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)

Additional Details

Directive 206.2 – Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.

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 US 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.

HRP:

This position is subject to the requirements of the DOE Human Reliability Program as specified in 10 Code of Federal Regulation, Part 712, §712.11. These requirements include on-going drug and alcohol testing, as well as periodic medical and psychological evaluations.

426.2A:

This position is subject to DOE Order 426.2A, Personnel Selection, Training, and Qualification Requirements for DOE Nuclear Facilities, which establishes entry-level requirements to ensure candidates selected for specific positions can successfully perform the requirements of the job.

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 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.