Nuclear Safety Engineer
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is seeking a nuclear weapon safety engineer to join the Defense Technologies Engineering Division. The role involves designing, assessing, and implementing safety components for nuclear weapons, interfacing with other national laboratories, NNSA, and DoW contractors.
Depending on assignment, a hybrid schedule with some in-person and remote work may be available.
Qualifications
- Active DOE Q-level clearance or Top Secret clearance.
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, electrical engineering, or related field; or equivalent.
- Experience with safety-critical components for high-hazard, high-consequence applications.
- Strong verbal and written communication in a multidisciplinary team.
- Ability to obtain higher clearances if needed (polygraph may be required).
- Experience with safety analysis methods and tools (event-tree, fault-tree, FMEA, margin/uncertainty).
Responsibilities
- Partner with system engineers and teams to derive safety requirements and develop safe designs.
- Conduct evaluations of components and systems under normal and abnormal environments.
- Maintain awareness of design, development, production, maintenance, and dismantlement activities affecting weapon safety.
- Prepare safety and engineering documentation and participate in design reviews.
- Work independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
- Travel to other labs, Production Agencies, NNSA locations, and DoW sites for meetings and safety evaluations.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Coordinate interfaces and provide technical direction in SES.3.
- Lead multidisciplinary project teams and resolve complex technical issues.
Skills
Education
Job 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 an opening for a nuclear weapon safety engineer to participate in new and ongoing programs. Nuclear weapon safety engineers are responsible for the design, assessment, and implementation of nuclear weapon safety components and subsystems. Our engineers interface with colleagues at other National Laboratories and Production Agencies, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and Department of War (DoW) and their contractors. These positions are in the Defense Technologies Engineering Division (DTED), within the Engineering Directorate. DTED provides support to Strategic Deterrence Programs.
Depending on your assignment, this position may offer a hybrid schedule, blending in-person and virtual presence. You may have the flexibility to work from home one or more days per week.
This position 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.
- Partner with system engineers, product realization teams, test engineers, analysts, and other stakeholders internal and external to LLNL to derive safety requirements, develop and mature conceptual designs, and perform supporting analyses and tests for demonstrating weapon safety requirements are met.
- Conduct evaluations of components, subsystems, and system responses under normal and abnormal environments in support of stockpile stewardship, modernization programs, and future weapon system concepts.
- Maintain awareness of design, development, production, maintenance, and dismantlement activities that affect weapon-system safety.
- Prepare supporting safety and engineering documentation and participate in engineering design reviews.
- Work independently as well as a part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Travel to the other National Laboratories, the Production Agencies, NNSA locations, and DoW sites for meetings, briefings, and safety evaluations.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Coordinate project interfaces and execution with organizations internal and external to the Laboratory.
- Lead and provide guidance and technical direction to multidisciplinary project teams in a growing, dynamic environment.
- Provide engineering knowledge to resolve complex technical and programmatic issues.
- Perform independent technical tasks to provide solutions for complex issues.
- Select methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria to obtain results based on analysis of multiple, largely identifiable factors.
- This position requires an active Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance or active Top Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at the time of hire.
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
- Experience working with safety-critical components, subsystems, and systems for high-hazard, high-consequence applications, such as aerospace systems safety, reactor safety, nuclear facility safety, or munition safety.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills and experience working effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment, with the ability to present and explain technical information to peers and project leaders.
- Ability to obtain higher clearances if needed to support programmatic work, which may require a polygraph test.
- Proficient verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment and present and explain technical information to peers, project leaders, and senior leadership.
- Systems engineering experience for nuclear or high-consequence systems, including applying systems thinking to ensure stakeholder needs are met.
- Proficiency with foundational science and engineering principles and experience with safety analysis methods and tools, such as event-tree, fault-tree, failure modes and effects analysis, margin and uncertainty quantification.
- Master's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
- Experience with nuclear weapon safety design and assessment, the NNSA documented safety analysis process for nuclear explosive operations, Nuclear Explosive Safety evaluations, and nuclear weapon surety requirements, such as DOE Order 452-series.
- Experience working with NNSA Nuclear Security Enterprise laboratories and plants, including Pantex Plant, Kansas City National Security Campus, Sandia National Laboratories, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- Ability to obtain certification for NNSA's Nuclear Explosive Safety Study Group through classroom and on-the-job training.
- Knowledge of design applications employing high explosive materials.
- Experience working in an environment with stringent safety and security policies.
$146,340 - $222,564 Annually $146,340 - $185,544 Annually for the SES.2 level $175,530 - $222,564 Annually for the SES.3 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; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage. 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.
Position Information
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 an active Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance or active Top Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at time of hire.
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 deviceyou 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.
A job related pre-placement medical examination may be required.
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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