Process Engineer - Welding. Weekend Shift (R&D Engineer 1/2)

Los Alamos National Security LLC; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 97,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation packages

Flexible schedules and time off

Onsite gyms and wellness programs

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico is seeking an R&D Engineer at levels 1/2, with weekend Shift C (Thu–Sun, 6:00am–4:30pm) to support process development and high-value manufacturing in the Pit Technologies Division. The role emphasizes welding engineering, reliability, and cross-team collaboration across national security research programs.

Join a multidisciplinary lab focused on national security, nanotechnology, and advanced research.

Qualifications

• Experience in welding engineering principles and manufacturing testing operations.
• Knowledge of welding requirements and quality processes.
• Experience with designing, testing, and validating engineering solutions.

Responsibilities

• Address welding engineering challenges as part of R&D and Operations teams.
• Support development and validation of engineering solutions for high-value manufacturing.
• Mentor early career staff and collaborate across organizations.
• Ensure compliance with Conduct of Engineering, Conduct of Maintenance, and safety programs.

Skills

Welding engineering

Metallurgy

Mechanical engineering

Manufacturing engineering

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Job description

What You Will Do

This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 1/2 level, depending on the skills of the selected candidate. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if the candidate is hired at the higher level.

Located in northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is primarily responsible for monitoring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and conducting advanced research in numerous areas related to national security. Additionally, it is a center for research in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including space exploration, geophysics, renewable energy, supercomputing, medicine, and nanotechnology.

Welcome to the Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Production (ALDWP) and the Pit Technologies (PT) Division. The PT Division is one of 10 divisions in ALDWP. We are confident that you will find the PT Division a dynamic and rewarding place to work. Our employees are the most valuable asset within ALDWP and the Laboratory as a whole. The PT Division provides plutonium pit related products and services of superior quality and value to protect our nation and promote world stability.

The selected candidate will provide technical support as the process/system engineer in developing processes, improving processes, troubleshooting processes, and supporting high-value manufacturing and will be responsible for supporting operations as needed to maintain equipment and ensure the operability of the process. Individuals working in this position will be interacting with multiple organizations to ensure the implementation and compliance with Conduct of Engineering, Conduct of Maintenance, Conduct of Operations, Quality, and Safety Management programs for their area.

This job posting is specifically for Shift C, which is a weekend shift from Thursday to Sunday, 6:00am to 4:30pm.

R&D Engineer 1 $96,600 - $158,000

• Serve as a contributing member of the R&D and Operations teams to address welding engineering challenges.
• Apply engineering principles, theories, concepts, and practices to contribute to solutions for a broad range of technical challenges of national importance, including nuclear deterrence and threat reduction.
• Serve as a contributing member of integrated research and development (R&D) teams to address engineering challenges.
• Assist in the research, design, testing, analysis, verification and validation of engineering and technology solutions in support of R&D and Operations initiatives.
• Learn advanced technologies and analysis techniques employed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory engineering community.
• Adapt to evolving R&D requirements while meeting safety, security, compliance, and schedule imperatives.
• Assist in developing new methods, technologies, and analysis techniques for institutional programs.

R&D Engineer 2 $106,400 - $176,000

In addition to what was outlined at the lower level, at this level.

• Contribute at a fully functioning level to the research, design, testing, analysis, verification, and validation of engineering and technology solutions in support of R&D and Operations initiatives.
• Develop new methods, technologies, and analysis techniques for institutional programs.
• Ensure programmatic objectives through the provision of project management and engineering support to successfully complete milestones.
• Mentor early career staff, postdocs, and students.
• Independently present specific aspects of engineering assignments at project meetings.
• Adapt to evolving R&D requirements while meeting safety, security, compliance, and schedule imperatives.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:

Engineering Expertise

• Beginner to intermediate knowledge of professional engineering concepts, principles, practices, and procedures, as demonstrated by experience researching, designing, analyzing, testing, verifying, and validating engineering solutions.
• Demonstrated knowledge of manufacturing, system and component testing operations.
• Knowledge of welding principles.

Analytical Skills

• Demonstrated Experience designing and executing experiments or tests, including the analyzation and interpretation of data.
• Demonstrated commitment to high quality and timeliness of deliverables.

Communication and Teamwork

• Demonstrated ability to work independently in high-intensity environments with coworkers representing a variety of technical backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to express detailed ideas clearly in ways that build understanding, respect, and trust, as demonstrated through presentations and publications.

Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 2:

Engineering Expertise

• Experience in one or more of the following engineering disciplines: welding engineering; metallurgy; mechanical engineering; manufacturing engineering; other relevant fields.
• Knowledge of professional engineering concepts, principles, practices, and procedures, as demonstrated by experience researching, designing, analyzing, testing, verifying, and validating engineering solutions.
• Demonstrated experience performing a broad range of complex engineering work, including experience designing or reviewing a complete project, system, or component.
• Demonstrated knowledge of manufacturing, system, and component testing operations.
• Demonstrated experience developing, codifying, and validating engineering requirements.

Analytical Skills

• Intermediate analytical thinking skills, as demonstrated by experience designing and executing experiments or tests, including the analyzation and interpretation of data.
• Demonstrated experience with continuous improvement concepts and tools.
• Demonstrated commitment to high quality and timeliness of deliverables.

Communication and Teamwork

• Demonstrated ability to work independently in high-intensity environments with coworkers representing a variety of technical backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to express detailed ideas clearly in ways that build understanding, respect, and trust, as demonstrated through presentations and publications.

Education/Experience at lower level:

Position requires a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution related to the occupation combined with 2 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and technical experience directly related to the occupation.

Candidates that meet the degree requirement, but do not meet the 2-year minimum experience requirement are encouraged to apply and may be considered for hire through an exception process.

Education/Experience at higher level Education/Experience:

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

DOE O. 426.2:

Requires a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering or related science, 2 years job related experience, and 1 year of nuclear experience.

Desired Qualifications:

Experience in various work environments

• Demonstrated experience working in glovebox environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge or experience working in a manufacturing or production organization requiring implementation of defined manufacturing, testing and quality requirements.
• Demonstrated experience working in a nuclear facility.
• Demonstrated experience as a welding engineer.
• Demonstrated experience working an atypical work schedule.

Quality and Improvement

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with system and subsystem qualification testing and/or analysis.
• Demonstrated experience applying continuous improvement concepts and tools.
• Demonstrated knowledge of conduct of operations principles.
• Demonstrated experience performing engineering work using rigorous institutional processes.

Active Q clearance or equivalent

• Existing DOE "Q" clearance (or similar)

Work Schedule:

This job posting is specifically for Shift C, which is a weekend shift from Thursday to Sunday, 6:00am to 4:30pm.

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.

Note to Applicants:

• 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)

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 exceptionally 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 ongoing 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.

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.