R&D Engineer (RF/LLRF) – Onsite, Los Alamos

Los Alamos National Laboratory; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; Full time

Job description

The Accelerator Operations and Technology Division (AOT) seeks an R&D Engineer (Level 2 or Level 3) to join the Low‑Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) team at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE).

What You Will Do

Responsibilities include maintaining, operating, and upgrading accelerator systems, troubleshooting equipment, developing digital control systems, and supporting RF system design.

R&D Engineer 2

Salary: $106,400 – $176,000. Duties include troubleshooting programmatic equipment, extending to engineering and supervisory aspects of projects, performing calculations, developing specifications, submitting procurement orders, and coordinating testing and installation.

R&D Engineer 3

Salary: $128,000 – $215,900. In addition to duties at Level 2, this role independently leads low‑level RF system projects, provides technical guidance on RF controls, and leads LLRF technicians/engineers during installation, integration, and operation.

Minimum Job Requirements – R&D Engineer 2

• Proven success in design and development of analog, digital or RF printed circuit boards.
• Experience with control theory and digital signal processing.
• Software development for system operation and testing.
• Full engineering design cycle experience.
• Record of technical contributions (reports, publications, patents).
• Leadership for technical capabilities.

Additional Job Requirements – R&D Engineer 3

• High‑speed digital PCB design with FPGAs, DRAM, and data converters.
• RF PCB and system design.
• HDL design of complex signal processing and software radio systems.
• Full engineering design cycle leadership.
• Leadership managing a technical team of four or more for at least two years.
• Lead projects supporting new technology product lines.

Education / Experience

• R&D Engineer 2: Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 4 years of related experience (master’s preferred).
• R&D Engineer 3: Master’s degree in engineering and 6 years of related experience (Ph.D. preferred).

Desired Qualifications

• RF systems design
• Analog circuit design
• High‑speed digital design
• Real‑time system programming (VxWorks/RTEMS)
• Programming (Tcl/Tk, C, C++, Java, Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB)
• Accelerator systems experience, especially RF
• Control system design using FPGAs
• High‑speed data converter design
• Project management experience
• Software radio system design
• Control & data acquisition theory
• Signal processing with FPGAs
• Eligibility for Q clearance (U.S. citizenship)

Essential Job Functions

• Reading, vision, sitting, standing, climbing stairs/ladders, reaching overhead/horizontally/down.
• Typing or keyboarding, lifting 30+ pounds.
• Working in varied ambient temperatures, overtime/irregular schedule.
• Operating motor vehicles, working near electrical power supplies, ionizing radiation, non‑ionizing radiation, and machinery with moving parts.

Work Location

Onsite, Los Alamos, NM.

Benefits

• PPO or High Deductible medical insurance
• Dental and vision insurance
• Basic life and disability insurance
• Paid childbirth and parental leave
• 401(k) with 6% matching + 3.5% annually
• Tuition assistance
• Flexible schedules and PTO/holidays
• Onsite gyms and wellness programs
• Relocation packages for those outside 50 mile radius

Equal Opportunity

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. 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, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, or citizenship (within federal, state, and local limits). The Laboratory is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities.