R&D Systems Engineer – Microelectronics & Quality (Hybrid)

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; Hybrid; USD 118,000 - 236,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Affordable housing

Minimal traffic congestion

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking an experienced R&D Systems Engineer to support high-reliability microelectronic programs, including ASICs, HBTs, and Electrical Environmental Sensing Devices.

Responsibilities include providing engineering and defect prevention across wafer fabrication, packaging, and tests, guiding product realization from design through retirement, and leading root-cause analysis to drive improvements. DOE Q clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to obtain and maintain US DOE Q-level security clearance.
• Graduate degree in Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience working with Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) laboratories and plants including Pantex, KCNSC, LLNL, LANL, and KCNSC/NMO.
• Experience working on engineering design, qualification, production, or related modeling/simulation projects.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience with weapon product realization in the NSE, including familiarity with NAP 401.1A, DPBPS, RPSS, and ISO 9001.
• Proven ability to provide critical R&D contributions throughout the entire product realization lifecycle, ensuring early and continuous application of quality principles.
• Experience developing and implementing quality and production policies, processes, and procedures.
• Engineering experience in microelectronics design, qualification, and manufacturing.
• Engineering experience in tester development, qualification, and/or operation within a production environment.
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification with demonstrated regular implementation of key principles and improvement initiatives.
• Excellent writing, presentation, facilitation, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering and defect prevention expertise to product realization teams and manufacturing process areas such as wafer fabrication, packaging, electrical test, burn-in, and product delivery for high-reliability microelectronic products.
• Engage in projects spanning all phases of the product realization lifecycle from conceptual design and development through production, maintenance, and retirement.
• Lead anomaly resolution and structured problem-solving teams through root cause analysis, identifying potential solutions, and evaluating their effectiveness.
• Implement process improvements to reduce defects while maintaining or enhancing performance parameters.
• Apply risk-based, graded approaches to determine the appropriate rigor of quality practices for each situation.
• Champion quality and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Participate in audits and assessments (e.g., ISO 9001, NNSA Quality Assurance Surveys, DMEA, RPSS).
• Occasional travel as required.

Skills

Systems engineering

Root cause analysis

Quality assurance

Risk management

Technical documentation

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Graduate degree in Engineering

Tools

ISO 9001

NAP 401.1A

DPBPS

RPSS

NNSA QA surveys

Job description

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking an experienced R&D Systems Engineer to support high-reliability microelectronic programs, including ASICs, HBTs, and Electrical Environmental Sensing Devices.

Responsibilities include providing engineering and defect prevention across wafer fabrication, packaging, and tests, guiding product realization from design through retirement, and leading root-cause analysis to drive improvements. DOE Q clearance is required.