Reliability/Maintenance Engineer (R&D Engineer 2/3)

Los Alamos National Security LLC; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 106,000 - 177,000; Full time

Job summary

Los Alamos National Security LLC is seeking an R&D Engineer at level 2 or 3 to support Detonator Production programmatic equipment and systems in a high-rigor manufacturing environment. The role focuses on reliability, preventive maintenance strategy development, and collaboration with planners and maintenance teams to ensure equipment availability for mission-critical operations at LANL.

The position offers opportunity to lead root-cause investigations using FMEA and contribute to

Responsibilities

• Support the reliability and availability of Detonator Production (DP) programmatic equipment and systems.
• Develop and implement risk-based preventive maintenance strategies aligned with manufacturer recommendations and equipment criticality.
• Evaluate preventive maintenance frequency, duration, and effectiveness with planners, schedulers, production personnel, and maintenance teams.
• Conduct preventive maintenance audits and propose improvements based on history and trends.
• Identify and manage reliability risks affecting equipment operation, availability, or mission deliverables.
• Investigate equipment and system failures and support corrective actions using root-cause analysis methods (e.g., FMEA).
• Analyze data and performance metrics (downtime, uptime, schedule adherence) to improve reliability and maintenance.
• Structure asset hierarchies in CMMS, ensuring accurate tags, locations, specs, and BOMs.
• Apply engineering principles to support system configuration, equipment upgrades, maintenance method development, design reviews, and readiness.
• Prepare technical specifications for equipment and services; evaluate vendor proposals and support procurement.

Job description

What You Will Do

This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 2 or R&D Engineer 3 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.

Detonator Production (DP) Division is the premier Production Agency (PA) assigned to produce War Reserve (WR) detonators for the Nation's nuclear stockpile security mission. The Division is part of LANL's Weapons Production Directorate (ALDWP). DP is comprised of a team of motivated, highly skilled technical and operational support staff working in an integrated format. The organization is centered on high-rigor manufacturing operations to produce precision, safe and reliable WR products. DP partners closely with customers and stakeholders such as NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration), Design Agencies (LANL, Sandia, and Livermore), and LANL program management organizations to deliver on challenging National security objectives. DP upholds vigorous teamwork, personal integrity, respectful workplace, and continuous improvement in operations, technical excellence, safety and security.

As a Cognizant Systems Engineer, you will support the Infrastructure Planning Office (IPO) and act as the "equipment owner" for DP programmatic equipment. This will include researching and documenting preventive maintenance (PM) recommendations from manufacturers and industry standards, developing PM work instructions, leading trouble shooting and repair following equipment failure, and developing corrective maintenance instructions as needed. This is a highly visible opportunity to shape DP's equipment reliability strategy, strengthen operational performance, and uphold world-class standards in a fast-paced, mission-critical environment.

R&D Engineer 2 ($106,400-$176,600)

• Support the reliability and availability of Detonator Production (DP) programmatic equipment and systems.
• Develop, review, and implement risk-based preventive maintenance strategies that align with manufacturer recommendations, equipment criticality, performance data, and field experience.
• Evaluate preventive maintenance frequency, duration, and effectiveness in collaboration with planners, schedulers, production personnel, and maintenance teams.
• Conduct preventive maintenance audits and recommend improvements based on work-order history, failure trends, equipment condition, and operational risk.
• Identify and manage reliability risks that could adversely affect equipment operation, availability, or mission deliverables.
• Investigate equipment and system failures and support the development of corrective actions using recognized root-cause analysis methods, such as Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and fishbone diagrams.
• Analyze data and performance metrics-including downtime, uptime, schedule adherence, and recurring failures-to improve equipment reliability and maintenance effectiveness.
• Structure and maintain asset hierarchies within the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), ensuring equipment tags, locations, specifications, and bills of material are accurate, complete, and standardized.
• Apply engineering principles to support system configuration, equipment upgrades, maintenance method development, design reviews, and operational and maintenance readiness.
• Prepare technical specifications for equipment and services, evaluate vendor proposals, and support procurement activities through technical reviews and documentation.