Senior Nuclear Effects Engineer

MITRE; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 127,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE seeks a highly skilled engineer to analyze nuclear effects on weapons-relevant systems and to develop design criteria and verification plans. You will evaluate components for radiation environments, contribute to design analysis reports, and support certification for nuclear survivability.

The ideal candidate has strong physics and math background, hands-on experience with rad-hard design, and the ability to work on-site up to five days a week. U.S.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 3 years with a Master’s; or a PhD with relevant experience.
• Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of particle physics, solar physics, or nuclear physics.
• Strong mathematical and statistical background.
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.
• Travel up to 20% and ability to obtain/maintain Top Secret clearance; U.S. Citizenship required; onsite 4+ days a week.

Responsibilities

• Analyze nuclear effects on aircraft, spacecraft and communications systems for design and testing.
• Generate design criteria supported by modeling, simulation, and system-level studies.
• Evaluate components and systems for compliance to nuclear threat environments.
• Contribute to NH&S Design Analysis Reports and test plans.
• Assess system survivability and use software/physics codes for radiation effects.

Skills

Nuclear weapons effects

System design analysis

Radiation hard design

Design evaluation & testing

Uncertainty & risk assessment

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

ANSYS EMC Plus/Charge Plus

CST

FEKO

MATLAB

MCNP

CEPXS

IRENE

Job description

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We’re a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies – collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose — and help shape the future.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Analyze nuclear effects on aircraft, spacecraft and communications systems to support development of all nuclear hardness system level design, including system level analysis and testing
• Generating weapon system design criteria supported by design analysis, modeling & simulation, equipment and system-level trade studies, system integration, piece-part, component, equipment, and system test artifacts
• Execute the analysis and/or evaluation/validation of components, equipment, subsystems, or weapon system analytical models and actual system implementation for weapons compliance to operationally relevant nuclear threat environments
• Contribute to and review NH&S Design Analysis Reports (DAR) and nuclear hardness system test plans and reports documenting equipment compliance and weapon system certification
• Conduct essential design evaluations and provide technical assessments on systems survivability by understanding system responses to nuclear events by utilizing home-developed and third-party software/physics codes on effects of radiation, electromagnetic pulses and/or electromagnetic interference

Domain Specific Responsibilities/Technical Skills

• Working knowledge of nuclear weapons effects and resulting Transient Radiation Effects on Electronics (TREE) and Electromagnetic pulse on DoD and commercial systems.
• Technical planning, specification requirements derivation, test and analysis, design, planning and execution, documentation, and requirements/validation supporting overall system compliance.
• Experience with electrical circuit rad-hard design and test including piece-part screening, analysis, modeling, and test of component and systems for radiation environment compliance i.e. prompt dose rate, total ionizing dose, neutron displacement damage, neutron induced upset, single event effects.
• Knowledge of Circumvention & Recovery techniques for component, circuit, equipment subsystems compliance and weapon system level probabilistic performance assessments during pre/trans and post nuclear weapon environment exposure.
• Evaluate uncertainty and risks associated with rad-hard requirements and design mitigation strategies.

Basic Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 3 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with relevant experience who can immediately contribute at this job step; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of particle physics, solar physics, or nuclear physics
• Strong mathematical and statistical background
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills
• Travel up to 20% of the time as needed
• The ability to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret clearance
• U.S. Citizenship required
• This position requires an on-site presence of minimum of 4 days a week.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD degree Physics, Engineering, or a related field
• Active DoD Secret or Top-Secret Clearance
• Nuclear Command, Control & Communication weapon system survivability design experience
• Analysis experience with radiation environments including man-made and natural space environment.
• Experience in leading technical projects in the area of nuclear physics
• Experience with transport problems in atmosphere or within structuresExperience and/or familiarity with the following standards and handbooks: DODI 3150.09, MIL-STD-1766, AFWL-TR-86-26, MIL-STD-464, MIL-STD-3023, MIL-STD-2169, MIL-STD-461, MIL-HDBK-814, MIL-HDBK-815, MIL-HDBK-816, MIL-HDBK-817, MIL-STD-3054
• Experience and/or familiarity with the following engineering software/tools: ANSYS (EMC Plus, Charge Plus), CST, FEKO, MATLAB, SPIET –D, ASSIST, NORSE, FAB4DA, MCNP, CEPXS, IRENE or similar
• The ability to be on-site 5 days a week

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

None

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Top Secret

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$126,800 – $158,500 – $190,200 Annual

Work Location Type:

Onsite

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

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