Senior/Principal R&D Mechanical Engineer - Product Realization, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 117,500 - 235,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Affordable housing

Low traffic

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories seeks an experienced Senior/Principal R&D Mechanical Engineer for the Purchased Product Value Stream. You will serve as the technical interface to product realization teams and the supplier base for mechanical parts used in nuclear weapon design and production.

You will lead supplier identification, qualification, and risk assessment, driving product life cycle from concept to delivery, with emphasis on meeting stringent security and quality standards onsite.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field with relevant experience.
• Experience in supplier qualification and product realization processes.
• Strong communication and multidisciplinary teamwork abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead identification, development, and qualification of suppliers to meet weapon design requirements.
• Define and conduct experiments to close knowledge gaps and improve design definition.
• Assist in risk management for sole source suppliers and sunset materials; identify viable alternates.
• Oversee design through delivery in the product lifecycle and ensure quality verification plans.

Skills

Supplier evaluation

Cross-functional collaboration

Requirements analysis

Quality verification

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Senior/Principal R&D Mechanical Engineer - Product Realization, Onsite

We are seeking an R&D S&E Mechanical Engineer to join the Purchased Product Value Stream group. The selected candidate will be the technical interface to product realization teams and the commercial supply base for the design and delivery of mechanical parts/components used in nuclear weapon design, development, and production activities. You will also participate in the product realization process (design through delivery), including early engagement in the development phase to define, validate, and clarify requirements for mechanical parts/components destined for use in nuclear weapons.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Lead the identification, development, and qualification of suppliers, assessing the technical capabilities of the suppliers to meet weapons requirements
• Lead efforts to improve fundamental understanding of material requirements, defining and conducting experiment work to close knowledge gaps and improve design definition
• Anticipate and maintain risk (i.e., sole source suppliers, sunset materials, technology development, etc.), identifying viable alternates and leading the technical evaluations and decision‑making process
• Run product design definition (drawings, specifications, etc.) through the product life cycle (design‑development‑delivery)
• Employ quality management systems and techniques, developing and managing comprehensive verification/qualification plans and defining acceptance criteria
• Manage multiple organizational interfaces, internally and externally

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range: $117,500 - $235,700

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require:

• A 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 a DOE Q clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

• Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation)
• Experience with mechanical engineering and product realization in the NNSA complex
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams
• Experience in Supply Chain Engineering
• Proven leadership skills
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, schedule‑driven environment
• Experience in application of the scientific method; gathering, analyzing and presenting technical data for decision making and problem‑solving purposes
• Basic knowledge of design for manufacturing (DFM), Lean/Six Sigma, continuous improvement and their application, and additive manufacturing and use of additive manufacturing equipment
• Exposure and/or basic knowledge to Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T)
• Knowledge of statistically based tolerance analysis
• An active DOE Q‑level security clearance; or other equivalent active security clearance such as DOD Top Secret

About Our Team: The Purchased Product Value Stream Department is responsible for purchased products and logistic operations in support of Sandia National Laboratories production mission activities. Major areas of responsibility include Materials Planning, Purchased Product Engineering, Inventory Management & Logistics, and Change Configuration Management Cell.

Security Clearance: Applicants must obtain and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. The hiring process includes a pre‑employment drug test and background review. Applicants with MedPEDs may need to comply with NNSA security requirements.

EEO: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

• Affordable housing, reasonable cost of living
• Minimal traffic congestion compared to larger cities
• Recruiters manually review resumes on each job posting instead of using resume screening software
• Following best practices ensures accurate qualification determination