Senior/Principal R&D Systems Engineer - Code Management System, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 118,000 - 236,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telecommuting where applicable

Flexible work arrangements

Relocation assistance

Generous vacation

401k plan

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking an experienced R&D Systems Engineer to join the Code Management System (CMS) team in Albuquerque, NM. You will lead requirements engineering, CONOPS development, and system design across the lifecycle.

The role emphasizes MBSE integration, strategy shaping, and cross-site collaboration, with travel as needed and onsite work required. DOE Q clearance is a prerequisite.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with five years of directly relevant experience or equivalent.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Elicit, define, and manage system requirements and traceability.
• Apply systems engineering principles to deliver mission-driven outcomes.
• Collaborate with domain experts and other systems engineers.
• Identify risks and issues impacting mission execution and mitigate.
• Build a roadmap aligned with a long-term strategic vision.
• Integrate MBSE approaches into day-to-day engineering.

Skills

Requirements development

System architecture

MBSE methods

Leadership experience

Verbal and written communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Tools

MagicDraw/Cameo or similar

Job description

Job Details

Job ID: 698191

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

About Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking an experienced R&D Systems Engineer to join the Code Management System (CMS) team. CMS is used by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to manage Permissive Action Link (PAL) codes and keys and to support critical nuclear weapon operations (e.g., recode/rekey, Limited Life Component Exchange (LLCE), training, deployment readiness, and assembly/disassembly). The system helps ensure authorized use and prevents unauthorized use of air-delivered weapons.

In this role, you’ll work across the full systems engineering lifecycle, with an initial emphasis on requirements engineering, CONOPS development, and system design. You’ll also help shape the strategic direction of the program, building a vision and a practical roadmap to deliver it.

On any given day, you may:

• Elicit, define, decompose, allocate, trace, and manage system and component requirements
• Apply core systems engineering principles to deliver mission-driven outcomes
• Partner closely with domain experts and fellow systems engineers
• Identify, document, and elevate risks and issues that could impact mission execution
• Balance multiple priorities and adapt quickly as technical and program needs evolve
• Build and communicate a roadmap aligned to a long-term strategic vision
• Integrate Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approaches and tools into day-to-day engineering
• Operate effectively both independently and in a collaborative team environment across multiple sites

This position will requires occasional travel to support the mission.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite 100% of the time.

Applicants on this requisition may be interviewed by multiple organizations at Sandia National Laboratories.

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-level security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D S&E Systems Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• 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, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Kansas City National Security Campus/New Mexico Operations (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.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with 2+ years of experience in the following areas:

• Requirements development and management (elicitation through verification/traceability).
• System architecture, design, and development.
• MBSE methods and practical tool use (e.g., MagicDraw/Cameo or similar).
• Experience with the 6.x process.
• Strategic planning: defining a vision and building a roadmap to achieve it.
• Ability to learn new tools/processes quickly and execute within defined engineering frameworks.
• Leadership experience guiding junior staff, influencing senior technical staff, and engaging management.
• Track record of leading systems engineering activities within a technical domain.

About Our Team

You’ll contribute to a mission of national importance while working with highly skilled teams tackling complex, high-consequence engineering challenges. This position is well-suited for a systems engineer who enjoys turning ambiguity into clear requirements, building architectures that endure, and shaping a strategic direction that delivers real operational value.

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

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.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.