Senior/Principal Systems Engineer - MESA Infrastructure, Hybrid

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

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Relocation assistance

Strong benefits

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico is seeking an R&D Systems & Engineering professional to design, operate, and sustain the core infrastructure behind the MESA research computing environment. You will lead Windows-based infrastructure, support Linux services, and manage virtualization with Nutanix across secure environments.

The role emphasizes proactive monitoring, incident response, access control, and collaboration with developers and security teams to meet stringent DOE

Qualifications

• BS in a relevant discipline with 5 years of related experience or equivalent.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, reliability, and lifecycle of Windows-based infrastructure for MESA.
• Engineer and operate Nutanix platform for research computing services.
• Provide senior troubleshooting across compute, virtualization, storage, and networking.
• Maintain core services: databases, license services, and shared services.
• Ensure security compliance: hardening, logging, and change practices.

Skills

Windows Server

Linux

Nutanix

Scripting (PowerShell/Python/Bash)

Networking & Firewall

Monitoring & observability (Nagios)

Documentation & runbooks

Active Directory / GPO

Cloud/ virtualization

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Tools

Nutanix

Nagios

Active Directory

Job description

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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:

We are currently seeking a skilled R&D Systems & Engineering professional to join our team. In this role, you will play a critical part in designing, operating, and sustaining the core infrastructure that supports MESA¿s advanced research computing environment.

We are currently seeking a skilled R&D Systems & Engineering professional to join our team. In this role, you will play a critical part in designing, operating, and sustaining the core infrastructure that supports MESA¿s advanced research computing environment.

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

Lead the design, reliability, and lifecycle management of Windows‑primary infrastructure that enables MESA, with supporting Linux services where needed.

Engineer and operate the Nutanix platform supporting research computing services, including capacity planning, upgrades, performance tuning, and advanced troubleshooting.

Provide senior/principal‑level troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis across compute, virtualization, storage, networking, and application/service layers; drive corrective actions that measurably improve stability and performance.

Engineer and sustain core research platform services (e.g., databases, license services, and other shared services) and coordinate with developers and vendors to resolve complex issues.

Operate in alignment with Sandia security requirements, partnering with security stakeholders to implement hardening, auditing/logging, vulnerability remediation coordination, and controlled change practices.

Own operational health through monitoring and observability, including use of Nagios (or equivalent), and continuously improve alert quality, runbooks, and response practices.

Administer firewall policy supporting segmented/enclave environments, including rule lifecycle management and troubleshooting, while coordinating changes through required network/cyber processes.

Produce and maintain excellent technical documentation (architecture/network diagrams, SOPs/runbooks, and change/decision records) to support reliable operations and audits.

The selected applicant can work a combination of onsite and offsite work. The selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary.

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:

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 the following experience:

Significant experience engineering and operating Windows Server‑based infrastructure in production environments (design, administration, troubleshooting, lifecycle operations).

Working proficiency supporting Linux systems in production, including scripting/automation and troubleshooting in mixed OS environments.

Experience with virtualization/HCI platforms, ideally Nutanix, including upgrades, capacity planning, and performance troubleshooting.

Experience supporting infrastructure in secure or regulated environments requiring least privilege, controlled change, and auditability.

Scripting/automation skills (e.g., PowerShell plus Python/Bash) and disciplined engineering practices (Git, documentation, peer review)

Ability to create and maintain high‑quality documentation (architecture and network diagrams, enclave operating procedures, firewall rule justifications, monitoring standards, and incident/runbook content) to support reliable operations and audits.

Windows enterprise services: Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS/DHCP, PKI/certificate services, PowerShell DSC, WSUS/SCCM/MECM (or comparable patching/config tooling).

Monitoring/observability: experience implementing or operating Nagios (plugin development/tuning, alert routing, reducing noise/false positives), and integrating monitoring with incident response/runbooks.

Partner with networking/cyber stakeholders (or directly administer, as authorized) to implement and maintain firewall policies supporting enclave operations, including rule lifecycle management, change control, documentation, and troubleshooting connectivity/performance issues across segmented networks.

Security/compliance engineering: STIG/CIS hardening, vulnerability remediation workflows, centralized logging (Splunk/ELK), PAM/MFA, enclave boundary/data transfer patterns.

About Our Team:

Sandia National Laboratories Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) complex provides outstanding processing capability in semiconductor microfabrication. Department 05234, Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) supports the infrastructure, programming, security and computing needs of MESA.

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.