Space Electronics & Signal Processing Deputy Group Leader (R&D Manager 3)

Los Alamos National Security LLC; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PPO or High Deductible medical insurance

401(k) matching

Tuition assistance

Flexible schedules

Onsite gyms

Job summary

Los Alamos National Security LLC is seeking a Deputy Group Leader to oversee a dynamic team within the ISR-4 Group. This role entails providing scientific and operational leadership, mentoring staff, and driving strategic initiatives to enhance team capabilities.

The position combines management responsibilities with active technical work, ideal for professionals looking to grow in leadership while contributing to impactful projects.

Qualifications

• 5 years of related experience in a technical role.
• Ability to obtain Q clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Demonstrated record in developing collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific, technical, and operational leadership.
• Develop strategic direction for the group and its capabilities.
• Mentor and coach technical staff.

Skills

Collaboration and Communication

Leadership and Management

Workforce Development

Technical Experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field

Tools

Embedded Electronics

Analog Circuit Design

Digital Signal Processing

Mixed-signal System Design

Job description

What You Will Do

The Space Electronics & Signal Processing (ISR-4) Group is seeking an experienced and innovative engineer to join our highly collaborative leadership team! Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Intelligence & Space Research (ISR) Division designs, builds, delivers, and exploits innovative ground‑ and space‑based measurement systems and provides unique analysis and interpretation of data from these systems. We succeed through our cohesive, interdisciplinary teams of engineers, technicians, and scientists working within a highly creative and dynamic R&D environment. Our projects range from cutting‑edge scientific explorations expanding our knowledge of the universe to ensuring national and global security. ISR’s 400+ instruments fly on over 200 satellites, including numerous NASA missions like Voyager, which has left our solar system, and the last two Mars Rovers.

The ISR‑4 Deputy Group Leader (DGL) will work closely with the ISR‑4 Group Leader (GL) and is a key member of the ISR division leadership team, providing scientific, technical, and operational leadership along with management oversight for a group of over 40 full‑time technical staff members. The DGL will lead strategic initiatives benefiting ISR‑4 staff, capabilities, and project missions, and proactively address tactical needs as they arise across areas ranging from facilities management to dynamic staffing needs. The GL and DGL, along with five team leaders, form the ISR‑4 Group Leadership Team which is responsible for developing and implementing a vision and collaborations to sustain ISR‑4 into the future. This DGL position offers the opportunity to continue performing technical work in a half‑time capacity, providing the balance between growth in management and contributing directly to project deliverables.

The DGL will be expected to partner with the Group Leader to:

• Develop and implement the strategic direction of the group and the electronics design capability in ISR Division.
• Mentor, coach, and build effective teams, with particular emphasis on individual staff career development.
• Marshal resources and investments for development and sustainment of the group’s technical capabilities and serve as a resource for domain expertise across Los Alamos National Laboratory.
• Work with the ISR Division Leadership Team, program offices, project leaders, and key stakeholders to provide oversight, support, and coordination of work by ensuring safety and security of the workforce.
• Manage workforce and group administration, including performance and salary management, staffing plan development, leading hiring committees, group financial oversight, facility and specialized equipment sustainment and modernization, and processes development to ensure all staff adhere to safety and security requirements.

Minimum Job Requirements

Collaboration and Communication

• Demonstrated record in developing collaborations, promoting teamwork, building consensus, and motivating others through common goals and objectives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, to communicate effectively with staff, sponsors, and stakeholders with the ability to convey complex concepts or difficult decisions.
• Strong organizational skills, sound technical judgment, and the ability to evaluate tradeoffs. Ability to influence and support project execution or organizational direction.
• Strong active listening skills.

Leadership and Management

• Proven ability to motivate and lead a team with varied skillsets and expertise through a complex technical risk landscape such as situations with competing or conflicting priorities or within highly constrained funding and schedules.
• Demonstrated ability to model collaborative leadership to develop and sustain a creative, entrepreneurial R&D work environment in which innovation and continuous learning are essential for solving some of the most difficult challenges in science, engineering, and national security.
• Experience and skill in conflict management and resolution.
• Experience in or aptitude for working in a large, complex institution with many systems, policies and processes.

Workforce Development

• Demonstrated ability to foster a positive work culture, create opportunities and challenges for technical and support staff, and advance their knowledge and skills—on both an individual and team level. Demonstrated experience and skill at developing relationships with individuals and acting as an effective mentor and coach for them.
• Demonstrated passion for and record of continuous personal learning and professional growth.

Technical Experience

• Experience in one or more of the group’s core capabilities:
• Embedded Electronics Design & Layout
• Analog Circuit Design for Specialized Detectors
• Digital Signal Processing and Embedded Software
• Mixed‑signal System Design and Optimization
• Rad‑hard Single Board Computers
• Power Electronics & Specialty Power Supply Design
• Applied RF & Antenna Design

Security Clearance

• Ability and desire to obtain Q clearance, which generally requires U.S. citizenship.

Education/Experience

• Position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and 5 years related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation. Degree in a STEM field preferred.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience designing, building, testing, and/or delivering hardware for space applications.
• Familiarity with the administration of operational and administrative policies and procedures at LANL.
• Prior record of program development, development of proposals, marketing of capabilities, and growth of customer relationships.
• Prior experience supervising and leading multidisciplinary teams of individuals with diverse backgrounds.
• Active Q/SCI clearance/access.

Benefits

• PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
• Dental and vision insurance
• Free basic life and disability insurance
• Paid childbirth and parental leave
• Award‑winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
• Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
• Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
• Onsite gyms and wellness programs
• Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)

Where You Will Work

Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to [e-mail] or call (505)-664-6947.