W80-4 Engineering Group Leader - Active Security Clearance Required

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Livermore (CA); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 288,000; Full time

Job summary

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) seeks an W80-4 Engineering Group Leader to supervise a professional/technical team in engineering development and production for the W80-4 program within the DTED division. Hybrid schedule may be offered based on needs.

The role requires DOE Q-level or Top Secret clearance, a engineering degree, and strong leadership with experience in weapon engineering and program coordination. This is a high-impact leadership position at LLNL.

Qualifications

• Active DOE Q-level or Top Secret clearance required at hire.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, or equivalent level of education and experience.
• Significant experience with design engineering and NSE product realization processes.
• Advanced knowledge of nuclear warhead engineering, systems, and design.
• Strong communication, facilitation, negotiation, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to promote relationships across directorates and with external sponsors.
• Effective leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and supervisory abilities.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and guide group personnel, participate in performance reviews and salary management.
• Provide technical leadership in weapon engineering and program coordination.
• Recruit, hire, and onboard staff to meet staffing needs.
• Provide safety and security leadership and collaborate with project principals.
• Manage workloads and ensure group milestones and deliverables are met.
• Uphold the mission and values of DTED and LLNL through leadership.
• Monitor performance to meet milestones and lead corrective actions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Active DOE Q clearance

Design engineering

Nuclear weapon engineering

Advanced communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Master’s or PhD in Engineering

Job description

Company Description

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World! Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability.

Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi-domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact.

Job Description

We have an opening for a W80-4 Engineering Group Leader with responsibility for leading a group of professional and technical personnel, primarily in the execution of W80-4 engineering development and production. Your team will provide a combination of engineering design, project management, qualification, and support to production agencies for the W80-4 and other projects. This position is in the Defense Technologies Engineering Division (DTED), supporting the Weapon Technologies and Engineering (WTE) Program.

This position will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level.

This position may offer a hybrid schedule, based on team and organizational needs.

You will

• Supervise, provide technical and administrative direction, guidance, support, mentoring, coaching, and promote teamwork for group personnel. Participate in performance review, rating, and salary management processes.


• Provide technical leadership in weapon engineering and management, interagency coordination, design development, product realization, assessments, qualification, and certification.


• Recruit, hire, and onboard new staff as needed to meet programmatic staffing needs.


• Provide technical, safety, and security leadership to group personnel and activities and collaborate with project principals and group personnel in defining employee work assignments.


• Remain cognizant of technical goals, programmatic priorities, group workload balances, and progress of group projects. Support engagements with programmatic leadership as needed to ensure group workloads are executable.


• Foster and uphold the mission, vision, and values of DTED and LLNL through leadership of personnel.


• Monitor performance required to meet programmatic milestones and deliverables and lead corrective actions where necessary.


• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional Job Responsibilities, At The SEL.4 Level

• Provide solutions to unusual, highly complex, and/or sensitive issues/problems where the solution path is not known ahead of time.


• Influence strategic technical decisions made by senior management and external stakeholders based on weapon expertise.


• Serve as program spokesperson to Laboratory management and/or peers in the NSE representing the Laboratory in nuclear design and engineering.

Qualifications

• This position requires an active Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance or active Top Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at the time of hire.


• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, or equivalent level of education and related experience.


• Significant experience with design engineering, Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) product realization processes and stakeholders, certification, and qualification work.


• Advanced knowledge of nuclear warhead engineering, systems, and design.


• Advanced communication, facilitation, negotiation, and collaboration skills, necessary to present to, explain to, and advise senior management and/or external sponsors.


• Ability to promote and maintain productive relationships across directorates, with other laboratories and NSE partner sites, and with personnel from external entities.


• Effective leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and supervisory skills to lead personnel, write performance appraisals, and actively participate in ranking and hiring activities.

Additional Qualifications At The SEL.4 Level

• Significant record of weapon design, product realization team (PRT) accomplishments, or flight testing.


• Expert knowledge of nuclear weapon engineering, systems, and design.


• Expertise with project management tools and techniques, including work planning, scheduling, cost estimating, analyzing and managing budgets.


• Expert communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills necessary to effectively present to, explain to, and advise senior management and/or external sponsors.

Qualifications We Desire

• Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering.


• Broad knowledge of Laboratory policies and practices and applicable NNSA orders.

Pay Range

$189,660 - $288,396 Annually

$189,660 - $240,528 Annually for the SEL.3 level

$227,430 - $288,396 Annually for the SEL.4 level

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

Additional Information

Position Information

This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Lab employees and external candidates.

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Included in 2026 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!


• Flexible Benefits Package


• 401(k)


• Relocation Assistance


• Education Reimbursement Program


• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)


• Our values - visit https://www.llnl.gov/inclusion/our-values

Security Clearance

This position requires an active Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance or active Top Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at time of hire.

Pre-Employment Drug Test

External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.

Wireless and Medical Devices

Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the use and/or possession of mobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area where you are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile device in your possession. This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices. If you use a medical device, which pairs with a mobile device, you must still follow the rules concerning the mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities require separate approval. Hearing aids without wireless capabilities or wireless that has been disabled are allowed in Limited Areas, Secure Space and Transit/Buffer Space within buildings.

Pre-Placement Medical Exam

A job related pre-placement medical examination may be required.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request.

California Privacy Notice

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.