Quality Engineer 3/4

What You Will Do

Come join our team! Our team consists of a diverse group of talented people who have a varying level of experience, education, and backgrounds. This team believes our diversity makes us a stronger and effective organization to take on any challenge. The Quality Engineer (QE) will be part of the Institutional Quality and Performance Assurance-Quality Support Services (IQPA-QSS) group and will report to the IQPA-QSS Project Execution Team Lead and Group Leader. The IQPA-QSS mission is to support Institutional Programs and Projects to ensure quality requirements are adequately implemented.

The QSS Project Execution team's responsibility is to provide critical, expert, and timely services to projects and maintenance operations throughout the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The selected candidate will be responsible for assisting effective implementation of the Laboratory's quality assurance program relating to nuclear, radiological, and non-nuclear facilities.

The selected candidate will:

  • Review and prepare procurement documentation germane to quality assurance, quality engineering, and quality control requirements.
  • Participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of processes, procedures, and applications contributing to the overall objective of sustaining an effective engineering, procurement, and program Quality Management System.
  • Serve as the primary Point of Contact in nonconformance reporting and corrective action processes.
  • Potentially lead, coordinate, and/or conduct audits and surveillances of quality-affecting engineering, procurement, construction, and ancillary project work.
This position will be filled at either the Quality Engineer 3 or 4 level, depending on the skills of the selected candidate. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if the candidate is hired at the higher level.



What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:

Quality Engineer 3: Salary Range $101,700 - $168,200

Typical job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Lead, and/or conduct audits, assessments, surveillances, and observations on Infrastructure & Capital Projects (ALDICP) projects as directed.
  • Review procedures and documentation for adherence to Quality Assurance requirements (i.e., Exhibit H or reviewing quality requirements contained in procurement documents, and Commercial Grade Dedications)
  • Provide management team with performance data (metrics) as required to support Management Review Board (MRB) reports.
  • Develop and present material associated with documented findings and/or opportunities for improvement.
  • Support nonconformance and issues management reporting
  • Serve as primary interface between assigned projects and QSS PE team.
  • Maintain and provide weekly reports on assessment schedules.
  • Practice and promote the Safe Conduct of Research Principle's (SCOR), OSHA and LANL safety policies.
  • Develop and maintain professional relationships with the customers.
  • Advanced knowledge of MS Office (including Calendar and Teams), VPN applications, storing and retrieving electronic records, using custom software (i.e., NCR tool, Devonway i-Link, Autodesk).


Quality Engineer 4: Salary Range $122,300 - $206,300


In addition to what was outlined at the lower level, at this level the candidate would:

  • Participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of processes, procedures, and applications contributing to the overall objective of sustaining an effective engineering, procurement, and construction Quality Management Plan.
  • Mentor Junior team members.
  • Advanced knowledge of and experience with quality documents (e.g., DOE Order 414.1, DOE Order 226.1B, 10CFR830, ASME NQA-1 2008/2009a, DOE/NNSA weapons quality policy [NAP 401.1], LANL SD350 Rev. 12, OSHA, ISO9001 and the ALDICP Quality Management Plan)
  • Extensive experience in successfully leading and engaging people; strong interpersonal, communications, negotiate agreements, collaboration and demonstrating the ability to build consensus.
  • Extensive experience conducting and reporting audits, assessments, surveillances, and observations.
  • Extensive experience reviewing of various technical documents, drawings for completeness and compliance, and schematics associated with building and infrastructure.
  • Expert level experience in collating and presenting critical findings discovered while performing assessments (Surveillances or Observations.)
  • Expert-level experience in the development and implementation of quality assurance and control programs.
  • Advanced Level technical knowledge of building and infrastructure trades.
  • Facilitates collaboration and coordination to solve complex performance challenges.
  • Extensive experience driving fact-based decisions utilizing data and risk-based analysis related to complex technical issues.

Education/Experience at lower level: Position requires a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, QE or Industrial Systems Engineering or a related field and 8 year of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

Education/Experience at higher level: Position requires a Bachelor's degree and 12 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation. Advanced relevant degree preferred.

Desired Qualifications:

  • NQA-1 Lead Auditor certification.
  • Experience in classified matter protection and control and classified computing.
  • Nationally recognized Quality Assurance Engineering related certification such as American Society of Quality's Certified Quality Assurance Engineer, Reliability Engineer, or equivalent.


Essential Job Functions (can perform with or without reasonable accommodation):

Vision, speech, and hearing:
Color discrimination, Peripheral vision, Depth perception, Reading vision, Distance vision, Ability to speak, Ability to hear high-pitched sounds, Ability to smell, Ability to hear in a normal range (500 to 3000 hz).


General physical mobility: Sitting, Standing, Walking, Climbing stairs, Climbing Ladders, Bending, Stooping, Crouching, Kneeling, Twisting the trunk or back.


Specific physical mobility: Reaching overhead, Reaching horizontally, Reaching down, Gripping with the hands, Pressing with hands or arms, Pushing with hands or arms, Pulling with hands or arms, Typing or keyboarding, Use of both hands, Use of both arms, Use of both legs, Use of both feet.


Weight handling requirements: Lifting 10-20 pounds, Carrying 10-20 pounds.


Work Environment:

Work site conditions include, but are not limited to:
Work in an office environment, Work in a noisy environment, Work under unusual lighting conditions, Work near electrical power supplies, Work near sources of ionizing radiation, Work near sources of non-ionizing radiation, Work near machinery with moving parts.


Protective clothing & environment: Headgear or head protection, Safety glasses or eye protection, Face shield or facial protection, Mask or respirator, Hearing protection, Gloves or hand protection, Safety shoes or protective footgear, Protective shielding of body/torso.


Work Location: The work location for this position is hybrid and is located in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Hybrid is defined as working partially onsite/partially offsite but within 2 hours ground commute of this location. All work locations are at the discretion of management and can change at any time with appropriate notice.

Position Commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.

Note to Applicants:
Applicants are to include a comprehensive cover letter addressing how they meet the required and desired skills to be considered for an interview.


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. Our generous benefits package includes:
  • 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)
Additional Details

Directive 206.2 - Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.

Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance. and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.

*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.

HRP: This position is subject to the requirements of the DOE Human Reliability Program as specified in 10 Code of Federal Regulation, Part 712, §712.11. These requirements include on going drug and alcohol testing, as well as periodic medical and psychological evaluations.

New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.

Regular position: Term status Laboratory employees applying for regular-status positions are converted to regular status.

Internal Applicants: Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.

Incentive Compensation Program: Position at the higher level is eligible to participate in the Triad Incentive Compensation Program. You must be in an eligible position for a minimum of 3 months, before July 1st and remain in an eligible position as of the end of the fiscal year, September 30th. The annual distribution is prorated based on the number of months in the eligible position.

Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer and supports a diverse and inclusive workforce. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or preference, 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 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 applyhelp@lanl.gov or call 1-505-664-6947 option 2.