R&D Engineer 1

What You Will Do

Located in northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is primarily responsible for monitoring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and conducting advanced research in numerous areas related to national security. Additionally, it is a center for research in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including space exploration, geophysics, renewable energy, supercomputing, medicine, and nanotechnology.

Welcome to the Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Production (ALDWP) and the Pit Technologies (PT) Division. The PT Division is one of 10 divisions in ALDWP. We are confident that you will find the PT Division a dynamic and rewarding place to work. Our employees are the most valuable asset within ALDWP and the Laboratory as a whole. The PT Division provides plutonium pit related products and services of superior quality and value to protect our nation and promote world stability.

Individuals working in this position will be interacting with multiple organizations to ensure implementation and compliance with Conduct of Engineering, Conduct of Maintenance, Conduct of Operations, Quality, and Safety Management Programs for their area.

Successful candidates will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

  • Apply engineering principles, theories, concepts, and practices to contribute to solutions for a broad range of technical challenges of national importance, including nuclear deterrence and threat reduction.
  • Serve as a contributing member of integrated research and development (R&D) teams to address engineering challenges.
  • Assist in the research, design, testing, analysis, verification and validation of engineering and technology solutions in support of R&D and Operations initiatives.
  • Learn advanced technologies and analysis techniques employed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory engineering community.
  • Adapt to evolving R&D requirements while meeting safety, security, compliance, and schedule imperatives.
  • Assist in developing new methods, technologies, and analysis techniques for institutional programs.
  • Ensure programmatic objectives through the provision of project management and engineering support to successfully complete milestones.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:
  • Basic knowledge of engineering concepts, principles, practices, and procedures, as demonstrated by experience researching, designing, testing, analyzing, verifying, and validating engineering solutions.
  • Basic knowledge along with any class project experience with analysis or testing in one or more of the following engineering areas: shock, vibration, fluids, thermal, nuclear, systems, explosives, manufacturing, process, control systems, data acquisition and data analysis.
  • Basic knowledge of engineering design.
  • Demonstrated ability to express ideas clearly in oral and written communications.

Engineering Expertise

  • Beginner to intermediate knowledge of professional engineering concepts, principles, practices, and procedures, as demonstrated by experience researching, designing, analyzing, testing, verifying, and validating engineering solutions.
  • Demonstrated capability/experience performing a broad range of complex engineering work, including experience designing or reviewing a complete project, system, or component.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of manufacturing, system and component testing operations.
  • Demonstrated experience developing, codifying, and validating engineering requirements.

Analytical Skills

  • Intermediate analytical thinking skills, as demonstrated by experience designing and executing experiments or tests, including the analyzation and interpretation of data.
  • Demonstrated experience with continuous improvement concepts and tools.
  • Demonstrated commitment to high quality and timeliness of deliverables.

Communication and Teamwork

  • Demonstrated ability to work independently in high-intensity environments with coworkers representing a variety of technical backgrounds.
  • Demonstrated ability to express detailed ideas clearly in ways that build understanding, respect, and trust, as demonstrated through presentations and publications.

Education/Experience: Position requires a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an ABET accredited institution related to the occupation combined with 2 years of related experience. Candidates that meet the degree requirement, but do not meet the 2-year minimum experience requirement are encouraged to apply and may be considered for hire through an exception process.

DOE O. 426.2: Requires a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering or related science, 2 years job related experience, and 1 year of nuclear experience.


Desired Qualifications:

Experience in various work environments

  • Demonstrated experience working in glovebox environment.
  • Demonstrated knowledge or experience working in a manufacturing or production organization requiring implementation of defined manufacturing, testing, and quality requirements.
  • Demonstrated experience working in a nuclear facility.

Quality and Improvement

  • Demonstrated knowledge and experience with system and subsystem qualification testing and/or analysis.
  • Demonstrated experience applying continuous improvement concepts and tools.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of conduct of operations principles.
  • Demonstrated experience performing engineering work using rigorous institutional processes.

Active Q clearance or equivalent

  • Existing DOE "Q" clearance (or similar).

Essential Job Functions (can perform with or without reasonable accommodation): Lifting 30+ pounds, Reading vision, Walking, Climbing stairs, Climbing Ladders

Location: This position will be located in Los Alamos, NM.

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: Please submit a detailed resume highlighting all your experience and achievements to be considered for this position.

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.

426.2: This position is subject to DOE Order 426.2, Personnel Selection, Training, and Qualification Requirements for DOE Nuclear Facilities, which establishes entry-level requirements to ensure candidates selected for specific positions can successfully perform the requirements of the job.

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 Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.

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 505-664-6947 option 2.