R&D Engineer 3/4: Component Aging & Surveillance
- Req. Number: IRC136419
- Organization : Surveillance Oversight W-9
- City, State: Los Alamos, New Mexico
What You Will Do
This position has a permanent duty station at the Pantex Plant (PX) located near Amarillo, TX.
This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 3 or R&D Engineer 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
The Weapon Systems Engineering (W) Division provides systems engineering, program management and oversight of production and surveillance to establish and maintain the safety, reliability, and security of our nation's nuclear stockpile for the entire life cycle. W Division is responsible for leadership of activities in stockpile assessment, certification, and life extension projects. The Division works closely with partners across the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) and with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to achieve its mission.
The Weapon Systems Surveillance Group (W-9) is the Design Agency (DA) representative responsible for establishing surveillance testing and reporting requirements and overseeing these activities. Responsibilities include interacting with NNSA and other sites to develop, plan and schedule surveillance operations. This is accomplished by establishing and maintaining LANL surveillance requirements and overseeing the implementation of these requirements at various sites across the NSE.
Oversight includes conducting evaluations to ensure implementation and working with the various sites to qualify all procedures and testing to ensure a high-quality standard for data acquired. An additional important role is to compile and analyze all test data and verify LANL components continue to perform as designed or to identify anomalies and aging trends that require further investigations to determine whether these features pose a concern. The group consists of scientists and engineers with experience in weapon design, materials aging and assessments, and production and disassembly activities.
The successful applicant will be a member of the Weapon Systems Surveillance group (W-9) and focus on pit surveillance. The position is physically located at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, TX. Responsibilities mainly include surveillance activities carried out at Pantex but also will require acting as an interface between Pantex personnel and surveillance engineers located at LANL on a variety of surveillance activities. This position involves working both independently and with teams and requires an ability to lead projects.
Description of many of the position's roles and responsibilities include the following:
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 3:
Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 4:
Desired Qualifications:
Education/Experience:
Location
This position will be physically located in the Tri-Lab Site Office at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, TX.
Note to Applicants:
Applicants must currently hold or have the ability to obtain a Q clearance and Sigma 15 authorization.
Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.
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.
Where You Will Work
This position will be physically located at the LANL Site Office at Pantex in Amarillo, TX.
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.
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.
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 applicable 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 a disability accommodation, email applyhelp@lanl.gov or call (505) 664-6947, opt. 3.
This position has a permanent duty station at the Pantex Plant (PX) located near Amarillo, TX.
This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 3 or R&D Engineer 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
The Weapon Systems Engineering (W) Division provides systems engineering, program management and oversight of production and surveillance to establish and maintain the safety, reliability, and security of our nation's nuclear stockpile for the entire life cycle. W Division is responsible for leadership of activities in stockpile assessment, certification, and life extension projects. The Division works closely with partners across the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) and with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to achieve its mission.
The Weapon Systems Surveillance Group (W-9) is the Design Agency (DA) representative responsible for establishing surveillance testing and reporting requirements and overseeing these activities. Responsibilities include interacting with NNSA and other sites to develop, plan and schedule surveillance operations. This is accomplished by establishing and maintaining LANL surveillance requirements and overseeing the implementation of these requirements at various sites across the NSE.
Oversight includes conducting evaluations to ensure implementation and working with the various sites to qualify all procedures and testing to ensure a high-quality standard for data acquired. An additional important role is to compile and analyze all test data and verify LANL components continue to perform as designed or to identify anomalies and aging trends that require further investigations to determine whether these features pose a concern. The group consists of scientists and engineers with experience in weapon design, materials aging and assessments, and production and disassembly activities.
The successful applicant will be a member of the Weapon Systems Surveillance group (W-9) and focus on pit surveillance. The position is physically located at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, TX. Responsibilities mainly include surveillance activities carried out at Pantex but also will require acting as an interface between Pantex personnel and surveillance engineers located at LANL on a variety of surveillance activities. This position involves working both independently and with teams and requires an ability to lead projects.
Description of many of the position's roles and responsibilities include the following:
- Provide technical interface between the Pantex and LANL surveillance DA, system engineering, and primary physics communities.
- Ensure and maintain the high-quality of pit surveillance data collected.
- Qualify new and existing surveillance tests and ensure that qualifications are maintained in accordance with Defense Programs Business Process System (DPBPS) requirements.
- Ensure surveillance data streams are evaluated and trended annually to provide an understanding of the time-dependent state of health of assigned LANL stockpile component designs.
- Report surveillance results as input to the Annual Assessment Reports and annual surveillance assessment briefings.
- Lead efforts directed at addressing potential knowledge gaps on the state of health and aging of assigned components and evaluate and prioritize new evaluation tools that could help address such concerns.
- Communicate and work interdependently with personnel involved in pit surveillance at LANL, including system surveillance engineers, weapon system engineers, primary physicists, and W-Division management.
- Ensure successful execution of Component Evaluation Program Planning Committee (CEPPC) by organizing and participating in annual meetings, establishing agendas, and evaluating proposed new tests and diagnostics for improved surveillance, documenting and publishing meeting results.
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 3:
- Working knowledge of nuclear weapon design, development, or stockpile requirements.
- Basic knowledge of design and testing of LANL stockpile components, preferably pits.
- Basic knowledge of engineering and material science principles and practices.
- Experience leading projects comprised of team members across multiple organizations.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in teams or independently.
Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 4:
- Expert knowledge of nuclear weapon design and components.
- Proven record of experimental design and data analysis.
- Proven record of written documentation (publications, reports, requirements, etc.)
- Experience in training or mentoring staff.
Desired Qualifications:
- General knowledge of the engineering authorization system and document management systems.
- Familiarity with operations at one or more of the NNSA design labs or production plants.
- Knowledge of practices related to working with SNM, classified documents and parts.
Education/Experience:
- R&D Engineer 3: Position requires a master's degree in engineering from an accredited institution and 6 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.
- R&D Engineer 4: Position requires a master's degree in engineering from an accredited institution and 12 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.
Location
This position will be physically located in the Tri-Lab Site Office at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, TX.
Note to Applicants:
Applicants must currently hold or have the ability to obtain a Q clearance and Sigma 15 authorization.
Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.
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.
Where You Will Work
This position will be physically located at the LANL Site Office at Pantex in Amarillo, TX.
- PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
- Dental and vision insurance
- Free basic life and disability insurance
- Paid maternity and parental leave
- Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
- Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
- Flexible schedules and time off (paid sick, vacation, 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.
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.
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 applicable 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 a disability accommodation, email applyhelp@lanl.gov or call (505) 664-6947, opt. 3.
