Factory Connectivity Lead (R&D Engineer 3/4) | Los Alamos, NM | Los Alamos National Laboratory

Factory Connectivity Lead (R&D Engineer 3/4)

What You Will Do

This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 3/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 Product Realization and Reliability Office (PRRO) in Nuclear Production Operations consists of a multidisciplinary group of engineers and scientists that support plutonium programs (i.e., pit production, surveillance, research & development, and subcritical experiments) across the entire Nuclear Production Operations organization.

The PRRO Office is seeking a factory connectivity lead to establish and mature our production organizations shop floor data infrastructure, enabling enhanced visibility, traceability, and analytical capabilities critical to nuclear production mission success. This role will shape the future of manufacturing intelligence across plutonium programs through innovative connectivity solutions and cross-functional collaboration.

We value diverse skills and experience, so don't hold back. Your specific qualification could add tremendous value to our team. Our customers come from all different backgrounds, and so do our employees. If you're passionate about what you could accomplish here, we'd love to hear from you.

R&D Engineer 3 $128,000 - $215,900

The selected candidate will be responsible to:

  • Lead the development of policies for shop floor data acquisition from programmatic equipment.
  • Co-develop policies for shop floor data acquisition from program adjacent equipment.
  • Coordinate the development and deployment of shop floor connectivity solutions with multiple stakeholders.
  • Provide line organization support for retrieving/understanding data sets acquired from shop floor to support root cause analysis and predictive maintenance functions.


R&D Engineer 4 $153,600- $266,500

In addition to the responsibilities of the R&D Engineer 3 the selected candidate will be responsible to:

  • Coordinate training as needed to increase usage of shop floor data.
  • Engage with Industry Standards bodies as needed to support Nuclear Production mission.
  • Provide work oversight to junior engineers working in the factory connectivity domain.
  • Interface with Digital Twin efforts to maximize the use of shop floor data.
  • Coordinate factory connectivity R&D work with University partners.


What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:

  • Six plus years of experience designing, analyzing, and working on automation and control systems.
  • Familiar with Allen Bradley, Siemens, or National Instruments suites of control and monitoring devices.
  • Demonstrable history of commissioning equipment communicating using OPC-UA and/or MTConnect.
  • Electrical schematic CAD experience.
  • Experience defining instrumentation plans and developing necessary engineering drawings.
  • Experience developing and using SCADA applications.
  • Capable of reading IEC-61131 compliant control programs.
  • Experience planning and executing projects of moderate to high complexity.
  • Demonstrable history of successful project and task execution in teams of at least 4 people.
  • Strong documentation skills; demonstrated ability to document technical results in a formal method/format.
  • Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
  • Strong presentation skills.


Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 4:

Experience coordinating project work for a team of up to 6 people.

Demonstrated leadership in complex, multi-disciplinary efforts.

Experience mentoring early career engineers and scientists.

Experience with formal requirements management and derivation.

Experience constructing architectural diagrams for O.T. solutions

Knowledge of Data Historian and MES solutions

Q Clearance: This position requires a Q clearance and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by, or on behalf of, the Federal Government for access to classified matter.

Education/Experience at R&D Engineer 3 level: 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.

Education/Experience at R&D Engineer 4 level: 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.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Familiarity with industrial communications protocols and networking: Modbus, MQTT, OPC-UA, etc.
  • Experience with industrial networks.
  • Able to read and develop architectural diagrams using MBSE frameworks such as UAF.
  • Proactive mindset with a passion for driving continuous improvement and operational excellence in a manufacturing environment.
  • Experience with private industry production and continuous improvement.
  • Proficient understanding of databases and information models.
  • Familiarity with IIoT, Industry 4.0, and associated standards such as QIF and MTConnect


Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

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:

For full consideration submit a comprehensive resume and include a detailed cover letter explaining how you meet each of the minimum requirements and any of the desired qualifications.

Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (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.

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.

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.

Equal Opportunity: 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 applyhelp@lanl.gov or call (505)-664-6