Institutional Process Improvement Team Lead (QPA Manager 3)
- Req. Number: IRC140203
- Organization : IQPA-PIAT/IQPA- Performance Improvement & Assurance Tools
- City, State: Los Alamos, New Mexico
- Salary: $125,200 - $211,300
- Recruiter Name: Hamilton, Junior Victor Edward
- Recruiter Email: jhamilton@lanl.gov
What You Will Do
As the Team Leader for the Institutional Process Improvement Tools team, you will lead a group focused on driving large-scale, cross-organizational improvement initiatives. You will utilize industry-recognized methodologies such as Lean, Agile, Six Sigma, and ADKAR. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience leading process transformation efforts across complex enterprise environments. You will have a strong ability to assess, design, and implement scalable solutions. This role requires strategic thinking, excellent facilitation and change management skills, and the ability to collaborate across functional and organizational boundaries. Familiarity with institutional systems, data-driven decision making, and aligning improvement efforts with organizational priorities is essential.
Key Responsibilities:
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:
Team Leadership & Management:
Desired Qualifications
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: Application Deadline: September 25, 2025 (end of business day)
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:
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.
Incentive Compensation Program: Position 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. 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)-664-6947 opt. 3.
As the Team Leader for the Institutional Process Improvement Tools team, you will lead a group focused on driving large-scale, cross-organizational improvement initiatives. You will utilize industry-recognized methodologies such as Lean, Agile, Six Sigma, and ADKAR. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience leading process transformation efforts across complex enterprise environments. You will have a strong ability to assess, design, and implement scalable solutions. This role requires strategic thinking, excellent facilitation and change management skills, and the ability to collaborate across functional and organizational boundaries. Familiarity with institutional systems, data-driven decision making, and aligning improvement efforts with organizational priorities is essential.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide leadership and technical acumen to process improvement initiatives across the entire institution,including Weapons, Science/Engineering/Tech, and Business/Operations
- Collaborate with data analytics team in designing and delivering actionable institutional insights.
- Collaborate on the development and continuous improvement of performance assurance software platforms and digital tools.
- Engage internal and external stakeholders, including Federal partners, in advancing performance assurance outcomes.
- Drive transformation using structured change management approaches (e.g., ADKAR).
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:
Team Leadership & Management:
- Proven ability to lead technical staff, manage workloads, and align team objectives with broader organizational goals.
- Experience supervising process improvement professionals in an improvement-project portfolio approach.
- Proven experience leading large-scale, enterprise-wide process improvement initiatives across complex organizational structures.
- Deep knowledge and practical application of improvement frameworks such as Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, and ADKAR.
- Demonstrated ability to lead change efforts, including stakeholder engagement, adoption planning, and implementation oversight.
- Skilled in working across departments and levels of the organization to build consensus, align objectives, and implement sustainable improvements.
- Ability to analyze institutional challenges and design scalable, data-informed process solutions that support strategic goals.
- Strong facilitation and interpersonal skills to lead workshops, trainings, and team engagements focused on continuous improvement.
- Active DOE Q Clearance or ability to obtain and maintain one (U.S. citizenship required).
Desired Qualifications
- Familiarity with LANL mission, Laboratory Agenda, and DOE/NNSA directives (e.g., SD 226.1C, DOE O 414.1D).
- Understanding and experience with a range of data analytics tools and approaches.
- Deep understanding of national lab operational and mission environments.
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: Application Deadline: September 25, 2025 (end of business day)
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 maternity 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.
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.
Incentive Compensation Program: Position 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. 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)-664-6947 opt. 3.
