What You Will Do

This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 2 or 3 level, depending on the skills and experience of the selected candidate. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if the candidate is hired at the higher level.

M-6 is seeking a skilled and creative R&D Electrical Engineer to join the Explosive Applications and Special Projects (M-6) Group within Dynamic Experiments (M) Division. M-6 conducts research to study the initiation and performance of high explosives (HE) through mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic mechanisms. Our areas of expertise include non-shock initiation of HE, HE-driven pulsed-power, special energetic materials, and special security projects in service to the Laboratory, the nation, and other national security missions. We develop and field custom experimental hardware, diagnostics, and initiation systems that combine high-speed analog and digital electronics, high-voltage and high-current fast-switching circuits, capacitor-discharge systems, and commercial-off-the-shelf modules into integrated assemblies.

This work includes:

  • Translating experimental concepts, physical behavior, and technical requirements into fieldable electronic and electrical assemblies from initial design through fabrication, testing, integration, documentation, and field deployment
  • Owning the technical lifecycle of the assemblies you create and serving as the subject matter expert for their design, operation, limitations, troubleshooting, and future modification
  • Developing new and novel designs while sustaining, troubleshooting, documenting, and modernizing M-6's library of legacy designs
  • Knowledge of analog electronics and the integration of digital controllers into analog circuits

This role is for an engineer who wants to work at the boundary between circuit design and experimental physics. Success requires learning the specialized physics of the loads and experiments these systems drive and applying that understanding to sound engineering decisions in close collaboration with scientists, modelers, technicians, and technologists.

R&D Engineer 2 ($106,400 - $176,000)

The successful candidate will work with M-6 project leads and experimental teams on electronic design, experimental engineering, diagnostics, and fielded hardware. Rapid-prototyping equipment, SolidWorks, electronic design software, external circuit board fabrication shops, and general diagnostic and test equipment are available to support this work. At the R&D Engineer 2 level, the candidate is expected to independently own well-defined design tasks and retain technical ownership of the assemblies they create. The Level 2 position is expected to:

  • Design, analyze, fabricate, test, verify, document, and field analog and digital electronic assemblies, including high-voltage, high-current, fast-switching and pulsed-power circuits
  • Translate experimental requirements and relevant physical behavior into electrical requirements, interfaces, component selections, design margins, and test plans
  • Serve as the technical point of contact and subject matter expert for assigned designs through integration, fielding, troubleshooting, repair, and modification
  • Participate in brainstorming and technical planning with customers and team members to define technical approaches, interfaces, risks, and schedules
  • Collaborate with scientists, modelers, technicians, and technologists to ensure designs perform as intended in the experimental environment
  • Rapidly iterate designs based on analysis, test results, and field experience, and clearly communicate the design basis, results, and limitations
  • Maintain, troubleshoot, repair, document, and modernize legacy systems while preserving and understanding their original design intent

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

In addition to the duties outlined above, an R&D Engineer 3 will be expected to:

  • Lead the design, verification, and fielding of complex or novel experimental electrical assemblies and make technical decisions when requirements or operating conditions are ambiguous
  • Serve as a technical leader and subject matter expert across a broader portfolio of high-power, pulsed-power, and experimental electrical systems, including stewardship of legacy designs
  • Lead technical interfaces with customers and participate in collaborations with Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and international laboratories
  • Provide technical direction, peer review, and mentoring to less experienced staff and members of multidisciplinary experimental teams

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:

Engineering: Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in electrical engineering, including hands-on circuit and electronic assembly design. Knowledge of analog electronics and the integration of digital controllers into analog circuits

Design and Fielding: Experience translating experimental requirements into electrical designs, test and verification plans, and fieldable research and development hardware.

Engineering Tools: Experience with industry-standard circuit design and circuit board layout software, including custom electronic library parts.

Technical Ownership and Learning: Experience owning engineering hardware through its lifecycle and demonstrated ability to learn specialized experimental physics and apply that understanding to design decisions.

Communication and Collaboration: Strong interpersonal, presentation, and written communication skills and demonstrated effectiveness on multidisciplinary teams.

Delivery and Field Work: Ability to deliver to defined scope, schedule, and budget. Occasional work-related travel and field support are required.

Additional Job Requirements for the R&D Engineer 3:

Demonstrated independent technical leadership on complex or ambiguous research and development efforts from concept and design through testing, fielding, troubleshooting, and communication; demonstrated ability to serve as a subject matter expert for assigned systems.

Demonstrated experience mentoring or directing others, performing peer review, and leading technical interactions with customers, sponsors, or collaborators.

Education/Experience at the R&D Engineer 2: Position requires a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

Education/Experience at the 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.

Desired Qualifications:

  • High-Power Electronics: Experience designing, building, and testing high-voltage, high-current, fast-switching or pulsed-power circuits, including capacitive-discharge systems and analog/digital electronics.
  • Design and Analysis Tools: Experience with ECAD for schematic capture and printed circuit board layout, MCAD for enclosure and assembly design, and SPICE or related circuit simulation. Altium Designer, KiCad, and/or SolidWorks experience is particularly relevant.
  • Hands-On Prototyping and Test: Experience independently building, modifying, testing, troubleshooting, and repairing electronic or electromechanical prototypes using laboratory and rapid-prototyping tools, oscilloscopes, and high-voltage/current probes.
  • System Integration: Experience integrating analog, digital, power, programmable, and electromechanical components into complete fieldable assemblies.
  • Fabrication and Vendor Interface: Experience creating fabrication packages, including schematics, printed circuit board files, bills of materials, drawings, assembly documentation, and technical requirements, and working with internal fabrication partners or external vendors.
  • Design Sustainment: Experience maintaining, troubleshooting, documenting, and modernizing legacy hardware, including configuration and revision control.
  • Experimental Engineering: Experience working in multidisciplinary research teams and learning the underlying experimental physics needed to translate physical requirements and constraints into engineering design decisions.
  • Hazardous Operations and Clearance: Experience working around energized systems, high explosives, radiological materials, pressurized systems, or chemicals; an active Department of Energy Q clearance or equivalent is desired.

Work Environment:

Outdoors, exposure to wildlife, in a hot or cold environment 5 - 100 F, in a wet or humid environment, in a noisy environment, under unusual lighting conditions; near sources of ionizing radiation, near sources of non-ionizing radiation, with weapons or explosives, with vibrating equipment/machinery, near machinery with moving parts, toxic chemicals, irritant chemicals, dusts or powders, fumes, carcinogens; wearing face shield or facial protection, wearing mask or respirator, use of hearing protection, wearing gloves or hand protection, wearing safety shoes or protective footgear; operation of motor vehicles, working alone, working overtime or irregular schedule, domestic and international travel possible.

Physical Job requirements:

Color discrimination, peripheral vision, depth perception, binocular vision, reading vision, distance vision; ability to speak, ability to discriminate speech, ability to smell, ability to hear in a normal range (500 to 3000 Hz); sitting, standing, walking, climbing stairs, climbing ladders, bending, stooping, crouching, kneeling, twisting the trunk or back, balancing, reaching overhead, reaching horizontally, reaching down; applying torque with hands or arms, gripping with the hand, pressing with hands or arms, pushing with hands or arms, pulling with hands or arms, fine motor control, use of both hands, use of both arms, use of both legs, use of both feet, lifting 20-30 pounds, carrying 20-30 pounds.

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:

Please include a resume and cover letter describing how you meet the required and 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.

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

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.

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