Cleared Senior/Principal R&D Systems Engineer- Component and Tester Surety, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories

Albuquerque, USA

Job posting number: #7322105 (Ref:Sa696467)

Posted: December 13, 2025

Job Description

About Sandia:

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

  • Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
  • Extraordinary co-workers
  • Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
  • Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
  • Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
  • Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a R&D Systems Engineer to work within the Component and Tester Surety Engineering Department, which is responsible for the evaluation and qualification of test equipment systems used to assure the suitability of Sandia's high-fidelity and high-consequence products.

On any given day, you might:

  • Actively lead and/or participate in test system defect prevention activities such as: developing Engineering Evaluation plans, FMEAs, requirements, drawing and specification reviews, software code reviews, design reviews, test data & analysis reviews, tester/product failure root cause analyses, apply critical thinking regarding tester/product potential risks and consequences, etc.
  • Lead key test system characterization and qualification activities (calibrations, gauge repeatability & reproducibility studies), etc.
  • Evaluate, test, and analyze test system functionality.
  • Validate test system safety and security provisions.
  • Collaborate with R&D teams to cultivate independent, necessary, feasible, and verifiable tester requirements.
  • Author analyses, requirements traceability reports, verification/validation plans, qualification plans, and essential engineering authorizations that ensure the tester fully meets its requirements and design intent.

Due to the nature of work, successful candidate must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range:

$114,000 - $227,500

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require:

  • A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q Clearance.

Qualifications We Desire:

The ideal R&D Systems Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

  • Graduate degree in Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
  • Experience working with Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) laboratories and plants including Pantex, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLNL) and Kansas City National Security Campus/New Mexico Operations (KCNSC/NMO).
  • Experience working on engineering design, qualification, production, or related modeling/simulation projects.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

  • Active DOE Q Clearance.
  • Designing and qualifying test hardware, software, and test equipment.
  • Applying risk-based approaches to evaluate rigor level of tester qualification activities.
  • Preventing, identifying, mitigating technical product defects and risks.
  • Authoring qualification plans, requirements maps, test plans, and measurement assurance plans.
  • Design assurance skill, including requirements engineering and traceability.
  • Technical analysis competence, including SPC, FMEA, RCA, HALT/HASS, Mistake Proofing, Design of Experiments, and Fagan Inspections.
  • Ability to tackle complex problems in the absence of clear direction (experience in ambiguous environments).

About Our Team:

The Surety Engineering Groups (2910 & 2920) are a center of excellence for research and development (R&D) Surety Systems Engineering at Sandia National Laboratories. With multidisciplinary engineers at numerous sites, our organization provides R&D hardware and software surety and systems engineering expertise throughout the entire product realization lifecycle, as well as, trains fellow scientists and engineers in defect prevention strategies and graded approaches to product qualification. We deliver strong technical solutions that increase customer confidence against loss, damage, and errors by minimizing a product's risk through the prevention, early detection, and mitigation of defects. Our engineers play a critical role in R&D project teams responsible for realizing high-consequence products, providing customized engineering support that ensures the appropriate qualification and testing evidence meets design requirements in a predictable, timely, and sustainable manner.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.

Job ID: 696467

Job Family: RD

Regular/Temporary Position: R

Full/Part-Time Status: F



All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.


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Job posting number:#7322105 (Ref:Sa696467)
Application Deadline:Open Until Filled
Employer Location:Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque,New Mexico
United States
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