Cleared Senior/Principal R&D Systems Engineer - Instrumented Flight Test Development, Onsite

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.

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking a highly motivated R&D Systems Engineer to join the W76-1 Joint Test Assembly (JTA) Weapon System Team. In this role, you will contribute to the requirements definition, testing, and qualification of the new instrumented JTA flight test body for the W76-1 weapon systems. As part of our dynamic team, you'll dive into a variety of engineering challenges—from defining and tracing complex system requirements to planning and executing large-scale flight tests. Your work will involve close collaboration with internal Sandia teams as well as external partners at LANL, KCNSC, Pantex, NNSA, and Navy SP-28.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Analyze and translate complex functional and non-functional requirements into clear, actionable technical specifications.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive requirement traceability matrices, ensuring every detail is tracked throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead collaborative requirement reviews with cross-functional teams to ensure requirements align with customer intent and mission needs.
• Partner with design and production teams to define interfaces, integration plans, and ensure that designs are both manufacturable and testable.
• Assist in crafting robust test plans and validation strategies that ensure smooth qualification and product delivery that meets surveillance mission needs.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to refine how we gather and manage requirements, making our processes more efficient and effective.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant will be required to work onsite full-time in Albuquerque, NM and may require some travel (up to 25%.)

Salary Range

$117,500 - $235,700

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.
• Active DOE Q Clearance or equivalent is required to start

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 on engineering design, qualification, or production projects within the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• High attention to detail to provide critical review for requirements tracing.

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

• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles and methodologies.
• Proven experience in requirements elicitation, analysis, and documentation.
• Familiarity with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS).
• Background in nuclear weapons lifecycle and familiarity with processes within the NSE.
• Experience working with NNSA, Department of Defense customers and contractors, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), and Pantex.
• Effective leadership abilities, including delegation, teamwork, negotiation, conflict resolution, and coaching/mentoring skills.
• Self-motivated and adaptable, comfortable working in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment.
• Commitment to fostering a culturally and technically diverse workplace.

About Our Team

The Flight Systems Engineering department is responsible for the development of flight test assets for the nuclear weapon systems within the NM stockpile. Our primary focus is on creating Joint Test Assemblies (JTAs), which are essential for collecting performance data on nuclear weapon components during flight. JTAs are designed to simulate system configurations that closely resemble war reserve conditions, ensuring that critical interfaces are maintained. This design philosophy allows us to effectively assess the reliability and safety of the components. To achieve our objectives, we employ a disciplined systems engineering approach that addresses the diverse needs of various applications and customers. Our team collaborates across Sandia and with other NSE partners to ensure solutions are delivered within achievable technical capabilities and programmatic constraints.