Project-Program Director 4

About the role

The Product Realization and Reliability Office (PRRO) in Nuclear Production Operations is a multidisciplinary group of engineers and scientists who support some of the nation's important plutonium programs including pit production, surveillance, research & development, and subcritical experiments. Our work spans across the entire Nuclear Production Operations organization and tackles complex technical challenges that directly support national security.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineering analysts working across mission-critical programs.
• Perform and oversee sophisticated analytical work, selecting methods that range from first-principles calculations to high-fidelity simulations.
• Ensure high quality results through structured peer review and comprehensive documentation.
• Engage directly with customers and program leadership to shape analytical approaches and influence the long-term development of analysis capabilities at LANL.
• Contribute to strategic planning and capability development across PRRO and the larger Nuclear Production Operations organization.
• Provide final review and approval for all analytical work produced by your team.
• Support the growth of early career engineers through mentoring and coaching.

Requirements

• Experience in aspects of project management of technical work, including defining work scope, schedules, budgets, priorities, and performance milestones; developing cost, scope, and schedule baselines
• Complete and thorough understanding of the finite element method, demonstrated expertise in complex modeling and simulation (e.g., structural, thermal, fluid, electromagnetic)
• Expertise with commercial applications such as Ansys, Abaqus, and MatLab
• Expertise in applying fundamental techniques and engineering best practices
• Experience mentoring early career scientists and engineers
• Understanding of validation and verification methods
• Strong documentation skills; demonstrated ability to document technical results in a formal method/format
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Strong presentation skills

Qualifications

• Minimum Job Requirements:
• Education/Experience: Position requires a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution and 8 years related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

Skills

• An advanced degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited institution. A Ph.D. is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in non-linear finite element modeling
• Demonstrated experience with mechanical testing (e.g., structural, thermal, fluid flow) in support of model validation including experiment design, planning, organization, execution, data reduction, and data correlation
• Demonstrated experience in designing and executing experiments to evaluate the performance of equipment and the quality of manufacturing processes.
• Familiarity with Models Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML language is preferred
• Fundamental understanding of mechanical design engineering and the design process

Pay

Project-Program Director 4 ($170,600 - $295,400)

Schedule

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

Benefits

• 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)