Startup Engineer

About the role

SMSI is seeking a Startup Engineer to support our client, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Engineer is responsible for serving as the primary liaison between PSD-DO and PPI-DO, representing PPI in the Project Owner Role (POR) on construction projects. This position requires working onsite at LANL and active Q clearance. The position requires exceptional organizational, analytical, communication, and project management skills, with a proven ability to lead, mentor, and coordinate multidisciplinary construction teams while maintaining a strong focus on safety, security, quality, schedule, and cost performance.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison between PSD-DO and PPI-DO, representing PPI in the Project Owner Role (POR) on construction projects.
• Ensure end-user requirements are met across design, procurement, installation, and hot testing.
• Mentor new PPI employees on PF4 operations and plant functionality.
• Collaborate closely with project disciplines through meetings, walkdowns, design reviews, equipment inspections, and testing to keep project execution on budget and schedule.
• Develop, maintain, and submit project schedules, cost estimates, budget forecasts, and other required program documentation.
• Coordinate facility upgrades requirements with personnel requests and anticipated technical and operational needs.
• Monitor project milestones, deliverables, resources, and performance to ensure commitments are met.
• Support planning and execution of facility improvements to enhance technical capabilities and meet future mission requirements.
• Maintain effective communication and coordination among technical personnel and program management.
• Emphasize and promote safety, security, environmental stewardship, and compliance while accomplishing program objectives.
• Identify program risks, resource constraints, schedule concerns, and cost issues and provide recommendations to management.
• Maintain accurate program documentation and records in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Train and mentor designated replacement personnel to ensure continuity of ongoing program management responsibilities and processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of organizational and mission requirements.

Skills

• 20 years of experience supporting LANL in construction or technical management.
• Experience mentoring and coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams and project deliverables.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem‑solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop schedules, cost estimates, forecasts, and program reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief management.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting established schedules and deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly regulated, safety‑conscious, and security‑focused environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline.
• Minimum of 20 years of relevant technical experience at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Requirements

• Active DOE Q clearance.
• US citizenship.
• Active Real‑ID driver’s license.