TTO/Readiness First Line Manager (Manager of Projects 3)

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Program Project Interface (PPI) Division is seeking an outstanding candidate to join our multi-disciplinary team within the Project to Operations Integration Office (PPI-3). PPI plays a critical role in ensuring the successful execution of capital line item and programmatic equipment projects, serving as a strategic bridge between the Associate Laboratory Director for Weapons Production (ALDWP) and the Associate Laboratory Director for Plutonium Infrastructure (ALDPI). PPI supports the delivery of next-generation facilities, infrastructure, and equipment essential to mission success, championing operational excellence by representing program owner interests, aligning with program goals, and collaborating closely with project execution teams.

The Project-to-Operations Integration Office (PPI-3) provides functional management of the New/Revised/Restarted Activity Approval Process at the Laboratory and serves as the primary Transition to Operations (TTO) interface with projects within the PPI portfolio. The selected candidate will serve as a First Line Manager, providing functional management to team members supporting large, highly visible, multi-billion-dollar projects that advance LANL's plutonium strategy and production mission.

Responsibilities

• Support the planning, coordination, and execution of equipment, infrastructure, and facility projects in alignment with transition to operations objectives.
• Provide operational supervision and technical guidance to assigned project-management staff and other team members.
• Monitor active project work to ensure responsible actions are being taken, project issues are addressed, and deliverables remain aligned with scope, schedule, budget, quality, and safety expectations.
• Support cost, schedule, forecasting, change-control, risk, and project-integration activities across assigned projects.
• Review and support project execution plans, transition-to-operations plans, continuous-improvement plans, assessments, estimates, schedules, forecasts, and other key project documents.
• Partner with LANL directorates including ALDPI, ALDICP, and ALDWP, project execution organizations, facility operations, engineering, procurement, construction, safety management program (SMP) owners, and DOE/NNSA stakeholders to support effective project execution.
• Increase cross-organizational efficiency to promote an integrated approach to project delivery.
• Support staffing plans, work assignments, hiring, onboarding, performance management, employee development, and recognition for assigned staff.
• Promote strong safety, security, quality, compliance, and continuous-improvement culture across assigned work.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with internal and external customers, senior management, peer organizations, and project execution stakeholders.

Requirements

• Leadership
  • Demonstrated experience leading technical, operational, or project-management teams in complex or high-consequence environments.
  • Ability to provide direction, coaching, feedback, and accountability to assigned personnel.
  • Demonstrated success building trust, encouraging teamwork, resolving conflict, and supporting an inclusive work environment.
  • Ability to plan, organize, lead, and monitor multidisciplinary team efforts through successful completion.
  • Ability to support staffing, employee development, performance management, onboarding, and team recognition activities.
  • Commitment to safety, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Program and Project Management
  • Thorough knowledge of project management principles, project controls, change control, risk management, and cost/schedule integration.
  • Experience supporting infrastructure, equipment-installation/upgrades, construction, engineering, operations, nuclear, high-consequence, or mission-critical projects.
  • Knowledge of construction, engineering, procurement, operations, technical, and project-execution interfaces.
  • Ability to review, interpret, and communicate project plans, schedules, estimates, forecasts, risks, and performance metrics.
  • Experience supporting project execution within contractual requirements, quality standards, safety requirements, regulatory expectations, and customer commitments.
  • Ability to provide guidance on project-management policies, procedures, standards, and programs.
  • Experience contributing to project staffing plans, financial planning, forecasting, and resource management.
• Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
  • Strong consultative skills with the ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate with project teams, technical staff, managers, senior leaders, and external customers.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate project status, issues, risks, and recommendations clearly and effectively.
  • Ability to influence across organizations, build consensus, and support timely resolution of project execution challenges.
  • Ability to represent organizational capabilities, project status, and performance expectations in meetings, briefings, and customer interactions.
• Startup and Readiness
  • Experience with nuclear, radiological, or other industrial/high hazard facilities operations requirements, including safeguards and security, radiation protection, waste management, criticality safety, conduct of operations, and quality assurance/control.

Qualifications

Position requires a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution and 5 years related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and technical experience directly related to the occupation.

Desired Skills

• Familiarity with TTO, commissioning, startup, or operational readiness.
• Familiarity with assessment processes to include DOE Assessments, Management Self-Assessments (MSA), or the readiness review process, including familiarity with DOE O 425.1E, Verification of Readiness to Startup or Restart Nuclear Facilities.
• Familiarity with TA-55, PF-4, CMR, programmatic equipment, glovebox systems, or related plutonium facility operations.
• Active Q-Clearance.

Work Environment

• Work Location: Onsite 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. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.

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).
• 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. 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.
• 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.
• Incentive Compensation Program: Position is eligible to participate in the Triad Incentive Compensation Program. You must be in an eligible position for a minimum of 3 months, before July 1st and remain in an eligible position as of the end of the fiscal year, September 30th. The annual distribution is prorated based on the number of months in the eligible position.