V-DO Division Leader (R&D Manager 6)

About the role

Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as the Division Leader for V Division (V-DO) within the Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Engineering (ALDW). As the R&D Manager 6, you will play a pivotal role in guiding strategic initiatives, fostering innovation, and ensuring the successful delivery of program milestones. This position requires deep expertise in the Nuclear Weapons Program, proven leadership in managing complex programs, and a commitment to developing high-performing teams.

V Division verifies that weapon designs meet requirements and validates that the designs function as intended, ensuring the successful completion of investigations, qualification tests, and evaluations. This mission is accomplished through close communication and collaboration with sister divisions across ALDW and is carried out through assembly, non-destructive evaluation, test design and planning, and test execution. This leadership role requires a blend of technical knowledge, expertise in weapon verification and validation, test planning and execution, non-destructive evaluation, and the ability to foster collaboration across multidisciplinary teams to ensure mission success and continuous improvement. The division plays a critical role in supporting the safety, reliability, and performance of the nation's nuclear deterrent through rigorous verification and validation activities.

Responsibilities

• Guide strategic initiatives, foster innovation, and ensure the successful delivery of program milestones.
• Verify that weapon designs meet requirements and validate that the designs function as intended.
• Oversee investigations, qualification tests, and evaluations through assembly, non-destructive evaluation, test design and planning, and test execution.
• Collaborate closely with sister divisions across ALDW to accomplish mission objectives.
• Ensure mission success and continuous improvement through technical leadership and cross-disciplinary teamwork.

Requirements

• Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading large, complex technical organizations or programs with responsibility for people, mission delivery, organizational performance, and strategic direction.
• Technical and Programmatic Excellence: Extensive experience in engineering, testing, qualification, verification and validation, weapons engineering, or another highly complex technical environment where disciplined execution and technical rigor are essential.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrated ability to translate institutional and programmatic priorities into organizational strategy, capability development, workforce planning, and executable priorities.
• Cross-Organizational Collaboration: Proven ability to build effective partnerships across organizational boundaries and align stakeholders with differing responsibilities and priorities around shared mission outcomes.
• Workforce Leadership: Demonstrated success developing leaders and organizations, including workforce planning, succession development, performance management, recruiting, retention, and organizational change.
• Operational Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead work in environments requiring strong safety, security, quality, operational discipline, and risk management.
• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated effectiveness communicating complex technical and organizational matters with employees, technical experts, program leadership, and senior management.

Education/Experience: Position requires a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution and 15 years related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with DOE and LANL policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of the Nuclear Weapons Program and the U.S. Stockpile, with the ability to apply the information to ensure mission success.
• Familiarity and application of the SCoR principles of a safe workplace.
• Experience managing or operating within moderate hazard facilities, including work with hazardous, radiological, and/or explosives.
• Demonstrated experience with classified computing, classified data, and/or classified parts.
• Ability to obtain a Q Clearance, which normally requires US citizenship.

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.