Senior/Principal R&D Mechanical Engineer - National Security Products Center, NM/CA, 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. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like

Our hardware supports national security. Our systems must perform in demanding environments. Our engineers help turn concepts into reliable mechanical products that support some of the nation¿s most important missions.

We are seeking motivated and team-oriented R&D Mechanical Engineers to support the research, design, development, analysis, testing, qualification, production, and sustainment of complex mechanical systems, components, tooling, test hardware, and advanced material structures for nuclear deterrence programs. This is hands-on, mission-connected engineering across the full product lifecycle ¿ from early concepts and requirements through design, prototyping, fabrication, test, qualification, deployment, production support, and fielded-system sustainment.

We are hiring across multiple departments, and selected candidates may support a broad range of mission-focused technical areas, including mechanical component design, handling and test gear, gas transfer systems, pressure systems, composite structures, fixtures, tooling, production hardware, structural hardware, and experimental test systems.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams that may include systems engineers, materials scientists, manufacturing engineers, test engineers, designers, analysts, quality partners, production organizations, and program stakeholders. This role is well suited for engineers who enjoy solving complex technical problems, working hands-on with hardware, collaborating across disciplines, and applying sound engineering judgment to high-consequence systems.

This position offers the opportunity to build technical depth while seeing your work become real hardware that supports real national security missions.

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

• Design mechanical components, assemblies, tooling, fixtures, handling gear, test equipment, pressure-system hardware, or structural components.
• Develop early concepts and mature them into producible engineering designs.
• Create, interpret, review, and redline engineering drawings, product specifications, and design documentation.
• Apply geometric dimensioning and tolerancing principles to support design definition, inspection, and manufacturability.
• Use CAD tools to model parts, assemblies, tooling, and mechanical systems.
• Support fabrication, assembly, prototype builds, production activities, and hardware troubleshooting.
• Work with manufacturing partners to resolve production challenges and improve design manufacturability.
• Develop and execute test plans to evaluate design performance, reliability, durability, and qualification readiness.
• Conduct mechanical, environmental, pressure, structural, materials, or component-level testing.
• Collect, process, analyze, and interpret experimental data to inform design decisions.
• Use engineering analysis, simulation, or finite element tools to evaluate concepts and support technical recommendations.
• Participate in product qualification activities, including test planning, execution, documentation, reporting, and review.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to integrate mechanical designs into larger systems and mission applications.
• Document technical work through reports, briefings, design reviews, test reports, and presentations.
• Support project planning, cost and schedule estimates, risk management, procurement, vendor coordination, and customer communication.
• Maintain safe laboratory practices, test capabilities, documentation, and worker qualifications as needed.
• Mentor junior engineers, contribute to technical decision-making, and communicate results to technical and programmatic stakeholders.

In this role, you will help transform ideas into robust mechanical solutions, support hardware that must perform in demanding environments, and contribute to systems central to national security.

Due to the nature of the work, selected applicants must be able to work onsite 100% of the time. We are primarily hiring for positions located in Livermore, CA, with a limited number of select opportunities available in Albuquerque, NM.

Applicants on this requisition may be interviewed by multiple organizations at Sandia National Laboratories.

The position requires an ability to travel (typically less than 25%) to support the mission.

Salary Range

$139,900 - $280,600

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

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.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.
  

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D S&E Mechanical Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience with mechanical engineering and product realization in the NNSA complex.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

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

• Relevant experience in mechanical design, test, analysis, manufacturing, production, or hardware development.
• Experience with CAD tools such as Creo, SolidWorks, CATIA, Fibersim, or similar software.
• Experience designing mechanical hardware, tooling, fixtures, machined components, welded assemblies, or test equipment.
• Experience creating, interpreting, and reviewing engineering drawings, including GD&T.
• Experience developing and executing test plans, collecting data, and analyzing test results.
• Experience with data acquisition systems, sensors, instrumentation, or experimental methods.
• Experience supporting design verification, environmental testing, qualification testing, or production acceptance testing.
• Familiarity with computational simulation and modeling tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, or similar finite element analysis tools.
• Hands-on experience building, assembling, testing, or troubleshooting hardware.
• Experience working with manufacturing teams, vendors, or production organizations.
• Familiarity with welding, machining, composites manufacturing, additive manufacturing, or other production processes.
• Experience with composite materials, layup processes, bonded interfaces, materials testing, or structural characterization.
• Familiarity with pressure systems, gas systems, or high-pressure test environments.
• Familiarity with programming or analysis tools such as MATLAB, Python, C++, Fortran, or similar languages.
• Basic understanding of systems engineering principles and product lifecycle processes.
• Experience managing project tasks, schedules, deliverables, costs, risks, or technical scope.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while contributing to team objectives.
• Active DOE Q-level clearance, DOE L-level clearance, or other transferable U.S. Government security clearance.
  

About Our Team

The California National Security Products Center provides design engineering, qualification, product realization, sustainment, and advanced development for a suite of national security products including Nuclear Deterrence. Our work supports the Laboratories¿ purpose: develop advanced technologies to ensure global peace.

The Center¿s portfolio includes the following systems:

• Telemetry systems for Joint Test Assemblies (JTAs).
• Handling gear used for weapon operations.
• Gas transfer systems (GTS) for CA weapons.
• A variety of use-control subsystems.
• Situational Awareness for National Security.

The Center¿s work is enabled by partnerships with organizations throughout Sandia and the Nuclear Security Enterprise, especially those that provide a deep scientific understanding of weapon system performance throughout the lifecycle.

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.