Cleared Distinguished/Senior Scientist, R&D Systems Engineer - W87-1 Program Chief Engineer, Onsite

Cleared Distinguished/Senior Scientist, R&D Systems Engineer - W87-1 Program Chief Engineer, Onsite

Albuquerque, NM

Job ID: 699508 Apply Now

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 Like:

We are seeking a Program Chief Engineer (PCE) for the W87-1 to serve as the senior technical leader for a highly visible, mission-critical modernization program. In this role, you will report to the Center 2300 Director and partner with senior managers, managers, and staff as the Sandia technical lead integrating all aspects of the program, providing enterprise-level technical leadership and authoritative guidance across multiple disciplines and organizations

As the W87-1 PCE, you will shape technical direction for the program by leading system integration, design optimization, qualification strategy, anomaly resolution, and complex technical trades across the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE). Supported by a strong team of discipline-specific technical leaders, you will apply broad engineering judgment to resolve ambiguous, high-consequence issues, drive technically sound and risk-informed decisions, and ensure the program maintains a robust, defensible design and qualification basis.

This role requires a recognized technical leader who can align diverse stakeholders, influence technical direction across Sandia and the NSE, and provide clear, authoritative perspectives on the issues most critical to mission success. You will help strengthen program execution and long-term technical resilience through innovation, integration, disciplined technical review, and setting an example of commitment to program execution.

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

Partner with other PCEs and Domain Chief Engineers (DCEs) to ensure consistency and excellence in technical deliverables, maintain timely and responsive technical decisions, and influence technical direction across Sandia and the NSE.

Provide authoritative technical leadership for the W87-1 system, supported by the W87-1 Core Team, by defining and evaluating technical approaches that guide system decisions within program constraints.

Evaluate and disposition technical change requests using sound engineering judgment and consideration of technical risk, cost, schedule, and mission impact.

Lead system integration, design optimization, and development of design themes, with emphasis on innovative approaches that improve technical performance and long-term mission capability. Systems integration will include engaging production agencies to create product realization solutions that maintain design intent and are supported by solid technical basis.

Establish and maintain a defensible qualification basis by integrating modeling, simulation, testing, and other technical evidence to resolve complex multidisciplinary questions.

Communicate key technical concerns, risks, and alternative technical paths to Sandia executive leadership to support enterprise-level decision-making, ensuring that critical issues such as inadequate technical definition, unclear or TBD requirements, and single-point technical failures are fully understood.

Assure technical rigor and documentation quality for system-level product realization documents, including signature approval on key system-level paperwork such as CD, ME, BB, PQ, RQs, and NS, while contributing to technical standards, practices, and lessons learned that benefit future efforts.

Act as SNL lead for technical integration and optimization with LLNL, including advisement and technical authority for system interface documentation such as IDs and external ICDs, ensuring consistency across technical domains and partner organizations.

Represent Sandia technical equities within the POG and provide technical briefings as needed to do so. Provide technical coordination and engagement with POG, POG subteams, and the NNSA Project Team in coordination with program senior managers, while contributing to cross-program technical alignment.

Serve as the lead interface for major peer and technical reviews across the program, partnering with DCEs to identify appropriate review areas, execute and document the program's peer review plan, and use outcomes to advance technical understanding and inform future strategy.

Identify and mentor next-generation technical leaders in system integration to strengthen institutional capability.

Engage in the review and support of other ND system integration activities, as needed, in coordination with the 2300 Director and Chief Engineer Network.

Champion digital engineering, model-based systems engineering, and advanced manufacturing initiatives, including development and insertion of innovative methods that improve technical decision-making and future program execution within program constraints.

Lead cybersecurity implementation and assurance, including rigor in technical data packages with DoD, aligned with DoD and NNSA requirements to ensure technical solutions are robust, integrated, and sustainable across the system lifecycle.

Provide technical briefings to internal and external stakeholders, including NDEAB, the Lab Director, Congressional staff, and DoD, representing Sandia as a recognized technical expert in complex modernization.

The selected candidate will lead teams staffed by the W87-1 management team and oversee execution of the program's system design architecture, stewardship of the Material

Requirements

• Schedule (MRS), and leadership of the Systems Core team.

• Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. This position also requires travel between locations approximately 25% of the time.

Salary Range:

• $163,700 - $278,000

• *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:

• Master's or PhD in a relevant STEM discipline and 10 or more years of relevant ND experience.

• Direct technical experience in modernization programs for nuclear weapons systems, subsystems, surveillance, production, and/or components.

• Active DOE Q clearance or equivalent with the ability to obtain additional clearances as required.

• For consideration for this position, applicants must submit a minimum of three and a maximum of five letters of recommendation. These letters must address the applicant's demonstrated knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) as performed at the Senior Engineer level.

Qualifications We Desire:

• A broad and established network within Sandia's ND weapons product realization and science and technology communities.

• Broad understanding of the Sandia ND mission and Sandia's interfaces and responsibilities within the NNSA and the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE), particularly LLNL, KCNSC, and PX.

• Direct experience in system-level technical leadership of modernization programs across multiple lifecycle phases.

• Experience conceiving, developing, and leading cross-organizational technical programs, projects, and teams.

• Prior or existing working relationships with NNSA and with DoD elements supporting modernization programs.

• Experience leading system integration efforts, resolving complex multidisciplinary technical issues, and making risk-informed technical trade decisions within programmatic constraints.

• Experience establishing or evaluating qualification strategies and balanced technical bases using modeling, simulation, testing, and other technical evidence.

• Experience with digital engineering, mo