Cleared Senior​/Principal Systems Engineer - Nuclear Safety Assessment, Onsite

Cleared Senior/Principal Systems Engineer - Nuclear Safety Assessment, Onsite

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://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..gov

* These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a dedicated R&D Systems Engineer with nuclear weapons experience to play a crucial role in assessing both conceptual and realized design details across various engineering domains in support of nuclear safety principles. In this position, you will conduct thorough analyses of component responses under normal and abnormal environments, ensuring that all systems work together effectively to uphold the highest standards of safety and reliability.

You will partner with Assessment Teams, Significant Finding Investigation committees, and Red Teams, to perform comprehensive nuclear safety analyses that support stockpile sustainment and development activities, such as the State of the Stockpile and Annual Assessments. Your ability to communicate assessment findings effectively will be vital, as you will prepare technical reports and presentations for a diverse audience, ranging from staff engineers to executive leadership.

Your contributions will directly inform risk‑informed decision‑making processes that impact the future of nuclear safety.

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

Independently review detailed technical documents and identify salient issues related to nuclear safety.

Engage with weapon system, component design, assurance, and other surety organizations.

Maintain awareness of issues related to design, development, production, maintenance, and dismantlement of weapon systems.

Assess tests, materials, and components for adequacy against requirements.

Evaluate procedures, product specifications, and standards for compliance.

Lead independent safety assessments of nuclear weapon systems and components, analyzing responses under thermal, shock, vibration, and EMI/EMC environments.

Define problem scope and requirements, develop technical approaches, and apply quantitative and qualitative methods (e.g., fault‑tree, FMEA, margin quantification).

Design experiments or simulations to evaluate safety‑critical subsystems, collaborating with system and test engineers to verify requirements.

Develop analytical frameworks and digital models to support risk‑informed decisions

Mentor junior engineers in safety‑analysis techniques and review their deliverables for technical accuracy

Communicate findings in technical reports and executive‑level briefs that directly inform leadership decisions and stockpile assessment reviews

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range:

$114,000 - $227,500

* 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…