Cleared R&D Manager - Inertial Systems, 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://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..gov

* These benefits vary by job classification.

Sandia's 5320 Navigation, Pointing, and Control & Electronics Systems Group is seeking a visionary and technically grounded R&D Science and Engineering Manager to lead our Inertial Systems Department (5326), operating at the intersection of advanced technology development and national security. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of mission-critical systems by building and empowering a multidisciplinary team of world-class engineers while partnering with senior leaders across a complex, fast-moving environment.

This role is pivotal in supporting our mission to deliver inertial sensor subsystems for defense and nuclear deterrence applications. The ideal candidate brings both technical depth and the leadership maturity to operate strategically across programs, partnerships, and people.

You will recruit, develop, and retain exceptional engineering talent across Electrical, Mechanical, and Systems Engineering domains for high-performing inertial sensor subsystems teams. You are intentional about building culture, creating development pathways, and mentoring future technical and people leaders. You set high standards, hold your team to them with care, and celebrate their growth. You build pipelines, not just headcount, and think about long-term organizational health with every hire.

Working closely with program managers, senior leaders, and government partners, you will help shape the long-term technical roadmap and resource strategy for the organization. You will:

• Advocate for performance quality in inertial sensor subsystem development, optimizing engineering release timelines to ensure successful project outcomes,
• Develop embedded hardware and software test beds utilized for sensor characterization, and
• Enhance the capabilities of the Inertial Test Lab (ITL) through strategic acquisitions and improvements.
• Expand influence through the right balance of delivery and business development.

You will work shoulder-to-shoulder with peer managers and stakeholders to align priorities, share resources intelligently, resolve interdependencies, and maintain a culture of collaboration across a matrixed organization. You build trust through consistency, candor, and follow-through. Specifically, you will:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify and implement tech insertion options, enhancing the development landscape for the W87 HASP IMU.
• Oversee the engineering development and qualification of the W87-1 JTA
  10 IMU HASP and partner with KC-NSC as we assure successful production transition.
• Lead sub-sensor teams for the W93 PLM accelerometer evaluation, collaborating with external vendors to test and evaluate next-generation sensors.
• Augment team capabilities through strategic contracting and partnerships with external design and manufacturing firms.
• Oversee the delivery of legacy flight units (RSR, GLN-MAC, W87-0 JTA4 HASP) for various programs, ensuring alignment with defense and nuclear…