R&D Electrical/Pulsed Power Engineer (Experienced)

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

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.

Salary Range:

$101,400 - $201,400

*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.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

The CREST (Combined Radiation Environments for Survivability Testing) Project’s Reactor Facility Development department is seeking a Pulsed Power Engineer to join our dynamic team. CREST is a proposed project to recapitalize the Annular Core Research Reactor Facility and include a short pulse electron beam accelerator to fill a mission gap for research, development, and qualification activities. The CREST complex will be sited at Tech Area V (TA-V) at Sandia’s Albuquerque, NM location. This is an extraordinary opportunity to provide expertise and oversight for the design and development of a future accelerator for the CREST nuclear facility. While the CREST accelerator is under development, some research or prototyping opportunities may be possible, and support for the sustainment of Sandia National Laboratories’ existing test capabilities found in the Saturn and HERMES III accelerators should also be expected. Sandia has a long history of designing, building, and operating major pulsed power machines, providing high currents at high voltages to drive intense gamma sources, fast-pulsed radiography systems, and the world-leading Z-machine, capable of simulating conditions inside of stars. Over the next decade we will be busy designing the CREST accelerator with capabilities to expand our support for the U.S. Department of Energy’s national security mission.

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

• Collaborate with CREST project team members and industrial business partners in designing, building, and testing new pulsed power components and systems.
• Collaborate with CREST facility and reactor design team members and system engineers to ensure proper interface requirements between the reactor and the accelerator are established and maintained and that joint operational aspects of the two are fully considered.
• Independently develop or evaluate designs of pulsed power components.
• Perform analytic calculations and numerical simulations of electrical and mechanical performance of designs, then prove them out in the laboratory.
• Participate on experimental teams conducting research and development of gamma-ray generating sources.
• Provide and maintain engineering support for existing accelerators.

Join our team and achieve your goals while making a difference!

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

Qualifications We Require:

• A Master’s in engineering, physics or a related STEM field plus 5 years’ experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent design (or research) and development
• Experience designing and fielding pulsed power components and systems
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoE Q clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

• A PhD in engineering, physics, or a related STEM field
• Experience with designing and fielding advanced pulsed power components and systems
• Experience working with electrical, mechanical, pressure, vacuum, and diagnostic systems
• Experience with Circuit Modeling Software such as PSPICE or MicroCap
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis Software such as COMSOL, Multiphysics, ANSYS Maxwell or related packages
• Ability to work both independently and within a multi-disciplinary team environment, building consensus and resolving issues
• Advanced interpersonal skills, including excellent communication skills with the ability to prepare clearly written technical reports and briefings
• Experience defining and solving challenging, complex problems in a timely manner

About Our Team:

The CREST Reactor Facility Development Group (1391) is responsible for designing and developing the research reactor, the pulsed power electron/gamma-ray accelerator, and the systems engineering needed to integrate these into the CREST facility. CREST is intended to provide a safe, purpose-built gamma and neutron radiation environment test facility for stockpile qualification and numerous other research and development activities. Overall, the CREST complex will include new research reactor infrastructure for the Annular Core Research Reactor, a gamma accelerator, new and improved nuclear material storage, handling, and processing space, as well as associated metrology, laboratory space, offices, and other required infrastructure. CREST will be a flexible, multi-program complex anticipated to take the forefront of combined radiation environment test and simulation capabilities development. This team is part of the Radiation, Electrical and High Energy Density (REHEDS) Research Foundation at Sandia.

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 vacations, 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.

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.

Job ID: 687753