Cleared Senior​/Principal R&D Chemical Engineer - Explosives Chemist, 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.

We are seeking a highly motivated R&D Chemist/ Chemical Engineer within the Explosive Materials department that enables the entire manufacturing life cycle for Energetic Materials. You will have the opportunity to leverage your technical expertise in a dynamic manufacturing environment with challenging product design requirements and stringent quality standards. The Explosive Materials Department conducts a range of highly specialized activities necessary to deliver energetic materials and product assurance to the entirety of the Explosives Technology Group.

You will be expected to oversee product acceptance activities and documentation along with hands‑on work in a production and development environment for explosive material processing. In addition, you will work closely with the broader team to ensure a thorough technical understanding of assigned processes and to successfully develop and qualify new equipment and processes. Department specialized capabilities include explosive material synthesis and formulation, energetic powder processing and drying, in‑process testing and post‑process characterization, product engineering, and product quality assurance.

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

• Manage product definition (graphic drawings and specifications) for explosive materials under development or in production
• Support production qualification of explosive materials
• Work with external suppliers to procure or produce development or Mark Quality materials
• Provide input to explosive component design, qualification, and surveillance
• Support or lead problem‑solving efforts or improvement activities related to explosive material production including method development and development projects using design of experiments
• Perform hands‑on work in a laboratory setting with explosive materials and hazardous chemicals, managing explosive inventory, hazardous waste, and performing all work to rigorous safety practices
• Prepare and review safety basis documentation for hazardous work performed in the area of expertise, to include an understanding of remote explosive operations
• Make decisions regarding product quality

Some travel may be required.

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

$117,500 - $235,700

* 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.

• 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.
• An active DOE Q clearance, or equivalent is required to start.

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

• Graduate degree in Chemical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Proven ability to work and communicate effectively in a collaborative and interdisciplinary team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast‑paced/schedule driven environment.
• Previous product/process engineering experience.
• Familiarity with the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) product realization process, including design, qualification, quantity production, and surveillance.
• Desire to work hands‑on in a high‑rigor environment for the production of explosive materials.
• Experience handling and working with explosives.
• Experience working to and generating written work documentation, with particular attention paid to safety significant instructions.
• Experience troubleshooting and providing technical…