Control Systems Engineer

Company Description

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world‑changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability.

Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi‑domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact.

We have multiple openings for a Control Systems Engineer. You will provide engineering solutions for developing, implementing, and maintaining control systems hardware in the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's highest‑energy pulsed laser system responsible for the recent LLNL fusion breakthrough. With over 60,000 control points distributed throughout the facility, many of NIF's subsystems have control technologies at their core. You will contribute to the engineering design and development of new hardware and system upgrades to continually improve system performance and reliability.

This position is in the Laser Systems Engineering and Operations (LSEO) Division, within the Engineering Directorate.

This position requires full‑time on‑site presence due to the nature of the work.

This position will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level.

• Operate under general direction with limited responsibility, adhere to established procedures, and use fundamental knowledge and standard techniques to solve problems and contribute to project milestone completion.
• Provide hardware and software solutions that support the definition, design, documentation, assembly, fielding, and maintenance of National Ignition Facility control systems. This may include utility systems, safety systems, and laser alignment and diagnostics hardware.
• Contribute to daily activities by providing engineering support for deployment, activation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and maintenance of control systems of limited complexity, using standard techniques and methodologies.
• Assist in developing and maintaining system requirement specifications and control system designs with guidance from senior engineers, ensuring they are consistent with project goals and established standards.
• Help minimize project risks by participating in formal and informal design reviews, providing input on technical issues, and implementing feedback from senior staff.
• Maintain close communication with scientists, engineers, technicians, and designers to support effective collaboration, provide status on assigned tasks, and facilitate end‑user communication within the scope of assigned work.
• Support the National Ignition Facility operations team by troubleshooting facility issues and planned work that impacts the control system.
• Participate in the reactive maintenance on‑call rotation, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Work under limited direction with moderate responsibility, use comprehensive knowledge, and exercise independent judgment to determine methods and recommend improvements within established frameworks and contribute to the fulfillment of project and organizational goals.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of control system requirements to meet stakeholder needs for project goals.
• Provide solutions and propose improvements to control system architectures, processes, and frameworks.
• Provide technical input on control system designs through formal and informal project design reviews, in collaboration with project leads and team members.

• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q‑level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelor's degree in an Engineering discipline related to electronics, electrical engineering, control systems, or a related technical field, or the equivalent…