Early Career W87-1 Weapon R&D Electrical Engineer - Drive -Generation National Security Tec

What Your Job Will Be Like

Join our Systems Engineering Team as a W87-1 R&D Electrical Engineer for the W87-1 Modification Program.

This is a rare opportunity to mold the W87-1 Warhead design during development engineering and qualification, into production, and ultimately fielding as an ICBM leg of the nuclear triad.

The W87-1 Warhead will replace the aging W78 and be deployed on the USAF Sentinel missile within the Mk21A Reentry Vehicle. This high‑profile program is part of major USAF acquisition initiatives, collaborating closely with national security partners including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Kansas City National Security Complex, Pantex, and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Are you a talented early‑career or recent graduate Electrical Engineer passionate about making an impact in research and development who can handle a wide variety of roles and responsibilities in a collaborative environment?

This role offers a unique opportunity to develop your skills across engineering domains working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, and grow as a systems‑level problem solver. You will receive mentorship and training to help you succeed in driving technical discussions, coordinating with experts, and realizing product.

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

• Support system engineering activities including component requirements generation and verification ensuring alignment across electrical and mechanical domains.
• Assist in developing and maintaining model‑based systems engineering (MBSE) models using CAMEO to support system design and analysis.
• Design, review, and update electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and related technical documentation.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, including system leads, quality, test, and environment teams, to solve technical challenges.
• Participate as a systems representative on Product Realization Teams, contributing to design reviews, product releases, and hardware deliveries.
• Contribute to advancing technology and manufacturing readiness levels.
• Assist in developing burn down plans, implementing risk mitigation strategies, and managing programmatic aspects as needed.
• Troubleshoot and resolve test failures, including electrical and electromagnetic issues, coordinating with SMEs and test teams.
• Lead meetings and coordinate SMEs under guidance to support timely resolution of system‑level issues.
• Present technical findings and program updates to diverse audiences with support from senior team members.
• Represent Sandia on multi‑organizational teams including NNSA, DoD, LLNL, and others, fostering collaboration across the Nuclear Security Enterprise.
• Understand hardware nonconformances and determine acceptability for system tests and negotiate hardware pedigree and delivery dates with test leads.
• Participate in training and mentorship programs designed to develop your skills and expertise.

Location and Travel: Due to the nature of the work, the selected participant must be able to work onsite in Livermore. This position will require occasional travel up to 25%.

$121,900 - $237,800

* 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 electrical engineering 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.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q clearance.

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

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Ability to work independently and collaborate well in a multidisciplinary team of designers and test engineers.
• Outstanding verbal and written skills, including the ability to…