Welding​/Brazing R&D Engineer

What You Will Do

What You Will Do The Sigma Division is seeking a Research and Development Engineer with a Metallurgy, Welding, or similar Engineering background to support diverse programs in high energy density, semi-automatic arc welding, brazing, solid-state welding, and/or related computational modeling efforts. You will be expected to creatively apply scientific and engineering principles to establish sustainable research and development programs, support production operations at other NNSA sites, and support process and quality improvements to welding and joining challenges within the nuclear weapons complex.

In this role you will directly interface with a variety of customers, including the weapons and global security programs at LANL as well as external collaborators, including universities, private industry, and other government laboratories.

Sigma Division focuses on manufacturing science emphasizing metallurgical processes and research in support of the experimental testing program at Los Alamos. Sigma division supports a broad customer base, both internal and external to LANL, with high quality prototype and limited production components. The work ranges from unclassified to TS/SCI level security and covers all materials from hydrogen to uranium on the periodic table.

The Welding & J team encompasses a wide variety of welding and joining methods, including electron beam welding, laser welding, laser marking, laser cutting and ablation, manual and semi-automatic arc welding, brazing, and associated processing. The team also supports computational efforts, both internal to the team and in collaboration with other LANL experts, to investigate compensation, residual stresses, material composition, and microstructure development.

The W&J team works with the other teams in Sigma and beyond to solve manufacturing challenges, provide metallurgical guidance, and lead the way in cutting edge welding and joining processing.

The successful applicant will be expected to develop and lead multiple research projects and report results to stakeholders both internal and external to the laboratory. Typically Welding R&D Engineers work in teams to write proposals or work packages to fund projects to effectively address the manufacturing challenges and provide impactful mission-related solutions.

• Lead production‑centric research and development activities in the areas of high energy density welding, vacuum furnace/induction brazing, semi‑automatic and manual arc welding, or related computational modeling efforts.
• Work within integrated and cross disciplinary teams to design and fabricate experimental assemblies aligned with customer needs.
• Assist in the development of new methods, techniques or approaches to address critical technical problems.
• Provide high energy density welding/brazing/arc welding expertise and support for production agency needs.
• Develop novel welding solutions to meet customer requirements.
• Contribute to and author technical papers for publishing in peer‑reviewed technical journals.
• Write proposals for both internal and external R&D funding opportunities.
• Mentor junior staff, postdoctoral associates, or students on research or manufacturing projects.
• Participate in professional societies, complex interactions, special assignments, internal working groups and/or external special interest groups.
• Provide peer review of the work of others across organizations or disciplines.
• Assures safety and security compliance, maintains required safety and security training, and makes safety and security an integral part of every task, including taking the necessary steps to stop work if continuing the job is unsafe or compromises security.
• Fosters a mutually respectful and inclusive work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment.

Position requires a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

• Experience applying advanced engineering simulations or modeling to production…