Science Lead Modeling and Systems Analysis Center of Excellence; Scientist

What You Will Do

The Information Systems and Modeling Group (A-1) conducts applied complex systems modeling to support decision makers responsible for preparing for and responding to key national security threats. A-1's competencies include critical infrastructure resilience analysis, chemical and biological weapon plume dispersion modeling, applied quantum computing, pandemic modeling and response, wildfire modeling, and more. LANL is standing up a Center of Excellence for Modeling and Simulation, which will serve as a mission-focused entity supporting LANL's strategic assessments and systems analysis for DoD, NNSA, and national security leadership.

The Center will bring together code development, verification and validation, data management, AI applications, and hardware recommendations to support mission needs. As the science lead for the Center, you will lead a dynamic team of scientists and engineers who support NNSA and DoD partners in critical strategic planning roles. Your focus will be to deliver, sometimes on short timelines, a wide breadth of decision support tools to meet specific needs of DoD strategic leaders.

You may identify and develop mission-relevant capabilities for AFSIM, implement novel AI approaches to exploring possible conflict situations, or develop critical infrastructure resilience models. This highly collaborative role requires thoughtful, thorough, and timely communication with the team and with internal and external partners and sponsors.

The candidate will spend significant time interfacing with key LANL and DoD stakeholders to lead the identification, design, and implementation of crucial strategic planning tools. This role requires extensive DoD-relevant strategic planning expertise, deep modeling/simulation knowledge, and experience leading software development teams. Some mentoring will be provided to ensure the candidate has the required mission background, contextual information, internal and external networks, and technical understanding.

The candidate is expected to mentor a team comprised of staff, postdocs, and students.

What You Need

Minimum

Job Requirements:

• Proficiency with Python and common third-party modules for data science, optimization, modeling, and simulation
• Proficiency developing software that integrates with various services and tools through APIs (including some that may not be well documented)
• Extensive experience designing and implementing models and simulations for complex real-world phenomena
• Extensive experience documenting software for use by non-experts
• Extensive experience collecting, organizing, and using real-world data from a variety of sources in models and simulations
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Extensive experience leading medium- to large-sized teams centered on deliverable-focused software development projects using modern industry best practices (e.g., Git Lab, CI/CD, unit/integration testing)
• Extensive experience and working knowledge of the DoD
• Extensive experience and success leading grant proposals for a variety of sponsors
• Extensive experience mentoring staff, postdocs, and students
• Ability and desire to obtain Q and SCI clearances, which requires U.S. citizenship

Education/

Experience:

Position requires a Master’s degree in a STEM field from an accredited college or university and 12 years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.

Desired

Qualifications:

• Familiarity with standard modeling and simulation tools employed by the NNSA and DoD
• Knowledge of AFSIM and experience developing AFSIM modules
• Current Q and SCI clearances
• Experience developing software at multiple classification levels

Work Environment:

Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Position commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs…