Mechanical Engineer ; R&D Engineer

The Accelerator Operations and Technology Division (AOT), Radio Frequency Engineering (RFE) group is seeking an R&D Engineer at either a Level 2 or Level 3 for their 805 MHz HPRF team.

The AOT division is responsible for maintaining, operating, and upgrading all accelerator systems at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) complex. These systems include two 750-keV Cockcroft-Walton-based injector systems (H+ and H- systems), a 201.25-MHz drift-tube linear accelerator (LINAC) utilizing high-power diacrode tubes, an 805-MHz coupled cavity LINAC utilizing high-power klystrons as the primary power source, a proton storage ring, and approximately one kilometer of beam transport lines that deliver beam to the five independent research programs.

The RFE group oversees all radio frequency (RF) systems and consists of three specialized teams:
Low-Level RF (LLRF) focused on real-time phase and amplitude controls;
High-Power RF (HPRF) systems at 201 MHz; and High-Power RF systems at 805 MHz. The group provides expertise, support, technical, leadership and engineering support in RF system design, including gridded tube amplifiers, klystrons, RF control systems, and accelerator cavities.

R&D Engineer 2 $ 104,100 - $172,200

The High-Power RF (HPRF) team at LANSCE is looking for a candidate with a background in Mechanical Engineering or related field to join the RF Engineering group. This is a support role with dynamic responsibilities, guided by the priorities of the HPRF plant ies include troubleshooting programmatic equipment and extending to engineering and supervisory aspects of project execution such as performing initial calculations, developing specifications, submitting procurement orders and coordinate testing and delivery, and installation.

R&D Engineer 3 $ 125,200 - $211,300

In addition to what is outlined for R&D Engineer 2, this level includes leading and contributing to the planning and implementation of future RF system upgrades as part of a larger team engineering team. This involves an evaluation of two existing modulator designs and design improvements to enable higher power operation.

What You Need

• Demonstrated leadership in engineering efforts in the design, fabrication, assembly, and testing of complex scientific instrumentation.
• Experience in engineering calculations, numerical analysis, materials evaluation and applied design rules, to the fabrication and testing of new devices.
• Experience in vibration and thermal isolation and optical components.
• Experience with multiple fabrication techniques and design tools for producing complex components and systems.
• Experience in preparing detailed mechanical drawings.
• Demonstrated ability with CAD tools.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and collaborative work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a diverse, multidisciplinary team.
• Advance verbal and written communication skills necessary to collaborate in a team environment

Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 3:

• Advanced experience leading mechanical engineering efforts for new initiatives, delivering complex scientific instrumentation, experiment diagnostics, and systems.
• Demonstrated leadership overseeing the mechanical integration and testing of systems and devices, in collaboration with staff scientists, fabrication facilities and technicians.
• Demonstrated success of managing the execution and delivery of technical work with defined scope, ensuring projects are completed on time within budget and to a high standard of quality and assurance using engineering processes.

Education/Experience at lower level: 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.

Education/Experience at the higher level: Position requires a Master's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 6 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation. At this level a Ph.D. may be preferred.

Desired

Qualifications:

• Experience with high-voltage DC and pulsed-power systems.
• Experience with computer-based circuit layout simulation (PSpice, Multisim, LTSPice, etc.)
• Experience with NI Lab View and Lab View/FPGA programming.
• Experience with matrix algebra and block diagram simulation software (Matlab/Simulink, Scilab/Xcos, etc.).
• Operations experience at an accelerator facility.

Essential Job Functions (can perform with or without reasonable accommodation):
Ability to speak, Ability to discriminate speech, Ability to hear in a normal range (20 Hz to about 20 KHz), Sitting, Standing, Walking, Climbing Ladders, Bending, Stooping, Crouching, Kneeling, Twisting the trunk or back, Lifting 30+ pounds, Carrying 30+ pounds, Use of both hands, Use of both arms, Reaching overhead, Reaching horizontally, Reaching down, Applying torque with hands or arms.

Work Environment:

Work Location: The…