Target Fabrication Engineer; R&D Engineer

Overview

What You Will Do:

You will work independently and as a member of the Target Fabrication and Engineering Team in the Engineered Materials Group, MST 7. As a member of a team of skilled professionals your primary responsibility will be for the engineering, design, fabrication, assembly, and metrology of targets for the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) programs. The successful candidate will be the project leader coordinating efforts with physicists, machinists, and engineers, leading the fabrication design, experimental package design, component dimensional inspection, and final assembly of packages.

Development tasks may include machining, inspection, or robotic assembly development. Many targets and parts are millimeter or sub-millimeter in size with dimensional tolerances ranging from nanometers to micrometers. Targets contain fragile and unconventional materials (such as thin films, fibers, fragile coatings, low-density foams, and beryllium) and are complex, used to validate computer codes; therefore, they must be as close to perfect as possible using state-of-the-art manufacturing technology.

Any imperfections must be measured, characterized and documented. Since target designs continually change and tend to become more complex, fabrication methods must continually be developed. This position balances project management, research, and hands-on assembly with opportunities for development and publications, plus networking possibilities with universities and other fields of study. The work is highly visible nationally and adds valuable information to inform plasma physics models for plasma physics research.

Salary: $94,500 - $154,600

• Meet with researchers to determine a minimal risk design for producing the needed targets and translate requirements into assembly and fabrication drawings; interface with principal investigators, theoreticians, machinists, chemists, materials scientists and technicians, and other assembly team members within LANL and other DOE facilities.
• Coordinate and monitor manufacturing, fabrication and assembly operations to build the targets in the three-month design cycle.
• Perform fabrication processes for which responsible (training provided).
• Help field the targets at experimental facilities (primarily LANL, University of Rochester, Sandia National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory). Moderate travel is required (a few days per month).

Salary: $104,100 - $172,200

In addition to the duties outlined above, the higher level will be expected to:

• Manage and coordinate manufacturing operations for multiple projects throughout LANL and with external suppliers to build the targets in the three-month design cycle.
• Contribute to the research, design, testing, analysis, verification, and validation of engineering and technology solutions in support of R&D initiatives.
• Apply and interpret existing discipline-specific engineering and scientific principles to provide solutions for complex problems where analysis requires evaluation of causal relationships.
• Publish work in peer-reviewed journals, presentations, and internal reports.

Minimum Job Requirements:

R&D Engineer 1:

• Working knowledge of 3D CAD software (AutoCAD, Inventor, Solid Works, Pro/ENGINEER, or Creo).
• Strong skills in organization, planning, teamwork, customer interactions, and interpersonal communications.
• Familiarity with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• Knowledge of fabrication and metrology technologies.
• Ability to see, handle, and assemble delicate mm-size parts.
• Demonstrated ability to work productively on multiple tasks with some supervision.
• Ability to obtain a Q clearance, which typically requires US citizenship.

R&D Engineer 2:

• 2+ years of experience with 3D CAD software.
• Demonstrated experience working independently in a laboratory setting.
• 2+ years experience managing projects and leading a team.

Education/Experience:

• R&D Engineer 1:
  Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related field plus 2 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• R&D Engineer 2:
  Bachelor's Degree in…