Modeling and Simulation Engineer; R&D Engineer

What You Will Do

The Advanced Engineering Analysis (AEA) Group, E‑13, seeks a motivated, experienced analyst to tackle technically challenging problems in national security. E‑13 provides expertise in modeling and simulation, material modeling, post‑processing, and interpretation of results for high‑consequence systems. The group brings together experts in structural mechanics, dynamics, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and radiation transport to deliver high‑fidelity engineering insight. You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and see your analyses influence design, testing, and mission outcomes.

At the R&D Engineer 2 level, you will:

• Develop and execute high‑fidelity structural mechanics simulations
• Build, validate, and maintain complex FEA models
• Analyze system and component behavior under mechanical and thermal environments
• Collaborate closely with design, systems, and test engineers
• Present findings to technical teams and program stakeholders

In addition to the R&D Engineer 2 responsibilities, you will:

• Lead complex, multi‑physics analysis efforts
• Mentor early‑career engineers and grow team capability
• Set technical direction and influence modeling strategy
• Build strong collaborations across the weapons program and beyond
• Interface directly with stakeholders to define analysis approaches and communicate constraints and limitations

• Engineering expertise: documented record of technical achievement in a relevant discipline (mechanical, structural, civil, or aerospace). Must operate across fidelity levels – from first‑principles calculations to large‑scale simulations.
• Experience with FEA preprocessors such as Cubit and FEA software such as Abaqus or Ansys.
• Demonstrated ability to model complex systems exposed to a wide range of mechanical and thermal environments.
• Experience interpreting and clearly communicating simulation results in the context of real systems.

• Meshing, material models, contact, and post‑processing experience.
• Experience developing or applying computational engineering tools (Python, MATLAB, C++, or similar).
• Exposure to parallel computing or large‑scale simulations is a plus.

• Clear communication of complex technical ideas.
• Experience defining scope, meeting deadlines, and contributing to project planning.
• Ability to deliver work independently and within teams.
• Committed to technical rigor and peer review.

• Demonstrated leadership in engineering analysis teams.
• Experience integrating multi‑physics models across structural, thermal, and mechanical domains.
• Demonstrated ability to define project scope, schedule, and deliverables and work with customers.

• R&D Engineer 2:
  Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 4 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• R&D Engineer 3:
  Master’s degree in engineering and 6 years of related experience, or equivalent combination. A Ph.D. may be preferred.

• Active DOE Q clearance or equivalent.
• Structural mechanics and thermal experience.
• Analysis or testing related to weapons structures.
• Instrumentation, signal processing, and data processing related to structural and thermal applications.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Weapons engineering
  • Verification and validation of complex models
  • Modern programming languages (Python, Matlab, C++)
  • Modern software development tools (Sphinx, Git Lab, Confluence) and best practices (unit testing, documentation)
  • Data analysis and signal processing
  • Parallel computing
  • Computational workflow automation
  • Error and uncertainty analysis
  • Weapons physics

Onsite, Los Alamos, NM. All locations are at the discretion of management.

Position will be cleared to Q level. Selected applicants will be subject to a federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified material. Q clearance requires U.S. citizenship, except in extremely rare circumstances.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

The Laboratory is committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. Requests can be directed to applyhelp.