Design Engineering Scientist; Scientist

What You Will Do

This position is open for external candidates only to apply.

Join the Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Design Engineering team, a hub for expertise in radioisotope power system design, where you will contribute to advancing the nation's capabilities in actinide chemistry, materials science of ceramics, high-temperature metallurgy, composite engineering, thermal and structural analysis, re‑entry and impact modeling, systems engineering, and safety analysis.

The RPS Design Engineering Team is a part of the Product Realization and Reliability Office (PRRO) in Nuclear Production Operations. The PRRO consists of a multidisciplinary group of engineers and scientists that support plutonium programs (i.e., pit production, surveillance, research & development, and sub‑critical experiments) across the entire Nuclear Production Operations organization.

As a member of our RPS Design Engineering Team, you’ll work alongside a talented group of engineers and scientists supporting plutonium programs across the organization. You’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in radioisotope power system design and contribute to the nation’s technical expertise.

• Optimization of the formation of ceramic solids by hot‑pressing and characterization of these ceramic solids. Measure and analyze powder characteristics affecting coherence of hot‑pressed solids, including particle size distribution, surface area, and surface energy, and relate these characteristics to the properties of the ceramic solid.
• Working with radioactive materials or hazardous materials.
• Applying scientific or engineering principles, practices, and tools to continuously improve manufacturing processes.
• Contributing to the successful completion of technical projects by assisting in the analysis, validation, implementation, and verification of practical solutions, and applying novel problem‑solving methods to solve engineering problems.
• Assisting in the writing of technical documents and presenting technical work at internal and external meetings, seminars, and conferences.

• Training and experience in ceramic engineering or ceramic fabrication, as demonstrated by research, analysis, and publications in the field.
• Analytical thinking skills, including demonstrated experience in the analysis, manipulation, and interpretation of data.
• Demonstrated ability to document technical results in a formal method/format.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Ability to obtain a Q clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship.

Position requires a Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience, typically with post‑doctoral research experience at a university or national lab or equivalent experience directly related to the occupation.

• Demonstrated experience in designing and executing experiments to evaluate the performance of hot‑pressing of actinide oxide solids and to improve the quality of manufacturing processes.
• Experience with gas management in nuclear fuels.
• Experience with modeling of density gradients and thermal loading in ceramic solids, in particular nuclear fuels.
• Post‑doctoral degree in a STEM field.

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

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 with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.

Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China—including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau—along with citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea,…