LAMP LANSCE Front-End Project Leader; R&D Engineer

The Accelerator Operations and Technology (AOT) Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is the largest accelerator capability organization within LANL with over 200 employees. AOT is responsible for the operation, maintenance, and improvements to the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) particle accelerator complex. The LANSCE accelerator provides 800-MeV protons used in five separate, but simultaneously operated, user programs. Beam/user operations run 24/7 for roughly seven months of the year with the remaining five months reserved for maintenance and upgrades.

Having already achieved CD-1, the LANSCE Modernization Project (LAMP) is a $B-class upgrade to the front-end of LANSCE, and will replace the existing hardware in the first 100-MeV section of the accelerator with higher reliability and higher performing state-of-the-art accelerator hardware. AOT is looking for an experienced project leader to serve as the LANSCE Front-End Project Leader (LFEPL) for LAMP.

This critical leadership role will work especially closely with the "LAMP in ADEF Tunnel" (LAT) Project Leader, who is responsible for directing the design and building of the LAMP prototype accelerator, LAT, in the ADEF Tunnel in building 53-0365. The purpose of LAT is to mature LAMP's critical technology elements. LAT will include H+ and H- ion sources, a Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT), a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ), a Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT), and the first of the six LAMP drift tube linacs (DTLs).

Both AOT Division and the LAMP project expect that once this technology maturation is completed, the LAT accelerator hardware, along with the additionally procured drift tube linacs and ancillary accelerator hardware, will replace the current front-end hardware in the LANSCE accelerator through the first 100 MeV. As this happens, the responsibility for the LAT hardware will be transferred in phases from the LAT Project Leader to the LFEPL.

The LFEPL will have an additional responsibility for the design and procurement of the accelerator components that are needed in addition to the LAT components to bring the proton beam to 100 MeV, and for all facility interfaces needed to install the LAMP hardware and to get it operational. Several of the LAMP subsystem task teams that report to the LAT Project Leader will also report to the LFEPL, initially with nearly all their activities directly by the LAT Project Leader but transitioning over time to where nearly all their activities will be directly by the LFEPL.

These subsystem teams include: the Sources and Injector Team, the LEBT Team, the MEBT Team, the Choppers Team, the DTL Tank 1 Team, the High Power RF/Low Level RF Team, the Protective Services Team, the Instrumentation and Control Team, and the Startup and Commissioning Team. In addition, the LFEPL will have dedicated subsystem teams for DTL tanks 2-6 and for LANSCE tunnel infrastructure and facility interfacing.

Some of the expected job duties include balancing the scope of the various subsystem tasks with the available overall funding while working with line management for securing resources to execute that scope, directing subsystem leads, managing budget and schedule, developing and presenting progress reports to the LAMP technical director, oversight of facility upgrades to support LAMP operations, and ensuring adherence of team members to disciplined operations as well as a fully integrated safety culture.

In addition, the successful candidate will foster collaboration within the greater LAMP project and develop healthy cooperation with other LAMP project leaders. As this project is related to significant technological improvements to an existing accelerator facility, the LFEPL has a unique opportunity to support team members' career development, including supporting publications and participation in conferences.

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Minimum

Job Requirements:

• Expert-level understanding of fundamental accelerator technology.
• Demonstrated ability to direct a large technical team to efficiently execute project tasks and complete deliverables and milestones on time.
• Demonstrated excellence in leading projects crossing multiple line organizations.
• Demonstrated ability constructively bridge between project and line.
• Demonstrated commitment to disciplined operations.
• Demonstrated commitment to the Laboratory's behavioral competencies (collaborative problem solving, continuous…