R&D Systems Engineer, Advanced Concepts Engineering - Onsite
Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico, 87101, USA
Listed on 2026-05-29
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Engineering
Mechanical Engineer, Systems Engineer
R&D Systems Engineer, Advanced Concepts Engineering - Onsite
Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting‑edge work in a broad array of areas.
Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
Extraordinary co‑workers
Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten‑hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part‑time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*
* These benefits vary by job classification.
What Your Job Will Be Like:We are seeking an R&D S&E Systems Engineer to lead concept development (Phase
1) efforts for new missile and weapon systems. You would lead multidisciplinary teams to rapidly identify operational needs for strike and defense applications, translate those needs into mission and technology‑informed requirements, and guide the concept maturation. The work would involve interfacing with potential sponsors, services, COCOMs, and OGAs to develop conceptual vehicle designs, vehicle and kill‑chain technology, and mission CONOPs to help them carry out their missions.
The result of your work would be the identification of mission‑relevant R&D, well‑defined requirements for new systems, and support to government investment decisions.
On any given day, you may be called on to:
- Lead concept studies as PI: shape scope, develop success criteria, and direct technical approach; coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
- Develop and advise on requirements for hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles.
- Engage with COCOMS, services, and the IC to understand gaps and identify potential solutions.
- Identify gaps and risks early: quantify where concepts don’t close (performance, integration, cost/schedule, producibility) and propose mitigation paths (analysis, experiments, prototypes).
- Translate operational needs into requirements: define L0/L1 requirements, interfaces, constraints, and known unknowns.
- Work with systems engineers and SMEs across many engineering disciplines.
- Lead studies on mission‑informed trades: connect mission objectives, kill‑chain constraints, vehicle feasibility, and technology readiness.
- Communicate results to sponsors and decision makers, both technical and non‑technical. This includes concise technical briefs, recommendations, and proposals (quads, one‑pagers, transition plans).
Due to the nature of the work, this candidate must be able to work onsite.
Salary Range:$117,500 - $235,700
* Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.
Qualifications We Require:Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance and SCI access.
Qualifications We Desire:- Graduate degree in Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
- Experience working with Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) laboratories and plants including Pantex, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLNL) and Kansas City National Security Campus/New Mexico Operations (KCNSC/NMO).
- Experience working on engineering design, qualification, production, or related modeling/simulation projects.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work…
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