Cleared Distinguished​/Senior Scientist, R&D Systems Engineer - W87-1 Program Chief Engineer, 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. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

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*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

* These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a Program Chief Engineer (PCE) for the W87-1 to serve as the senior technical leader for a highly visible, mission-critical modernization program. In this role, you will report to the Center 2300 Director and partner with senior managers, managers, and staff as the Sandia technical lead integrating all aspects of the program, providing enterprise-level technical leadership and authoritative guidance across multiple disciplines and organizations

As the W87-1 PCE, you will shape technical direction for the program by leading system integration, design optimization, qualification strategy, anomaly resolution, and complex technical trades across the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE). Supported by a strong team of discipline-specific technical leaders, you will apply broad engineering judgment to resolve ambiguous, high-consequence issues, drive technically sound and risk-informed decisions, and ensure the program maintains a robust, defensible design and qualification basis.

This role requires a recognized technical leader who can align diverse stakeholders, influence technical direction across Sandia and the NSE, and provide clear, authoritative perspectives on the issues most critical to mission success. You will help strengthen program execution and long-term technical resilience through innovation, integration, disciplined technical review, and setting an example of commitment to program execution.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

Partner with other PCEs and Domain Chief Engineers (DCEs) to ensure consistency and excellence in technical deliverables, maintain timely and responsive technical decisions, and influence technical direction across Sandia and the NSE.

Provide authoritative technical leadership for the W87-1 system, supported by the W87-1 Core Team, by defining and evaluating technical approaches that guide system decisions within program constraints.

Evaluate and disposition technical change requests using sound engineering judgment and consideration of technical risk, cost, schedule, and mission impact.

Lead system integration, design optimization, and development of design themes, with emphasis on innovative approaches that improve technical performance and long-term mission capability. Systems integration will include engaging production agencies to create product realization solutions that maintain design intent and are supported by solid technical basis.

Establish and maintain a defensible qualification basis by integrating modeling, simulation, testing, and other technical evidence to resolve complex multidisciplinary questions.

Communicate key technical concerns, risks, and alternative technical paths to Sandia executive leadership to support enterprise-level decision-making, ensuring that critical issues such as inadequate technical definition, unclear or TBD requirements, and single-point technical failures are fully understood.

Assure technical rigor and documentation quality for system-level product realization documents, including signature approval on key system-level paperwork such as CD, ME, BB, PQ, RQs, and NS, while contributing to technical standards, practices, and lessons learned that benefit future efforts.

Act as SNL lead for technical integration and optimization with LLNL, including…