Senior​/Principal Computer Scientist - Satellite Ground Stations, Onsite

About Sandia

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 401(k), learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

* These benefits vary by job classification.

We are looking for a talented Computer Scientist to join our team and contribute to exciting projects that build and optimize satellite ground stations. As the selected candidate, you will play a crucial role in the design, development, and implementation of software systems for satellite ground stations. You will work collaboratively with engineers and other specialists to create robust solutions that support satellite communication, data processing, and mission operations.

Your contributions will directly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of our ground station capabilities.

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

• Collaborate with a team to develop and maintain software using Java and C++
• Work closely with architects, developers, technical leads, and system users to gather requirements, design solutions, and deliver scalable software applications
• Focus on enhancing user experience to support operational environments effectively
• Utilize debugging tools, static analysis tools, test harnesses, and other capabilities to troubleshoot and resolve complex software applications and libraries
• Engage with specialists in diverse fields such as data fusion, signal and image processing, analytics, cloud computing, machine learning, modeling and simulation, service‑oriented architectures, data management and visualization, and pattern recognition

Due to the nature of this position onsite work is required. Some travel may be required.

$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.

• A 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.
• The ability to obtain and maintain DOE Q and SCI clearance.

The ideal R&D S&E, Computer Science candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Computer Science or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation)
• Demonstrated software development skills and familiarity with modern software development practices and tools (e.g., Agile)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams, and a passion to improve and expand technical skills

• 3 years or more experience in object‑oriented programming with C++
• Experience in object‑oriented programming with Java and Python
• Experience with a configuration management tool (preferably Git Lab)
• Experience with Unix/Linux operating environments
• Familiarity with the design and integration of distributed systems deployed across heterogeneous platforms
• Experience in developing software for satellite ground stations or related aerospace applications
• Knowledge…