Job Description

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a R&D Manager to lead the Experimental Solid Mechanics (ESM) Department. In this role, you will lead a multi-disciplinary experimental team and shepherd research and development for a broad range of internal and external projects. Your role will span the full Research-Development-Application spectrum for Sandia’s Missions with a primary focus on Nuclear Deterrence components throughout the stockpile lifecycle.

There are three primary roles the 1528 manager will perform:

Capabilities Manager: ESM advances Engineering Science’s solid mechanics testing capability to characterize the performance of materials and structures during normal and abnormal operational environments, develop experimental models, advanced diagnostics, and provide high quality model validation data through collaboration with computational solid mechanics. You will lead and develop staff and physical capabilities with a commitment to technical and operational excellence related to safety, security, quality, and performance.

Experimental Leader: ESM conducts experimental solid mechanics R&D ranging from basic discovery of phenomenological mechanics of materials to development of new testing capabilities. You will lead a dynamic research team in developing and implementing the strategies to realize world-class ESM in support of Sandia missions.

1500 Management Team Member: Your role will be highly collaborative and integrated with 1520 management team. You will support group level initiatives, solve common operational and technical problems, and think bigger than your group. Your role will also be highly collaborative with other 1500 peer managers to solve integrated problems with experiments, modeling, simulations, and environmental prediction. Lastly, it will be important to work closely with our Sandia partners to understand the mission, the needs, and the drivers to provide a vision and focus for the Experimental Solid Mechanics team.

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

• Lead a dynamic team of scientists, engineers, and technologists to design, build, and execute mechanical and multi-environment experiments using novel diagnostics to support component development, qualification, and surveillance for all SNL missions.
• Develop a balanced portfolio, strategy, and vision of Research, Development, and Applications that addresses immediate mission needs while developing and articulating a future vision for the capabilities.
• Collaborate within the 1520 Group Management Team, lab leads, and mission support partners to provide robust operations, business, program management, and technical solutions to execute a diverse and challenging suite of research, production, and field-testing efforts.
• Collaborate with the 1500 management team to create a culture of collaborative execution and innovation with 1500 mission customers.
• Manage key customer and partner interfaces and ensure budget and schedule constraints are satisfied while delivering a quality and impactful product.
• Engage in the external research and technology communities to identify future opportunities, increase visibility of the core capabilities, and identify, recruit, and develop the next generation of leaders in the discipline.
• Provide leadership that maintains and matures a safety culture for tests and operations involving explosive handling, high value assets, and hazardous experiments.
• Coordinate employee recruitment, selection, training, performance assessment, work assignments, recognition, career growth and satisfaction actions.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Qualifications We Require:

• Master’s degree in a technical field and four years of experience or Ph.D. in a relevant technical field
• Four years leadership experience as demonstrated by serving as a project manager, principal investigator and/or management experience
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

Ideally, your background will also include:

• Experience with experimental testing or research and/or development.
• Experience enabling the professional development of others in prior leadership roles
• Strong teaming and interpersonal skills with proven success working on multi-disciplinary teams to enable effective collaboration and positive customer interactions, especially teams involving both analysts and experimentalists
• Experience in deploying and operating hardware and diagnostics in complex research environments
• Experience identifying sponsors for team projects or equipment
• Experience providing integrated engineering solutions in support of high consequence national security missions, to include the design, fabrication, deployment, and/or operation of complex mechanical and/or diagnostic systems
• Experience interacting with and influencing a variety of stakeholders, customers, industry partners, management and staff
• Experience in safety, security, and quality implementation
• Demonstrated awareness of and ability to work across Sandia's program and organizational structure
• Strong network of collaborators both internal and external to the laboratories.
• Experience in project management and business management tools and approaches

About Our Team:

1528 stewards the Experimental Solid Mechanics (ESM) capabilities comprised of the Experimental Impact Mechanics Laboratory (EIML)( https://wp.sandia.gov/eiml/ ), Mechanical Design and Realization Laboratory (MDRL)( https://wp.sandia.gov/mdrl/), and Structural Mechanics Laboratory (SML)( https://wp.sandia.gov/sml/ ). The department provides experimental testing of structures and materials across a variety of environments and wide range of strain rates for customers throughout Sandia and beyond and advances experimental solid mechanics through fundamental research and development of new capabilities. 1528 impacts all Sandia Mission areas, including direct work for all ND weapon system and demonstrator programs, ND transportation, SPP (DOD, NASA) and DOE renewable energy applications.

1528 has a diverse group of engineers and technologists to span the Research-Development-Application (R-D-A) spectrum of work. The labs have state-of-the-art experimental capabilities including: split-Hopkinson bars and multiple, intermediate-rate test capabilities developed within 1528, high-g/ high-frequency shock test capabilities; uniaxial tension/compression and servo-hydraulic load frames; a planar biaxial load frame with torsion ; a custom, configurable large structural frame designed by MDRL staff; pneumatic and hydrostatic pressure testing capabilities; and advanced diagnostics such as high-speed imaging, combined thermomechanical (pressure and force), Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for in situ full-field displacement and strain measurements from quasi-static to high rates, IR thermography for in situ full-field thermal measurements, design lab specializing in mechanical test fixture, test specimen and custom experimental test platform design, and a machine shop for emergency specimen and test fixture alterations.

1528 opportunities to expand abilities and impact at Sandia include: early ESM SME engagement in application project planning, intra-department collaboration involving coordinated work across the three ESM labs, inter-department coordination with ESM in Sandia-CA and Computational Solid Mechanics to provide joint support of applications and further research in solid mechanics, expansion of the ESM R&D portfolio by creating novel experimental and diagnostic tools, and infrastructure investments to replace and expand ESM test and diagnostic capabilities.

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 vacations, 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.

Security Clearance:

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

Job ID: 693045