Entry Level Weapons Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Description
Job Title Weapons Engineering R&D Engineer 1/2
Location Los Alamos, NM, US
Organization Name ALDW/Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Engineering
Minimum Salary
Maximum Salary
This position is open for external candidates only to apply.
What You Will Do
Are you ready to start your engineering career with a mission that matters? The Weapons Engineering Directorate at Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking passionate entry-level R&D Engineers to join our team and help shape the future of our nation's security. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, you will:

• Innovate and Create: Design, analyze, and build cutting-edge tools, instruments, and systems that enable researchers to explore, monitor, test, and discover both natural and man-made phenomena.
• Solve Critical Challenges: Apply engineering principles, theories, concepts, and practices to develop solutions for a broad range of technical challenges, including nuclear deterrence and threat reduction.
• Collaborate and Contribute: Work alongside integrated research and development (R&D) teams to solve complex engineering problems.
• Engage in Cutting-Edge R&D: Participate in the research, design, testing, analysis, verification, and validation of engineering solutions that support our R&D initiatives.
• Advance Your Skills: Learn and employ advanced technologies and analysis techniques from our world-class engineering community.
• Adapt and Succeed: Thrive in a dynamic environment where you will meet evolving R&D requirements while upholding safety, security, compliance, and schedule imperatives.

Submit your application to be considered for various R&D Engineer 1 or R&D Engineer 2 positions across the Weapons Engineering Directorate. Learn about our Directorate, divisions, and groups at the Weapons Engineering website. This specific posting is for an ongoing pool, rather than for a single position that will be filled by a certain date, and candidates may be selected at any point until July 2026.
#ALDWRecruiting
This position will be filled at either the R&D Engineer 1 or R&D Engineer 2 level, depending on the skills of the selected candidate. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if the candidate is hired at the higher level.
R&D Engineer 1 ($96,600 - $158,000)
The successful candidate will:

• Assist in the research, design, testing, analysis, verification, and validation of engineering and technology solutions to support R&D initiatives
• Develop technical approaches, using judgment within defined practices and procedures, and make technical decisions, including preliminary selections and adaptations of technical alternatives, for assigned work
• Assist in the development of new methods, techniques, or approaches to address critical technical problems
• Potentially contribute to the development of technical products such as journal papers and reports
• Contribute to the completion of milestones associated with specific projects and directly contribute to the achievement of programmatic objectives
• Take responsibility for understanding tasks and own contributions to deliverables, set direction and goals for assigned tasks, and manage their own assignments
• Give presentations at discipline-specific meetings and colloquia, and may participate in professional societies, National Nuclear Security Administration/Department of Energy complex interactions, special assignments, and/or external special interest groups
• Continuously develop technical expertise and knowledge within the discipline, and acquire new skills in related disciplines, potentially attaining additional certifications and/or qualifications, including more advanced educational degrees
• Assure safety and security compliance, maintain required training, and integrate safety and security into every task, including stopping work if it is unsafe or compromises security
• May receive general instructions and technical guidance, with objectives defined and both in-process work and results subject to supervisory review, and may direct the work of junior staff

R&D Engineer 2 ($106,400 - $176,000)
In addition to the duties outlined at the lower level, the successful candidate will:

• Contribute to the research, design, testing, analysis, verification, and validation of engineering and technology solutions in support of R&D initiatives
• Apply and interpret, on a broad basis, existing discipline-specific engineering and scientific principles, techniques, methods and tools to provide solutions for a wide assortment of complex problems
• Develop new methods or techniques, using creativity in applying standard practices and procedures, which lead to new or improved capabilities
• Assist in the development of technical products such as journal papers, reports, and intellectual property
• Set direction and goals for well-defined tasks involving more than one person, scope tasks within a project, and lead specific project tasks to meet scope, schedule and budget
• Actively participate in professional societies, National Nuclear Security Administration/Department of Energy complex interactions, and external working groups, and may assist in organizing meetings and colloquia
• Provide peer review of the work of others across organizations or disciplines
• Develop mentoring skills to guide junior staff and peers in technical and professional growth
• Maintain state-of-the-art technical expertise and knowledge within the discipline, develop new skills in related disciplines, and attain additional certifications and/or qualifications, including more advanced educational degrees and/or a professional engineer license
• Receive occasional oversight on specific objectives and complex problems, with completed work subject to supervisory review, and provide technical coordination and guidance to junior staff and peers as needed

What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:

• Engineering Foundations: Basic understanding of engineering concepts, principles, and practices, demonstrated through experience in researching, designing, testing, analyzing, verifying, and validating engineering solutions.
• Hands-On Project Experience: Familiarity with analysis or testing in areas such as shock, vibration, fluids, thermal, nuclear, systems, explosives, manufacturing, process, control systems, data acquisition, and data analysis, gained through class projects or similar experiences.
• Design Skills: Basic knowledge of engineering design principles.
• Effective Communication: Proven ability to articulate ideas effectively through both oral and written communication.
• Ability to obtain DOE Q Clearance

Additional Job Requirements for R&D Engineer 2:

• Engineering Foundations: Sound knowledge of engineering concepts, principles, and practices, with demonstrated ability to apply them in developing and refining engineering solutions. Experience includes researching, designing, testing, analyzing, verifying, and validating solutions with minimal guidance.
• Hands-On Project Experience: Practical experience performing analysis and testing in areas such as shock, vibration, fluids, thermal, nuclear, systems, explosives, manufacturing, process control, data acquisition, and data analysis. Contributions extend beyond class projects to include internships or collaborative projects, applying engineering methods to solve moderately complex problems.
• Design Skills: Working knowledge of engineering design principles, with experience creating and iterating on designs that meet functional requirements and constraints. Ability to use design tools and methodologies to produce viable solutions.
• Effective Communication: Proven ability to clearly articulate technical ideas and findings to diverse audiences through well-structured oral presentations and written reports. Skilled in preparing documentation that supports decision-making and project outcomes.
• Ability to obtain DOE Q Clearance

Education/Experience at lower level: Position requires a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution related to the occupation combined with 2 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and technical experience directly related to the occupation.
Education/Experience at higher level: Position requires a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an accredited institution and 4 years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.
Desired Qualifications:
Candidates will be most competitive when they possess the following expertise:

• Programming: Computer programming skills to support engineering design, data acquisition, analysis, and machine learning projects.
• Engineering Software: Proficient in Computer Aided Design (CAD), simulation, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), or other specialized engineering software tools.
• Detail-Oriented and Safety-Focused: Dedication to precision and commitment to maintaining a safe work environment.
• Team-Driven Success: Thrive in a collaborative team setting, dedicated to achieving outstanding results together.
• Proven Leadership: Demonstrated leadership experience that encourages others to perform at their best.
• Application Expectations:
• Cumulative GPA: Must have graduated with a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Candidates who graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher will be most competitive.
• Application Submission: Must submit a complete application including the following three required documents. Incomplete applications will be automatically deemed ineligible. We strongly recommend reviewing the Application and Interview Tips website before applying.
• Cover Letter: Must explicitly reference your interest in the Weapons Engineering Directorate and detail your relevant academic and work experiences, knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Resume: Must include dates for all related experience.
• Current Transcript: Must include all grades earned up to the time of application and may be unofficial.

Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.
Position commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.
Note to Applicants: Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Resources for Applicants:

• For assistance or questions related to this job ad, contact Loren Robinson at lrob@lanl.gov .
• For technical assistance, email applyhelp@lanl.gov or call 1-505-665-4444 option 1.

Where You Will Work
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:

• PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
• Dental and vision insurance
• Free basic life and disability insurance
• Paid childbirth and parental leave
• Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
• Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
• Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
• Onsite gyms and wellness programs
• Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50-mile radius)

Additional Details
Directive 206.2 - Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.
Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance. and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.
*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.
New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.
Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment pra...