Senior/Principal Optical Engineering Lead - Space Domain Awareness, 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.

We are seeking an experienced R&D optical engineer to help realize advanced remote sensing and space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities for partners across the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC). As part of Sandia's Space Mission Engineering Program Office (SMEPO), you'll contribute to science and engineering projects that enhance our nation's security in space. You'll apply innovative optical technologies and new architectures to address unmet mission needs, collaborating across Sandia's multidisciplinary teams and with external partners to deliver impactful, real-world outcomes.

You will grow your technical breadth and leadership by shaping strategies, guiding project execution, and mentoring teammates. You'll leverage Sandia's internal research programs and partnerships to mature optical remote sensing technologies from concept through demonstration, while building relationships across government, industry, and academia. This role offers meaningful mission work, opportunities to represent Sandia within the technical community, and clear pathways to lead complex efforts at the intersection of optics, remote sensing, and space systems.

On any given day you will be expected to perform the following:

• Represent the group to internal organizations, external customers, stakeholders, and commercial or industry partners.
• Represent Sandia within the technical community.
• Work independently and on technical teams to meet expectations and requirements.
• Mentor junior staff.
• Plan, conduct, and manage scientific projects from fundamental research through development and demonstration.
• Develop or mature optical remote sensing technologies to enable new mission capabilities.
• Utilize Sandia's internal scientific research programs and internal partnerships.
• Support customer-funded advanced development needs.
• Define performance requirements.
• Execute project management activities including project plan development, resource management, project monitoring and control, and integrated change control.
• Provide engineering and programmatic documentation.
• Apply knowledge and experience to evaluate and review work quality, performance, and alignment of results with customer expectations.

This position is based in Albuquerque, NM, requires four days onsite each week, and involves regular travel (20% of the time).

$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 a DOE Q and SCI security clearance.

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

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a directly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Use of laboratory test equipment: oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, waveform/function generators, multimeters, power supplies, and data acquisition systems.
• Knowledge of optical design, fabrication and opto-mechanical mechanisms.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• Experience implementing and leading SCI and/or Special Access Program (SAP) level technical projects.
• Demonstrated ability to develop new methods and processes by identifying new approaches for solving complex and difficult technical problems.
• Hands-on experience of realizing a remote sensing subsystem through its lifecycle (designs/architecture, implementation/build, testing and deployment).
• Experience with development for satellite payloads, and/or aerospace programs.
• Expertise with space systems engineering, remote sensing, or space control.
• Possess a strong dedication to positive teaming dynamics, detail oriented with a keen focus on customer service.
• Experience in space situational awareness and/or space domain awareness.
• Experience with DoD and/or IC space organizations.
• Active DOE Q with SCI, or equivalent.

The Space Mission Engineering Program Office is focused on developing future program opportunities, engaging with key external communities, agencies, and industrial entities. We team with the broad S&T community to drive the development of technologies that differentiate Sandia as a key member of the Nation's space community. We provide solutions to advance space situational awareness and space control. The department's focus is on developing state-of-the-art capabilities to enable Space Mission Engineering program execution and Sandia's National Security missions. We maintain expertise in software/hardware architectures, algorithm development, software engineering, object-oriented software design, physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and astrodynamics that creates and delivers next generation software and hardware solutions to meet complex national security space missions.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

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 and SCI access, both of which require US citizenship. SCI access may also require a polygraph examination. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain these levels of access 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 the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

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.

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.