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 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:

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Capacity Building Lead to lead and contribute to complex, multidisciplinary systems engineering and capacity building projects supporting national and international nuclear security missions. This role requires a strong foundation in systems research and analysis combined with expertise in human resource development and instructional design to develop sustainable solutions for nuclear/radiological material protection and security systems.

The Capacity Building Lead will collaborate extensively with international and domestic government agencies, U.S. government laboratories, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry, and academia. The position demands leadership in system conceptualization, design architecture, integration, verification, and validation, alongside capacity building strategies that ensure sustainable operational effectiveness and knowledge transfer.

On any given day you may be called upon to:

• Lead and execute integrated systems engineering efforts to develop and implement nuclear/radiological physical protection and security systems, embedding capacity building and workforce development strategies to ensure long-term sustainability.
• Collaborate with project managers, customers, and multidisciplinary teams to negotiate and define system requirements, develop conceptual designs, and decompose system-level requirements into achievable subsystem specifications, while fostering stakeholder capability development throughout the project lifecycle.
• Conduct vulnerability analyses, acceptance testing, and system-level trade studies to optimize performance, cost, and schedule, incorporating training and knowledge-sharing components to build end-user and operator proficiency.
• Apply scientific methods and systems engineering processes to innovate, test, and evaluate new designs, concepts, and technologies, ensuring that capacity building is integrated into solution deployment for long-term resilience.
• Lead operational and systems analyses to inform training needs assessments, competency-based curriculum development, and instructional systems design that support partner-country workforce development and nuclear security readiness.
• Develop and deliver international training programs and workshops focused on physical security systems, transportation security, and first responder tactics, designed to enhance local and partner organizations¿ technical skills and operational readiness.
• Write clear technical proposals, statements of work, and coordinate with internal Sandia organizations such as Procurement, Export Control, and Business Partners, emphasizing capacity building deliverables and sustainability in project scopes.
• Lead anomaly resolution teams through root cause analysis and solution evaluation, incorporating lessons learned into training materials and capacity building initiatives to prevent recurrence.
• Provide frequent presentations and written reports to management, sponsors, and diverse stakeholders, highlighting capacity building outcomes and the impact of engineered solutions on organizational capabilities.
• Promote defect prevention and risk mitigation through proactive systems engineering practices.

Travel domestically and internationally up to 30-40% of the time to support program objectives and partner engagements.

The selected applicant can be a virtual worker located in any U.S. State or District of Columbia. Regular or periodic travel to your assigned work location may be required.

Salary Range:

$111,900 - $224,500

*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.

Qualifications We Require:

• 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.
• Active DOE Q clearance or equivalent.

Qualifications We Desire:

The ideal R&D S&E Systems Research and Analysis candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• The ability to understand, synthesize, and draw insights from multiple types of data streams (e.g., technical, economic, policy) through the use of various analytical tools.
• Experience working as part of multi-disciplinary teams examining complex systems.
• Knowledge of the fundamentals of good project management, especially as it pertains to the execution of federally-funded work (e.g., proposal development through annal review, final delivery, and closeout).
• Experience working with federal sponsors in the defense and intelligence sectors, as well as their domestic FFRDC partners, international partnering agencies, and foreign governments.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams delivering critical information to customers in a succinct manner.

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

• Graduate degree or advanced certification in Systems Engineering, Instructional Design, Education, or a related field with demonstrated experience in independent research or project leadership.
• Extensive experience (typically 10+ years) in systems engineering, capacity building, instructional systems design, and workforce development within the nuclear security or related sectors.
• Proven expertise in nuclear nonproliferation, counter-proliferation, radiological material security principles, and physical protection systems design, vulnerability analysis, and security system integration.
• Strong background in human resource development frameworks, training needs analysis, curriculum development, and learning evaluation.
• Experience delivering international training and working with law enforcement, military, or first responder communities.
• Experience collaborating with federal sponsors, international partners, and multidisciplinary teams to develop sustainable training and capacity building solutions aligned with complex system requirements.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical information clearly and effectively to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
• Familiarity with NNSA¿s Global Material Security program and DOE Systematic Approach to Training is highly desirable.
• Formal project management training or equivalent experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance.
• Demonstrated commitment to Sandia¿s core values and ethical conduct of research.

About Our Team:

We are a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and technical specialists dedicated to enabling and enhancing physical and cyber security systems to protect and detect nuclear and radiological materials worldwide. We collaborate with many organizations to leverage technologies and resources for multiple programs and are an integral capability of 6820, Global CBRN Security. Department 6822 develops and nurtures Systems Analysis, Research and Development, Capacity Building, and Response capabilities in the nuclear and radiological materials security context.

Posting Duration:

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.

Security Clearance:

Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). Sandia is required by DOE directive 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 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.

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.

Job ID: 698573

Job Family: RD

Regular/Temporary Position: R

Full/Part-Time Status: F