Senior Weapons Engineer

Senior Weapons Engineer

At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a difference applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.

Building for the long-term means that all of our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build a unique, meaningful, and high-impact career—and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.

About Us:

 Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.

We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high-rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.

Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.

Job Summary:

The Gas Transfer Systems Group (Q-7) is responsible for design, development, production liaison, surveillance, and stewardship of all gas transfer systems (GTS) for LANL nuclear packages in the US nuclear weapon stockpile. While supporting the enduring stockpile, the group also supports the research and development of next generation GTS technology in support of future weapon systems. Emphasis is on the delivery of programmatic objectives via excellence in personnel safety, security, compliance, and programmatic hardware reliability and availability. The group is the programmatic tenant in two R&D facilities at LANL: The Weapons Engineering Tritium Facility (WETF), and a high-pressure gas transfer system radiological laboratory. At WETF, the group has a diverse array of responsibilities including tritium storage and recycling technologies, legacy item recycling and disposal, high pressure tritium operations, and GTS function testing. The team maintains calorimetry and gas mass spectrometric capabilities that support tritium accountability and the GTS development program as well as diverse programs across LANL. At the high-pressure radiological laboratory, the team supports design agency (DA) and production agency (PA) missions for all LANL weapon systems, including valve and actuator surveillance for both LANL and SNL systems. The lab is a highly active hands-on lab, specializing in gas pressure systems (cleaning, purging, filling, bursting, etc.) and related diagnostics. Supporting equipment includes gloveboxes, fume hood, high pressure compressors, lathes, mills, wire EDMs, thermal chambers, etc. The accepted candidate will provide engineering expertise within the group and for general LANL customers and will work with the team to assist in fulfillment of gas transfer mission objectives as listed above and as deemed necessary.

Responsibilities:

• Develop technical expertise and knowledge on gas transfer system technology, tritium science, and related engineering practices.
• Develop new methods, techniques, capabilities, or approaches to address critical technical problems.
• Coordinate with personnel to solve instrument maintenance and pressure safety issues.
• Provide oversight of one or more technical projects.
• Collaborate with members of the team to solve multidisciplinary problems.
• Develop, review, and execute technical procedures.
• Adhere to the requirements for working in facilities with radioactive hazards, including a Hazard Category 2 nuclear facility.
• Represent the Laboratory to external agencies in defined capacities as necessary.
• Ability to support laboratory experiment test setup, instrumentation, data analysis, and post report writing

Qualifications and Experience:

Typical educational requirement is an advanced degree from an ABET accredited engineering college or university program.

Travel:  N/A

Compensation & Benefits:

The expected base salary range for this role is $125 USD per hour. Actual compensation will be determined based on a number of factors including skills, experience, qualifications, and location.

This role is also eligible for performance-based bonuses and a comprehensive U.S. based benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Wellness programs and employee assistance resources
• Professional development support

For more information, visit our full benefits overview here.

Equal Opportunity Employment Statement

Salas O’Brien provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.

Third-Party Agency Notice
Salas O’Brien does not accept unsolicited resumes from external recruiters or agencies. We only work with approved partners engaged directly by our Talent Acquisition team for specific searches. Unsolicited submissions will not be eligible for placement fees.