Cleared Senior/Principal Systems Research Analyst, 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.

Are you passionate about contributing to national security? Do you seek to devise effective solutions to complex problems? As a Systems Analyst (job title: R&D Systems Research Analysis), you will use your strong technical foundation to lead landscape surveys, trade studies, risk analyses, and capabilities development. You will collaborate with our technically mixed team to provide decision insight to customers on a wide range of complex interdisciplinary problem areas as follows:

• Nuclear weapon modernization and sustainment
• Nuclear enterprise assurance and cybersecurity
• Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
• Enterprise and laboratory operations
• Infrastructure resilience
• Emerging threats

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

• Identify Stakeholder Requirements - Engage with operational organizations to elicit and understand their needs and challenges while utilizing structured problem-solving techniques to define the scope of the issues to be addressed.
• Formulate Requirements - Develop precise and measurable requirements that capture stakeholders' operational needs and constraints while articulating clear problem statements and objectives for potential solutions.
• Data Collection and Modeling - Gather quantitative and qualitative data from varied sources to inform decision-making and apply operations research methodologies to objectively design and evaluate alternative solutions.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration - Collaborate with experts across various disciplines to conduct comprehensive research on emerging technologies and their implications for national security while integrating insights to develop holistic solutions.
• Communicate Findings - Prepare and deliver presentations of analytical results and recommendations at conferences and meetings, ensuring clarity and relevance while enhancing understanding through visualization techniques.
• Stakeholder Engagement - Communicate complex system dynamics and analytical insights concisely to facilitate informed decision-making among stakeholders at all government levels while tailoring strategies to ensure accessibility of technical information.
• Facilitate Implementation of Solutions - Work with stakeholders to translate analytical findings into actionable strategies and operational plans that effectively address identified national security challenges.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite and be willing and able to travel up to 25%.

$139,900 - $280,600

*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
• Active DOE Q-level security clearance or equivalent DOD Top Secret level security clearance

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 annual 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

• Direct experience working in Nuclear Deterrence (ND) systems, components, or assessment
• A broad technical and professional network with an emphasis in ND
• Proven ability to take initiative and to be innovative
• Experience with technical documentation and analysis
• Expertise and experience in any of the following systems analysis areas:
  • Structuring and solving complex problems in science and engineering using real-world data
  • Conducting an elicitation process to gather insights and requirements from stakeholders
  • Utilizing risk and decision science analysis tools and methods for various data types
  • Gaining an understanding of the policy landscape and its implications for decision-making
  • Developing and applying modeling, simulation, and visualization tools effectively
  • Applying AI methods and tools to enhance analysis and decision-making
• Ability to obtain and maintain an SCI-level clearance

Work in 8710 covers a range of topics in national security, including nuclear weapons, homeland security, and internal studies. The focus is on providing national leaders with reliable, unbiased, and comprehensive information on viable engineering and strategy options, along with their effectiveness, risks, and consequences. Nuclear weapons work encompasses stockpile studies, surety systems analysis, cost estimation, and future stockpile planning analysis. Homeland security efforts involve analyses, simulations, and prototype technology deployments that address defense against biological, nuclear, chemical, and radiological terrorism, as well as emerging cybersecurity threats.

The Systems Analysis and Reliability group combines technical depth, cross-domain breadth, and multiple analytic disciplines to deliver products that inform decision-makers and facilitate the evaluation of options and tradeoffs. Teams engage in dynamic collaborations across the group and with laboratory organizations to utilize world-class technical expertise in addressing national and global security challenges.

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.

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.

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.