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Cleared Experienced RD Systems Engineer - ISA Data Management Lead, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories

Albuquerque, NMFull-time$118–236K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$118–236K/yr
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Security clearance, required

Job overview

Sandia National Laboratories seeks an experienced R&D Systems Engineer to lead Integrated Surety Architectures (ISA) data management. The role integrates mission, engineering, configuration, test, surveillance, and operational data into a common environment, and connects those data with model-based systems engineering and digital-engineering approaches. The lead develops strategy, tools, and workflows supporting secure transportation systems and current and future weapon systems.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Technical Leadership, nice to haveMultidisciplinary Coordination, nice to haveData Architecture, nice to haveMetadata Management, nice to haveDatabase Systems, nice to haveEnterprise Data Platforms, nice to haveModel-Based Systems Engineering, nice to haveSimulink, nice to haveStateflow, nice to haveSystem Composer, nice to haveMATLAB, nice to haveEngineering Analysis, nice to haveAutomation Tools, nice to haveAutomated Workflows, nice to haveAI-Enabled Engineering, nice to haveData Governance, nice to haveData Security, nice to haveData Validation, nice to haveHuman Oversight, nice to haveSecure Transportation Systems, nice to haveIntegrated Surety Architectures, nice to haveNuclear Weapons Qualification, nice to haveNuclear Weapons Documentation, nice to haveRelationship Building, nice to haveWritten Communication, nice to haveVerbal Communication, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Relevant Discipline or Equivalent Experience, required5+ Years Relevant Experience, requiredActive DOE Q Clearance, requiredGraduate Degree in Engineering or Related Field, nice to haveNuclear Security Enterprise Experience, nice to haveEngineering Design Experience, nice to haveMultidisciplinary Technical Leadership Experience, nice to haveData Architecture Experience, nice to haveModel-Based Systems Engineering Experience, nice to haveMATLAB Proficiency, nice to haveAutomated Workflow Development Experience, nice to haveAI Engineering Tools Experience, nice to have

Benefits

Paid Time Off
Medical Insurance
401(k) Match
Tuition Assistance
Relocation Assistance

Full job description

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:

The opportunity exists for an experienced R&D Systems Engineer to lead Integrated Surety Architectures (ISA) data management activities. The ISA program has qualified multiple systems in recent years and is currently executing over-the-road missions supporting the secure transportation of nuclear weapons. The effort to prepare for use, accept, transport, return, and re-accept ISA hardware spans multiple agencies across the Nuclear Security Enterprise, from Sandia to the Hub, and the Office of Secure Transportation. The ISA Data Management Lead will provide technical leadership for integrating and streamlining interrelated but disparate mission, engineering, configuration, test, surveillance, and operational data into a common data environment, including DataSEA, to support current and future secure transportation activities. The lead will partner with digital engineering, ISA, weapon system, surveillance, and software teams to develop scalable analysis tools and automated workflows that improve how mission data are organized, evaluated, visualized, and used for engineering decisions.

The role will also lead the integration of mission data with model-based systems engineering and digital-engineering approaches, including system architecture, state models, and analytical workflows that relate system requirements, configuration, and observed performance. These efforts support weapon systems currently implementing ISA, including W88 Alt 940 and B61-12/13, while establishing scalable approaches for future systems such as W93 Alt 950 and emerging ISA technologies. The integration of mission-data sources, analytical tools, automation methods, governance practices, system models, and technology roadmaps is captured in the ISA Data Management Plan, which is maintained and revised as the program evolves.

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

  • Serve as the technical point of contact for ISA mission-data architecture, governance, analysis, software and tool development, automation, and digital-engineering integration across multidisciplinary ISA teams

  • Lead continued development, implementation, and maturation of the ISA data-management strategy and technical roadmap

  • Partner across Sandia (e.g. weapon systems, secure transportation, data engineers), the Nuclear Security Enterprise (e.g. KCNMO, the Hub), and the Office of Secure Transportation to lead and implement the ISA data management strategy

  • Provide technical direction to digital engineers to develop analysis tools, automation tools, and explore artificial intelligence implementation

  • Lead the Mission Data Working Group; analyze and assess system state of health, identify and investigate anomalies, and coordinate analysis activities.

  • Coordinate with subsystem surveillance engineers and program data representatives to ensure mission observations, anomalies, configuration changes, test results, and state-of-health assessments are consistently captured and available for broader ISA analysis

  • Integrate mission data with model-based system engineering and state modeling activities, which utilizes system requirements plus performance data to validate mission data and support troubleshooting

  • Revise and release the ISA master data management plan annually

Salary Range:

$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.

Qualifications We Require:

  • A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline plus five or more years of 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

Qualifications We Desire:

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

  • Graduate degree in Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation)

  • Experience working with Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) laboratories and plants including Pantex, Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLNL) and Kansas City National Security Campus/New Mexico Operations (KCNSC/NMO)

  • Experience working on engineering design, qualification, production, or related modeling/simulation projects

  • 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 successfully leading multidisciplinary technical efforts or coordinating work across systems engineering, analysis, software, digital engineering, test, or program teams

  • Experience with data architecture, metadata management, database systems, or enterprise data platforms, such as DataSEA

  • Experience with model-based system engineering tools, such as Simulink, Stateflow, and System Composer

  • Proficiency with MATLAB and/or other engineering analysis and automation tools

  • Experience developing or guiding automated engineering or analysis workflows

  • Experience with the application of AI-enabled tools to engineering analysis, documentation, or software development

  • Understanding of the data architecture, governance, security, validation, and human oversight needed to support future AI-assisted engineering capabilities

  • Experience with secure transportation systems i.e. Safeguards Transporter

  • Experience with Integrated Surety Architectures hardware e.g. trailer modules, Multiapplication Transportation Attachment Device, Alt hardware

  • Experience with nuclear weapons development, testing, and/or production qualification activities

  • Experience with nuclear weapons engineering documentation e.g. engineering authorizations, drawing definition, PRIME

  • Experience in successfully developing productive relationships within the Nuclear Security Enterprise such as NNSA, management, senior management, nuclear deterrence systems organizations, digital engineering organizations, transportation (e.g. SGT) organizations

  • Proven ability to communicate through both written (e.g. writing delivered documentation) and verbal (e.g. giving presentations) avenues

  • Ability to work onsite full-time

  • Active DOE Q-level security clearance

About Our Team:

The Special Projects department was established to focus on the successful deployment of Integrated Surety Architectures (ISA) applications for reentry body and air delivered systems into the transportation safeguards system embodied by the Safeguards Transporter (SGT). The organization serves as the ISA project integration office at Sandia to the NNSA enterprise for over the road (OTR) applications. Currently, there are two major ISA efforts underway at SNL for ALT 940 and the Multi-application Transportation Attachment Device (MTAD) for air delivered systems. As such, the organization interacts extensively with the NW development and stockpile systems capabilities within the laboratory in addition to the transportation safeguards program.

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: 699215

Job Family: RD

Regular/Temporary Position: R

Full/Part-Time Status: F

How this job compares

Set against the 11,779 open Systems Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$118–236K/yr
  • New Mexico median$102–194K/yr101 salary ranges
  • US median$115–187K/yr8,747 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $177K, is 19% above the New Mexico median midpoint ($149K) — in the top quarter of Systems Engineer salary ranges in New Mexico.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 135 open Systems Engineer jobs in New Mexico and 11,779 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in New Mexico
Experience
This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Systems Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (9,741 postings).
Education
4,409 of the 11,779 open Systems Engineer jobs (37%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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