
Cleared Space Systems Mechanical Engineer, Onsite
Albuquerque, NMFull-time$102–200K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago
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Requirements
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Job overview
Sandia’s Space Mission Engineering Program Office seeks a mechanical or systems engineer with space systems experience to support high-security projects involving analysis, modeling, and hardware demonstrations. The work supports national security partners and may inform acquisition planning, operations, and technical risk reduction. The selected applicant must work onsite and support occasional travel; the position requires active DOE Q and SCI clearance, or equivalent.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
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:
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Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
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Extraordinary co-workers
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Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
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Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
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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)
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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's Space Mission Engineering Program Office (SMEPO) strives to enhance national security by creating the future of our space enterprise. To this end we seek the toughest unmet, space control mission challenges for our DoD and IC partners. Solving these problems requires acting as a trusted resource, leveraging innovative ideas, applying differentiating technologies, and harnessing the strength of Sandia¿s unique capabilities.
We are seeking a mechanical or systems engineer with space systems experience to support a broad portfolio of critical high-security projects. The portfolio consists of a mix of analysis, modeling, and hardware demonstration efforts. Successful execution of these efforts will inform US Space Force acquisition planning, operations and technical risk reduction efforts. The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to strengthen partnerships, work with DoD or IC sponsors, mature enabling technologies, and execute space flight payloads through full lifecycle. The work is conducted at TS/SCI and special program levels.
On any given day, you may be called on to:
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Work in a high security environment delivering critical analysis, modeling and technical risk reduction capabilities
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Support diverse, multidisciplinary teams
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Help deliver technical analyses, models, or realize new flight systems
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Engage with external sponsors and Sandia leadership
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Generate and deliver proposals, reports, or presentations
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Independently design or develop solutions to complex technical problems
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Build and test space flight systems or associated prototypes
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Identify gaps and opportunities to drive innovation
Must be willing to support occasional travel.
Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.
Salary Range:
$102,400 - $199,700
*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:
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A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, 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.
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Active DOE Q and SCI, or equivalent.
Qualifications We Desire:
The ideal R&D S&E Mechanical Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:
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Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
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Experience with mechanical engineering and product realization in the NNSA complex.
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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:
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Two or more years of hands-on experience with space flight systems (designs/architecture, realization/build, testing and deployment)
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Two or more years of project leadership experience with DOD or IC communities
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Experience implementing SCI and/or Special Access Program (SAP) level technical projects
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Demonstrated ability to work well in a diverse, multidisciplinary teaming environment
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Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with external and internal partners
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Demonstrated ability to develop and present proposals (cost/schedule/scope/conceptual design) to internal and external partners
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Demonstrated ability to lead small teams
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Possess a strong dedication to positive teaming dynamics, strong written and verbal skills, detail oriented with a keen focus on supporting sponsors
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Experience designing optomechanical and electromechanical systems
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Ability to develop simple code to interface with mechanisms, components, testers, etc.
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Willingness to travel to engage with sponsors, conferences, etc.
About Our Team:
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Rapid prototype development to create solutions for emerging threats.
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Modeling and analysis to inform national security questions.
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Developing resilient space electronic architectures. Moving traditional algorithms, which were designed to run on high-performance ground stations, to the edge.
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Payload and tech maturation in the areas of remote sensing, space control, space domain awareness, and space cyber.
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) SCI security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). 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.
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: 699618
Job Family: RD
Regular/Temporary Position: R
Full/Part-Time Status: F
How this job compares
Set against the 7,571 open Mechanical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 5, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$102–200K/yr
- New Mexico median$102–195K/yr36 salary ranges
- US median$105–160K/yr4,512 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $151K, is close to the New Mexico median midpoint ($151K) — in the middle half of Mechanical Engineer salary ranges in New Mexico.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 62 open Mechanical Engineer jobs in New Mexico and 7,571 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in New Mexico
- Jacobs9 open
- Oracle8 open
- Sandia National Laboratories (this employer)7 open
- Experience
- Mechanical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 3 to 7 years (6,299 postings).
- Education
- 5,230 of the 7,571 open Mechanical Engineer jobs (69%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 5, 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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