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Embedded Firmware / Hardware Design Engineer

Posting Duration

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.

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking an R&D Embedded FW/HW Design Engineer to join a multidisciplinary team that is designing and developing advanced components, subsystems, and systems for national defense programs. General responsibilities for electrical engineers range from conceptual design, detailed design (a combination of analog, digital, embedded firmware, schematic capture, board layout), analysis, overseeing fabrication of hardware, defining and executing qualification/testing plans, field support, as well as project management. Successful candidates will work in a team environment with opportunities to acquire increasing levels of responsibility.
On any given day, you may be called on to:
  • Design analog front end signal conditioning circuits to prepare an analog input for digitization;
  • Programming of FPGAs or microcontrollers to collect/organize data from various ICs/sensors via any manner of serial/parallel communication protocols (e.g., SPI, I2C, USB, 8b10b) and disseminate that data in a multitude of ways (e.g., serial outputs such as USB, UART, NRZL, biphase);
  • Perform hands-on test and debug of circuitry;
  • Develop documentation of a given design and give technical presentations to peers/managers;
  • Design and develop specific manufacturing design requirements (i.e., PC board material, trace impedances, routing requirements, PC board stack-up, etc) and oversight of the manufacturing of PC boards;
  • Create software allowing customers to configure or download data from our embedded instrumentation systems, and view and analyze that data in novel ways;
  • Develop a system-level understanding of the collected data and support for anomaly resolution.
This position involves being a member of 3-10 person interdisciplinary design teams and supporting multiple programs/teams simultaneously. Travel to test facilities can be common feature of the job, depending on the program being supported, the job may require up to 25% travel.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • Technical knowledge and competencies appropriate to the position.
  • Thorough knowledge of and applied experience with scientific and engineering methods and with the discipline’s standards for the ethical conduct of research.
  • Thorough knowledge of and experience with designing, planning, and executing research, design, and development projects.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with implementing Sandia policies affecting research, design, and development activities, projects, or initiatives.
  • Demonstrated ability to team across disciplines.

Qualifications We Require

  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline, or equivalent: higher degree (MS, PhD) in relevant discipline; or engineering or scientific experience and/or achievements that demonstrate the knowledge, skills and ability to perform independent research and development
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q security clearance
  • Ability to travel

Qualifications We Desire

  • Active DOE Q security clearance
  • Demonstrated experience with circuit design and analysis
  • Demonstrated experience with embedded firmware design (preferably VHDL) and testbed development
  • Proven experience with design and analysis tools (e.g., Matlab and LabVIEW), analog simulation codes (e.g., LTSpice), and HDL simulation codes  (e.g.,ModelSim)
  • Hands-on experience testing and de-bugging circuitry, with clear mastery of tools such as oscilloscopes, logic/network/spectrum analyzers, function/pulse generators, etc.
  • Knowledge of and experience with PC-board layout tools (e.g., EAGLE PCB or Mentor Graphics), and PC-board fabrication and assembly design principals.
  • An obvious passion for engineering and building new things
  • Strong communication skills (especially technical writing skills), interpersonal skills, and the ability to influence others
  • Ability to juggle competing priorities and deadlines

About Our Team

Organization 8434, Telemetry Engineering II - along with sister departments 08432, 08433, 08435 and 08436- has responsibility for the design, development, and qualification of weapon system instrumentation (or telemetry systems) for use in Joint Test Assemblies (JTAs) for the entire US nuclear arsenal. The JTA program is a cornerstone of the Stockpile Evaluation Program and allows critical assessment of the weapon system, DoD platform, and support personnel performance. To fulfill its mission responsibilities, Organization 8434 employs a diverse and talented group of electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and technologists. The Organization collaborates with other NW groups within Sandia and across the Nuclear Weapons Complex, including NNSA, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the production agencies (National Security Center and Pantex), and the DoD. Organization 0843x is also expected to have significant interactions with other DOE Laboratories and other NNSA entities (beyond the NW Complex), the DoD, and other government agencies.

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 schedules, generous vacations, 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.

Security Clearance

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, 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.