Senior Materials Engineer-Additive Manufacturing, 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.

We are seeking an R&D Materials Engineer with a passion for printed electronics, advanced manufacturing, materials formulation, and small-volume, high consequence device fabrication. This position involves designing, creating, and analyzing integrated systems where knowledge of electronics, materials, and mechanics culminate in the 3D printing of electrically functional hardware. As a member of our multidisciplinary team of engineers and materials scientists, you will lead printed electronics design and fabrication efforts with the objective of delivering printed solutions that meet demanding national security needs. While a focus on applied technologies and engineering is expected, opportunities to propose and lead original research related to advanced manufacturing, materials, and printed electronics will be available.

Key roles and responsibilities of the position include:

• Design for additive manufacturing (DfAM): Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and materials engineers to develop new design and fabrication approaches for electrical components such as cables, circuit boards, power supplies and hardware embedded sensors.
• Simulation and testing of hardware performance: Apply knowledge of circuit design and testing methods to characterize printed device performance. Determine or evaluate the material properties of printed hardware, including DC, RF, and mechanical characteristics of additive manufactured hardware.
• Manufacturing process development: Analyze, characterize, and optimize material jetting based printing processes. Design, construct, and operate commercial and custom-built inkjet printing tools. Increase efficiency, reduce defects, and enhance printed electronic part quality. Develop process-structure-property-performance relationships that describe interdependencies inherent to additively manufactured products.
• Project management: Coordinating efforts of team members to achieve project goals and milestones. Oversee research project budgets, schedules, and purchases.

On any given day, you may be asked to:

• Conceptualize, design, fabricate and test additively manufactured devices. These devices may be fabricated using multiphoton lithography, FDM, SLS, SLA, aerosol jet, inkjet, and direct write extrusion printing for use in heterogeneous integration, micro optical devices, electronics packaging, non-planar electronics/power sources and metamaterials.
• Identify, create, or optimize material systems and process parameters for multi-scale, multi-material 3D printing
• Develop and demonstrate printable devices that integrate multiple functionalities, including autonomous and environmentally responsive sensors.
• Collaborate across disciplines with other internal organizations as well as academic and industrial collaborators.
• Publish original research in high impact journals and conference proceedings.
• Develop proposals for new programs with co-workers as well as contribute to creation of independent research concepts.
• Document and deliver results and report findings to co-workers, customers, and the broader scientific community.

Due to the nature of the work the selected applicant must be able to work onsite in Albuquerque, New Mexico Relocation will be provided for those that qualify. Relocation will be provided for those that qualify.

$114,000 - $227,500

*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 such as Materials Chemistry, Ceramic Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Polymer Chemistry, Polymer/Plastics Engineering.
• 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.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance.

• Graduate degree in Materials Science or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience in a research and development environment.
• Experience with materials characterization techniques.
• Experience working on teams consisting of multidisciplinary and multi-disciplinary experimentalists, modelers, and theorists with a common goal.
• Effective interpersonal skills for giving presentations, preparing reports, writing articles, and explaining the important aspects of technical work to customers.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in electrical, mechanical, or materials engineering or a related a STEM field
• A record of productivity and innovation, as evidenced by peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, presentations and/or issued patents.
• Material additive manufacturing experience.
• Experience with electronics, mechanical design and testing.
• Experience with multiphoton lithography materials and instrumentation.
• Experience designing, building, and operating custom printing equipment.
• Knowledge of how to design parts specifically for 3D printing, including understanding support structures, material properties, and build strategies.
• Experience in circuit design and prototyping (e.g., Altium).
• Experience in electronics simulation (e.g., PSpice, CST).
• Experience with radio frequency component design and testing.
• Experience in opto-mechanical design and drawing (e.g., SolidWorks).
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes such as microreplication, embossing, flexography/gravure, screen printing, semiconductor manufacturing, and printed circuit board fabrication.
• Experience with chemical and materials lab practices.
• Experience with materials characterization including optical and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy.
• Experience with software programming and instrument control.

The Advanced Materials Laboratory (AML) is a department within the Material, Physical, and Chemical Sciences Center at Sandia National Laboratories and is co-located at the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The AML conducts research and development to meet a wide range of specialized applications for national security, energy/climate, and nuclear deterrence enabled through partnerships with government, industry, and academic institutions. Technical expertise and focus in the AML is applied to fundamental chemistry of organic and inorganic synthesis, material processing for property-performance optimization, proto-type design engineering for structural-electronic functionality, with an emphasis on expanding autonomous material discovery and informed design enabled by machine learning. The department specializes in advanced manufacturing with an emphasis on defining the boundaries between materials science and process engineering to optimize property performance. Technical capabilities within the department include fiber reinforced composite and nanocomposite manufacturing; chemical, resin, and ink synthesis; additive manufacturing, including Direct Ink Write, Polymer Selective Laser Sintering, Vat Polymerization, Multiphoton Lithography, 3D/structural printed electronics; and rapid cable and connectors prototyping design engineering. Our department is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of engineers, material scientists, and chemists who are dedicated to scientific discovery, creativity, innovation, and practical solutions for our diverse customer set. Our team is committed to a safe and nurturing R&D work environment as an incubator of scientific talent at all academic and career levels, with a long-standing history of advocating for and advancing undergraduate and graduate students through research internships geared toward growing the next generation of scientists.

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.

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.

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.