Job Description (show details...)

Summary

Responsible for a broad set of activities within one or more engineering disciplines in support of engineering research and development (R&D), which is defined as the creative application of scientific principles to research, design, or develop structures, instruments, machines, experiments, processes, theories or technologies; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under ambiguous operating conditions. Broad professional expertise in an engineering discipline and the ability to act as an independently functioning skilled contributor is required.

Job Duties

1. Safety and security are primary responsibilities for all Laboratory employees. Maintains required safety and security training and assures compliance; makes safety and security an integral part of every task. Takes steps to stop work if unsafe conditions exist or security is compromised. 
2. Adheres to engineering policies, programs, procedures and practices.
3. Applies and interprets, on a broad basis, existing discipline-specific engineering and scientific principles, techniques, methods and tools to provide solutions for a wide assortment of complex problems where analysis of situations or data requires evaluation of causal relationships which are difficult to establish.
4. Contributes to the research, design, testing, analysis, verification, and validation of engineering and technology solutions in support of R&D initiatives.
5. Develops a technical approach, using creativity in applying standard practices and procedures, and leads technical decisions, including selections of technical alternatives, for assigned work.
6. Develops new methods, techniques or approaches to address critical technical problems. Develops new technical capabilities.
7. Develops technical products such as journal papers and reports. Contributes to the development of intellectual property leading to publications, copyrights, and/or patents.
8. Contributes to the completion of milestones on multiple projects. Contributes to the achievement of programmatic objectives.
9. Sets direction and goals for well-defined tasks involving more than one person. Scopes tasks within a project and defines deliverables at task level. Leads specific project tasks to meet scope, schedule and budget.
10. Actively participates in professional societies, National Nuclear Security Administration/Department of Energy Complex interactions, special assignments, and/or external special interest groups. May participate in external working groups and/or assist in organizing meetings and colloquia.
11. Provides peer review of the work of others across organizations or disciplines.
12. Mentors junior staff and peers in technical and professional growth. May mentor students and/or post-docs.
13. Maintains state-of-the-art technical expertise and knowledge within discipline, and develops new skills in related disciplines. Attains additional certifications and/or qualifications to grow in field, which may include more advanced educational degrees and/or a professional engineer license.
14. Models a mutually respectful work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment and that supports cooperation, teamwork, and resource sharing.

Job Knowledge

• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in one or more of the following engineering disciplines:  aerospace, biomedical, chemical, computational, electrical, mechanical, nuclear or other R&D engineering field.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in designing, planning, and executing research and development projects. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with application of the scientific method and with discipline-relevant standards for the ethical conduct of research.
• Knowledge of Laboratory policies affecting research and development activities, projects, and/or initiatives.
• Knowledge of Laboratory objectives and other statements of policy, practice, and/or procedure.

Education

• Typical educational requirement is a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree in engineering from an accredited college or university.

Direction

A. Supervision Received

• Receives occasional oversight on specific objectives, as well as on complex problems and solutions. Completed work products are subject to supervisory review.

B. Supervision Exercised

• Provides technical coordination and/or guidance to junior staff, including post-docs, and peers, as needed.

C. Contacts

• Position typically requires effective networking with peers across the division and/or the Laboratory. May have limited independent interactions with peers, organizations, and/or sponsors external to the Laboratory.

This description is not intended to be a complete statement of every aspect of the position, but rather to act as a guide to the essential functions to be performed. Assigned functions of this job may vary, and other duties and responsibilities may be assigned or changed at the discretion of management.