Early Career R&D Laboratory Support Technologist - Materials Research, 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.

An opportunity exists for an innovative technologist to join our soft materials formulation, characterization, and mechanical testing team. We desire a flexible and motivated team member to assist in lab operations related to soft matter and materials science R&D while working with technical staff and test operations engineers to run experiments involving a variety of technologies and perform basic data analysis.

The candidate will be expected to troubleshoot and maintain equipment, handle laboratory maintenance tasks and documentation, and provide support to materials science research. A range of experimental techniques including rheological characterization and imaging are used to characterize properties of polymeric resins, composites, and additively manufactured materials of interest to the DOE complex and National Security applications. The candidate should be willing to work across disciplines and projects, with a willingness to engage in a variety of tasks on any given day and capable of working in a fast-paced research and development laboratory environment semi-independently and within multidisciplinary teams.

Day-to-day responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Wet-lab formulation and processing of polymer resins and polymer composites
• Thermal, rheological, and mechanical characterization and testing of samples on both commercial and modified equipment such as rheometers, dynamic mechanical analyzers, and instruments to measure material properties such as viscosity, moduli, and yield stress.
• Imaging of samples using equipment such as Xray CT, optical microscopes, and cameras
• Maintenance and calibration of instrumentation including upkeep/tracking of equipment service contracts and service visits.
• Maintaining chemical inventory (ordering, tracking, inventory) and waste disposition
• Act as primary point of contact for general lab maintenance and operations including ordering laboratory supplies, facilities requests, and maintenance (PRVs, fume hoods, etc.)
• Applying Engineered Safety principles and documentation in all work

The team performs leading edge materials research while also providing materials engineering support to a wide customer base in Nuclear Deterrence, and other engineering programs at Sandia.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant will be required to work onsite.

$63,800 - $123,400

*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.

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry or related field, or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience
• A minimum of 1 years' experience working in a research, development or laboratory environment
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE security clearance

• Experience in wet lab sample preparation/formulation operations for polymer science, polymer physics, chemistry, or materials science
• Experience with chemical or mechanical materials characterization methods, techniques, and tools
• Basic knowledge of chemical handling and the ability to work in a safe manner with respect for safety procedures
• Ability to develop, follow, and record laboratory procedures, organize experimental results, and steward data
• A proven commitment to producing high-quality results using laboratory techniques and focused attention to detail
• Strong communication skills. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a diverse team.
• Flexibility to transition rapidly between projects and work scope
• Experience working with rheological characterization equipment, dynamic mechanical analysis tools, or other thermo-mechanical equipment
• Experience with polymer additive manufacturing, including FDM or SLA/DLP printing techniques
• Experience working with optical microscopy, xrayCT and other imaging techniques and analysis
• Experience with CAD software tools
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Department 01516 conducts applied research on the structure and behavior of complex engineered material systems exhibiting coupled physical processes that span multiple length and time scales. This research encompasses theoretical/computational and experimental methods and analysis of energetic (propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics) and soft materials (complex fluids, aerosols, polymers, powders and particles) and multiphase/composite systems. We support partner organizations in scientific assessments for design, production, performance and safety of material systems (e.g., critical components) as well as in the development and manufacturing of novel materials for high consequence, extreme environment applications.

The Energetics/MultiPhase/Soft Materials R+D Department 1516 provides experimental capabilities and advanced diagnostic methods for elucidating the physics of complex fluid flow, energetics, and soft materials characterization. Our experimental research activities are focused on both advanced diagnostics and fundamental experiments. We develop state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques for application to benchmark experiments aimed at understanding the fundamental nature of complex systems. This understanding is often used to develop and validate the theoretical and computer models necessary for system design and analysis.

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.

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.