R&D Manager - Optimization and UQ, Hybrid

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 a Level 1 Manager to lead a diverse R&D department developing state-of-the-art scientific optimization and uncertainty quantification (UQ) algorithms and software for continuous and discrete optimization, optimal control, parameter estimation, UQ, inverse problems, and sensitivity analyses. This department advances foundational and applied research while delivering impactful solutions for Sandia's national security missions. This department also maintains partnerships at many levels and collaborates actively with other government institutions, universities and industry.

Are you passionate about leading high-performing technical teams, shaping strategic research directions, collaborating with authorities across government, industry, and academia, and developing the next generation of experts in optimization and UQ? If so, this role offers an opportunity to guide a dynamic team at the intersection of emerging technology, mission impact, and scientific discovery.

On any given day you may be called on to:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a diverse team of researchers, data scientists, software developers, and technical staff working on robust and efficient methods for optimization and UQ.
• Partner with staff, peer managers, senior leaders, university collaborators, industry partners, and government sponsors to deliver on current commitments and identify future opportunities.
• Shape the department's technical vision and strategic direction, guiding the development of innovative capabilities that advance both open research and mission-driven applications.
• Collaborate as an integral member of the Center 1400 management team to develop, communicate, and execute organizational strategy.
• Serve as the ASC Program Subelement lead for the V&V Tools and Software portfolio, which develops and stewards ASC software such as Dakota and MatCal.
• Maintain and grow a strong open research foundation while connecting research outcomes to Sandia's mission needs.
• Oversee day-to-day department management activities, including work planning, performance management, resource allocation, hiring, staff development, and operational execution.
• Recruit, hire, mentor, and retain exceptional staff while fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing team environment.
• Build and maintain relationships with sponsors and stakeholders to align department capabilities with current and emerging mission priorities.
• Promote technical excellence, responsible research practices, innovation, and mission impact across the department's research portfolio.
• Steward and advocate for the adoption of optimization and UQ software, such as Dakota, ROL, and Pyomo.

The selected applicant can work a combination of onsite and offsite work. The selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary.

$163,700 - $278,000

*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 and eight (8) 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
• Q security clearance to start

The ideal R&D Manager for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Two or more years of demonstrated leadership experience.
• A graduate degree in science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or related field (MS or Ph.D.).
• Outstanding interpersonal skills in developing trusting relationships with peers, staff, management, customers, and stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in the development and delivery of presentations, proposals, reports and documentation

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

• A strong commitment to staff development, mentoring, inclusion, and team health.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams or complex cross-organizational projects.
• Ability to develop and communicate technical strategy.
• Knowledge of optimization, UQ, and statistics, as well as complimentary areas (e.g., high performance computing, numerical analysis, scalable algorithms, scientific machine learning, AI, discretizations for partial differential equations).
• Ability to build trusted relationships with sponsors, collaborators, and stakeholders.
• Good communication skills as evidenced by a record of publication of results in peer-reviewed journals and external presentations at scientific conferences.
• Expertise, experience and relationships in one or more of the relevant mission domains or customer/stakeholder communities (Nuclear Deterrence, National Security Programs and Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation).
• Experience with recruiting, hiring, and mentoring staff members.
• Experience leading or contributing to complex software projects with dual mission/open use

The UQ and Optimization department (1463) conducts fundamental and applied research in continuous and discrete optimization, optimal control, parameter estimation, uncertainty quantification, inverse problems, and sensitivity analyses. The department is part of the Enhanced Decision Making group, which seeks to bring together multiple disciplines including AI credibility, scalable AI models and infrastructure, scientific visualization, discrete mathematics, optimization, scalable high performance computing algorithms, and computer science to inform high consequence decision-making.

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.

Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). Sandia is required by DOE directive 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 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.