UAS Integration Engineer

Company Description

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Are you interested in joining some of the brightest talent in the world to strengthen the United States’ security? Come join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where our employees apply their expertise to create solutions for BIG ideas that make our world a better place.

We are committed to a diverse and equitable workforce with an inclusive culture that values and celebrates the diversity of our people, talents, ideas, experiences, and perspectives. This is essential to innovation and creativity for continued success of the Laboratory’s mission.

Pay Range

$103,290 - $159,168

$103,290 - $132,612 Annually for the SES.1 level

$123,960 - $159,168 Annually for the SES.2 level

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. Many factors are taken into consideration when setting starting pay including education, experience, the external labor market, and internal equity.

Job Description

We have an opening for UAS Integration Engineer to support the Flight Test Group. The Flight Test Group is a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary team that specializes in rapid development of reliable in-field deployable assets. You will be well-rounded with a broad range of knowledge and experience but also have specific experience with small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) and their applications. Your disciplinary background will include good mechanical design skills and intuition, knowledge and experience with DC electronics circuit design, and prior experience with software development and maintenance activities. Your primary role will be to support, develop, maintain, and expand ongoing sUAS development efforts (hardware, electrical, and software) as a member of the Flight Test Group, but your relevant skills may also be leveraged to support other Flight Test development efforts. This position is in the Defense Technologies Engineering Division (DTED), within the Engineering Directorate. DTED provides support to the Weapons and Complex Integration (WCI) Programs.

This position will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level.

In this role you will

• Conduct systems integration work to incorporate COTS and custom subsystems into Flight Test sUAS to enhance capabilities and increase system robustness and mission flexibility
• Contribute to the mechanical, electrical, and software design and development of sUAS airframes, power systems, sensor payloads, communication boxes, and supporting equipment.
• Conduct test & evaluation activities including flight tests, demos, subsystem tests, etc.
• Generate system documentation, procedures, specifications, and other technical documents for use by Flight Test and other supporting personnel.
• Help to coordinate the procurement, fabrication, and manufacturing of sUAS-related mechanical and electrical components.
• Coordinate with other members of the Flight Test group to understand how sUAS capabilities can be leveraged to enhance various aspects of Flight Test operations.
• Provide engineering support to the Flight Test group for relevant engineering problems and other areas of research and development.
• Support Flight Test in-field deployments in domestic and foreign locations which are nominally 2 weeks in duration, and up to several times per year.
• Collect, interpret, and provide data processing support for the Flight Test group analysts.
• Give technical presentations and provide technical support to Flight Test group customers.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional job responsibilities, at the SES.2 level

• Apply relevant professional experience to significantly enhance and expand the Flight Test sUAS capability toward the development of a full-fledged sUAS program.
• Perform additional project management activities including planning, technical resource management, recruitment of staff, technical mentorship, direction of work, and work closely with Flight Test customers and sponsors to secure contracts and funding.

Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Experience with sUAS systems and their popular open-source implementations and utilities (ArduPilot, PX4, MAVLink, Pixhawk, etc.), and ability to interact with, contribute to, maintain, and debug code bases written in Python, C++, Arduino, and MATLAB. Experience with using git-based version control.
• Experience conducting sUAS flight test experiments in lab/research settings as well as demonstrations out in the field.
• Fundamental understanding of DC electronics fundamentals with circuit design skills, as well as PCB design skills and experience with PCB CAD software.
• Fundamental mechanical design skills and experience with 3D CAD software, mechanical drawings, GD&T, and design for manufacturing concepts.
• Adaptable, detail-oriented, and comfortable working on a small cross-disciplinary team; willingness to learn and perform work duties in a fast-paced, fast-changing environment.
• Ability to work productively in a variety of work environments including office settings, workshops, mobile trailers, and in remote outdoor field environments.
• Sufficient verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively in a team environment and generate, explain, and present technical information.
• Ability to travel up 2 weeks several times per year, and up to 4 weeks once per year.

Additional qualifications at the SES.2 level

• Master’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Comprehensive understanding of DC electronics fundamentals with circuit design & analysis skills, as well as PCB design skills and experience with PCB CAD software.
• Strong mechanical design and analysis skills and experience with 3D CAD software, mechanical drawings, GD&T, and design for manufacturing concepts.
• Proficient verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively in a team environment and generate, explain, and present technical information.

Qualifications We Desire

• Proficiency working within Linux Debian-based operating systems and experience with static network design and standard communication protocols (UDP, TCP, SCP, FTP, TELNET, etc.).
• Prior experience using popular robotics and simulation tools such as ROS, Gazebo, AirSim, etc., as well as experience developing basic GUI and web applications.
• Experience interfacing with differential and RTK-GPS and familiarity with RF systems design.
• Multirotor UAS piloting ability with Part 107 remote-pilot certification.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Position Information

This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Lab employees and external candidates.

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity
• Our core beliefs - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/our-values
• Employee engagement - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/employee-engagement

Security Clearance

This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance. If you are selected, we will initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. Also, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing. Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship.

Pre-Employment Drug Test

External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.

Pre-Placement Medical Exam

A job related pre-placement medical examination may be required.

Beware of Fraudulent Job Postings. LLNL’s hiring practices:

• Never requires job applicants to pay an application/training fee or submit personal documents like bank account details, passport number, Social Security number, tax forms or credit card information as part of the application process.
• For interviews and to be granted access to a Federal facility, a LLNL employee will contact you directly to collect visa, passport number, and/or Social Security number. To vet the authenticity of the employee please have them provide you their name and phone number and verify at people.llnl.gov.
• Involves at least one interview (virtual or in-person) and never interviews job applicants through chat platforms such as Google Hangouts, or via correspondence through text and instant messaging systems.
• Only sends email communications to job applicants from domain “@llnl.gov” or via their applicant tracking system, notifications@smartrecruiters.com . Occasionally LLNL uses third-party vendors that will contact you about job opportunities. If a recruiter contacts you to apply, you will always be directed to our career page to apply through our career site.
• Encourages all applicants to visit LLNL’s careers page at www.llnl.gov/join-our-team/careers if they saw the job posting on another site prior to applying to ensure the job posting is accurate and valid.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

We invite you to review the Equal Employment Opportunity posters which include EEO is the Law and Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request.

California Privacy Notice

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.