Senior/Principal, R&D Extreme Environment RF Design Engineer, 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.

Are you looking for an opportunity to contribute to a highly motivated team focused on delivering qualified electronic components to a national security mission? The Advanced RF ICs and Microsystems department (5255) is seeking an experienced R&D Microwave and Sensor Engineer to design, fabrication, test, qualification and delivery of custom designed microwave components. The selected candidate will assume a key role within a team that interfaces across technology developers and application customers to improve system performance through new understanding and integration in a broad range of technologies that include: custom RF, analog and mixed signal components (semiconductor and piezoelectric) for Radar, communication, loT, solid-state electronic devices, high-speed interconnect and integration, and devices that exploit new nanoscale materials and physics.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Plans, conducts, and executes Sandia's science and engineering programs within the spectrum of fundamental research, development, or demonstration.
• Lead designs within our internal radiation-hardened technologies as well as innovative external foundries.
• Use circuit modeling tools to design analog or RF integrated circuit components for transceivers including modeling of active integrated circuits, electromagnetic filters, transmission lines, and/or antennas using dielectrics and/or lithographically defined metals.
• Review/Write specifications for RF components used in radar systems.
• Specify fabrication steps to build custom designed printed circuit boards to test integrated circuit components.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts of analog or RF circuits in a modern, well-equipped electronics lab.
• Understanding electronic equipment to measure slew rate, gain, stability, phase noise, jitter, s-parameters, power output, P1dB, PSat, noise figure, modulation quality (EVM), or sensitivity.
• Ability to effectively instruct technologist and junior engineers to test and characterize new devices in a variety of technology nodes/processes.
• Characterize custom designed RF components and modules over voltage, temperature, and environmental stresses.
• Play a key technical role in developing new ideas and proposals for research activities including junior staff.
• Communicate results and findings to peers and sponsors through presentation, and peer reviewed publications.

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.

$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.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and 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-level security clearance.

The ideal R&D Microwave and Sensor Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Laboratory skills and knowledge of RF and digital test equipment.
• Knowledge of RF, Digital Communications, Electronic Warfare, and Cyber Security systems and principles.
• Ability to work successfully in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, teaming environment.

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

• RF or high-speed integrated circuit design using Cadence Virtuoso.
• Electrical test and measure practices to protect sensitive devices and equipment to troubleshooting high frequency circuitry.
• Experience in radio frequency design including electromagnet modeling and analysis, frequency analysis, noise analysis, power matching analysis, radiation hardening by design and/or link budget analysis.
• Proven experience designing LNA, mixer, power amplifiers, RF and analog filters, high speed analog, and PLL blocks.
• Strong scripting background in Skill.
• Strong written and presentation skills to provide sponsors and vendors convincing evidence of quality designs.
• Ability to work independently and within a multi-disciplinary team of peers to meet specifications.
• Strong interpersonal skills which include teamwork, effective leadership, negotiation, delegation, and conflict resolution.
• Understanding of:
  • fabrication process for integrated circuits
  • die attaching, wirebonding, and packaging
  • advanced automated assembly processes for die and very small SMT components
• Strong electrical test and measure skills at the module and die level.
• Experience:
  • developing complex microsystem solutions including analog, digital, RF, and other technologies
  • modeling electromagnetic effects on and off die
  • heterogeneously integrating die onto various dielectric interposers or PCBs to maintain signal integrity and improve throughput
• Interest in enabling next-generation advances in quantum information, ultra-low-power RF microsystems, electromagnetic interference mitigation, and high-speed heterogeneous integration.
• Demonstrated oral, written, and technical writing skills to provide sponsors and vendors convincing evidence of quality designs.
• Experience with/in: Analog and RF modeling using commercially available simulation tools in semiconductor, electromagnetic, and/or optical Integrated circuit design using Cadence, Mentor Graphics, Synopsis, ADS, HFSS, EMX.
• Active DOE Q or DOD TS clearance.

The Advanced RF ICs and Microsystems department performs research, design, modeling, characterization, and qualification of RF microelectronics. We have a focus on efficient, high performance RF component design, electromagnetic modeling, as well as novel wireless sensor development. We have capabilities for developing between prototypes to fully qualified hardware. We provide unique solutions to our customers in nuclear weapons, DoD, non-proliferation agencies, and subsystem departments (SAR, surety, & ISR). Our research interests include advanced RF sensors, low power communication devices, quantum computing electromagnetics, advanced radar component design, and next generation resonators for clocks unique to national security applications. Join this team to make a difference for our nation and work toward your individual goals.

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.