Intern - Weapon System and Component Design, R&D Undergrad Summer
What Your Job Will Be Like
Who We Are:
The mission is why you come; the people is why you stay.
At Sandia National Laboratories, the magnitude of our mission is immense. As an intern in Center 8400, your contributions will directly impact national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of America’s nuclear stockpile. This stockpile underpins the foundation of our national deterrence strategy and enables our nations diplomacy around the world. We work in amazing interdisciplinary teams, ready to attack the next big engineering challenge thrown our way and are always on the lookout for the next great creative-tinkerer or innovative-designer that we can help grow into experts and leaders within the inclusive, family-like culture we’ve built. Our work spans early research innovation but also challenges all engineering disciplines to create manufacturable capabilities that bring life to concepts. Our teams span the entire innovation lifecycle.
With a wide array of on-going projects and new projects on the horizon, opportunity abounds to hone your current skills and grow new skills; and because of the diverse reach of our program, you get to learn and see the big picture down to smallest components across the weapon lifecycle. If you believe you’re up for the challenge and can excel in our team-focused, mission-critical nuclear weapon projects, we’d love to meet you!
What We Do:
The Center 8400 Intern Institute is designed to provide direct support to the many facets of the Nuclear Weapon Stockpile System and Component Engineering center. In this diverse center, we ensure the safety, security, and reliability of our nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile while developing new component products that continually improve our mission capabilities. We experience the entire engineering lifecycle including concept development, prototyping and design, fabrication, testing, production maintenance, and disposal.
What We Need:
We are looking to hire a team of cross-functional engineering interns for the summer to be part of a new Center 8400 Intern Institute. Interns will be paired with mentors and assigned individual or small team projects based on skills and interest. These projects are of high value to our on-going programs and we are looking for students who can jump in quickly, who are willing to learn new things and push their own boundaries, and who can own responsibility for their work. Interns will be expected to communicate frequently with their project sponsors and provide an end of summer briefing on progress and accomplishments to our engineering community.
What You’ll Do
Projects are tailored to individuals, but in the past our interns have engaged in…
• Supporting design of FPGA-based electronics hardware with RF data communication capabilities
• Designing electronics to be used in system development and qualification testing.
• Supporting testing and test planning and design feedback
• Designing of mechanical hardware for laboratory and field testing
• Designing architectures to support flexibility or improved capability
• Conducting experiments related to forward-looking technology
• Designing cryptography solutions for open air data transmission
You’ll be able to work with your mentor and engineering team to determine which summer projects best meet your needs. You will also have access to state-of-the-art facilities and tools in pursuit of engineering excellence.
Posting Duration
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.
Qualifications We Require
You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:
- Currently attending and enrolled full time (or scheduled to graduate in the spring) in an accredited undergraduate program
- Pursuing a science, engineering, or math major
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
- Ability to work up to 40 hours per week during the summer
- U.S. citizenship
Note: If you have not yet started your undergraduate program, please apply to a high school intern position.
Qualifications We Desire
- Major in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or other related technical field
- Coursework or project experience in circuit design and/or FPGA programming
- Experience with safety aspects of project work and electronics laboratory work
- MATLAB programming experience
- Experience with design tools such as schematic, layout or CAD programs
- Knowledge of and experience with scientific and engineering methods
- Knowledge of and experience with designing, planning, and executing projects with low technology readiness levels
- Interest in multidisciplinary work and ability to team across disciplines
- Good verbal and written communication skills
About Our Team
Sandia California's Telemetry and Stockpile Support Department develops and maintains telemetry systems in support of the nuclear deterrence surveillance mission. Telemetry systems has responsibility for all aspects of telemetry development, including conceptual design, prototype development and testing, and transitioning production work to DOE production agencies. Telemetry systems integrate precision sensor electronics and signal conditioning with RF communication systems to support flight testing of Joint Test Assemblies. Work is performed by teams of electrical engineers and mechanical engineers, in partnership with quality engineering, reliability engineering, and project management.
Current development mission assignments include the W88 ALT370 JTA8 project, the W78 JTA6R project, and the W76 JTA3 project. Stockpile support oversees the quality, reliability, and availability of all qualified telemetry systems that are being used in the on-going surveillance mission.
About Sandia
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 vacations, 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.
Security Clearance
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.
EEO
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.