Materials Engineer

What You'll Do

Daily Duties

Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing (SAP) Material Definition and Quality Verification: Spend a portion of each day working in SAP to ensure that material definitions, part numbers, raw material requisitions, and testing parameters correctly reflect the requirements dictated by specifications and drawings. This involves reviewing material lots for production and verifying that materials meet chemical and mechanical benchmarks.

Programmatic Procedure and Drawing Reviews: Systematically evaluate step-by-step weapon assembly and disassembly procedures to confirm that material call-outs (such as adhesives, sealants, foams, and coatings) strictly adhere to design requirements. Ensure that curing times, mixing ratios, and application techniques comply with the authorized engineering specifications.

Floor-level Troubleshooting and Failure Analysis: Act as the primary technical responder when process issues or material failures occur on the production line (e.g., an adhesive fails to cure, a coating exhibits poor adhesion, or a polymer shows unexpected cracking) or during acceptance testing. You will initiate root-cause investigations, conduct engineering evaluations, and coordinate with Quality Assurance to document the issue via Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs), generating the technical justifications required for "use-as-is" or scrap decisions.

Laboratory Testing Oversight: Monitor active laboratory testing or pilot-scale blending and packaging operations. Ensure that the daily execution of material testing procedures (such as tensile strength, durometer hardness, thermal properties, or chemical composition) aligns with testing guidance, calibrating equipment as required.

Weekly & Collaborative Duties

Process Engineering Collaboration: Meet regularly with Pantex Process Engineers to align material processing requirements with the physical realities of the production bay. This includes confirming that material working-life constraints fit inside the weapon assembly schedules and that specialized tooling accommodates material behaviors (like viscosity and thermal expansion).

Design Agency and Production Agency (PA) Coordination: Maintain continuous technical contact with Design Agency counterparts at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and other relevant system sites, such as the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC). This ensures that Pantex’s manufacturing plans remain in perfect synchronization with design intent and weapon certification requirements.

At-Risk Material Monitoring and Supply Chain Mitigation: Proactively identify raw materials, chemical precursors, or commercial off-the-shelf components that are at risk due to vendor obsolescence, legislative changes, geopolitical factors, or design flaws. Track these items and coordinate multi-site Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) efforts to develop and qualify alternative material substitutes before production continuity is impacted.

What You'll Do Cont.

Project-Based & Advanced Engineering Duties

Design of Experiments (DoE) for Material Research: Plan, design, and execute rigorous experiments to characterize raw materials and evaluate long-term weapon compatibility.

Engineering Property Assessment and Manufacturing Optimization: Correctly and efficiently determine critical engineering properties (such as elastic modulus, thermal conductivity, density, or tensile strength). Apply materials science knowledge to propose process or material changes to existing weapon programs that optimize performance, reduce cost, and improve manufacturing yield.

New Process and Equipment Implementation: Lead and manage modernization projects, such as standing up new mixing, blending, and packaging equipment or transitioning legacy manual steps to advanced processes. Write and qualify the standard operating procedures needed to operate these new systems safely.

Conduct of Operations (ConOps) and Safety Basis Compliance: Participate in Management Self-Assessments (MSAs), readiness reviews, and hazard analyses before introducing new materials or process changes into nuclear explosive areas. Ensure that all material handling, storage (including high explosive storage limitations), and application processes strictly conform to Documented Safety Analyses (DSA) and federal directives.

Minimum Job Requirements

Department of Energy (DOE) Order 426.2A Requirements

In addition to the above requirements, the applicant must also meet the requirements of the Department Of Energy (DOE) O 426.2A (i.e.,Baccalaureate in engineering or related science, 2 years job-related and at least 1 year nuclear experience, or a DOE O 426.2A alternative). DOE O 426.2A experience requirements can be satisfied following employment. In the interim, newly hired personnel will not be assigned duties that could impact the safety basis of nuclear facilities. (Ref. DOE O 426.2A)

Preferred Job Requirements

• A minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) is preferred for up to four years post-graduation, confirmed by transcript at the time of offer. Beyond four years from graduation, relevant experience will supersede GPA in hiring considerations
  
  
  
  
  • Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum 3.0/4.0 cumulative GPA
  
  
  • Master’s Degree with a minimum 3.3/4.0 cumulative GPA
  
  
  • PhD with a minimum 3.5/4.0 cumulative GPA
  
  
  
  


• General knowledge of materials engineering and testing, kitting, and materials handling


• Knowledge of procedure writing and a general understanding of the Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) Process


• Experience working the Design Agencies and familiarity with common documentation requirements with the Design Agencies


• Knowledge of System Applications and Products in Data Processing (SAP); demonstrated computer skills and knowledge of software applications including Microsoft Office; and the ability to effectively communicate through the oral and written word