Manufacturing Quality Engineer

LLNL•Livermore, CA

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

We have multiple openings for Manufacturing Quality Engineers to support the Advanced Sources and Detectors (ASD) Scorpius project. You will be part of an engineering organization, planning, implementing, and troubleshooting in-house and subcontracted assembly and testing. Your role will include building consensus on make-buy decisions and development of acquisition strategies, with preparation of assembly procedures and contract documents (e.g., Statements of Work). You will be responsible for building and maintaining an effective quality culture among a team of physicists, electrical and mechanical engineers, designers, technicians, and supplier-management staff. The role requires a schedule-sensitive, solution-oriented individual, with the ability to recognize and apply varying levels of rigor in anticipating (or resolving) quality challenges. The Advanced Sources and Detectors (ASD) project is a multi-year, multi-lab project to design and commission the next generation of radiographic capabilities for use in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear stockpile. This position is in the National Security Engineering Division (NSED) in the LLNL Engineering Directorate. This position offers a hybrid schedule, blending in-person and virtual presence. You will have the flexibility to work from home one or more days per week. 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.

Requirements

Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or related technical discipline or the equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Advanced knowledge and significant experience and responsibility for one or more of: research, design, analysis, prototyping, early fabrication/assembly/test, transition to production, and production troubleshooting/process-improvement.
Ability to manage multiple priorities on multi-disciplinary engineering projects of complex scopes which includes the development of new technologies.
Advanced knowledge and significant experience with QA/QC documentation approaches and practices, including preparing requirements documents, statements of work/specifications, assembly procedures, cost estimates, schedules, and other engineering reports.
Advanced knowledge in a wide range of conventional and advanced fabrication and/or manufacturing methods.
Advanced knowledge of industry-standard Quality Assurance programs, quality control methods, and applicable industry standards (e.g., ASQ, IPC, ANSI); significant experience developing and implementing in-house QA/QC practices appropriate to varying design maturity; e.g., early prototype vs. production-ready design.
Significant experience in developing a list of suppliers of specialized components and integrated assemblies.
Advanced knowledge of commercial/business practices and incentives, including understanding of limitations resulting from various regulations typical in a taxpayer-funded environment.
Advanced verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment to present and explain technical information, clearly articulate, effectively interpret and ensure design documentation meets established requirements, and provide assessments/recommendations to management.
Ability to travel.
Subject matter expert knowledge of industry-standard Quality Assurance programs, quality control methods, and applicable industry standards (e.g., ASQ, IPC, ANSI); Expert level experience developing and implementing in-house QA/QC practices appropriate to varying design maturity; e.g., early prototype vs. production-ready design.
Expert communication, facilitation, collaboration, interpersonal, and negotiation skills necessary to effectively present, explain, provide strategic technical advice, build consensus, and influence senior management, external sponsors, regulators, reviewers, and stakeholders.
Significant experience establishing and sustaining a quality program for highly specialized products and systems.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams in effectively defining/improving administrative/business/engineering processes covering quality of in-house design efforts, quality of in-house/supplier documentation, and quality of various in-house and supplier-provided “products."
Significant experience successfully adapting/tailoring your implementations to the cultural characteristics, skills, knowledge, and abilities of the overall team.

Nice To Haves

Experience with taxpayer-funded (e.g., state university or federal government) acquisition regulations, intellectual property practices, export control guidelines, etc.
Significant experience building consensus, generally without formal authority, across a wide-range of engineering and organizational disciplines.
Significant experience with implementation/configuration of an MRP system, with responsibility for user/organizational aspects.
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, or similar nationally recognized certification.
Experience in developing suppliers of new specialized components and integrated assemblies, e.g., experience assisting suppliers with quality challenges of new product introductions (NPIs).

Responsibilities

Independently contribute to the development of assembly processes for complex scientific equipment designed by engineering colleagues.
Support industry research and design for manufacturability, contributing to prototyping, early fabrication, assembly, and testing of mechanical, electrical, and control systems.
Provide a vision for delivering a complete product or system, build consensus among stakeholders, and lead implementation.
Collaborate with MRP specialists to align parts availability and assembly with the project schedule, manage EBoM-to-MBoM creation, make-buy decisions, serialization, work orders, spares planning, and site registry, and hold regular shortage review meetings.
Serve as a liaison between vendors and relevant LLNL stakeholders to coordinate achievable schedules, develop solutions to manufacturing issues, and ensure high build quality is achieved.
Partner with subcontractors on prototype assembly to prepare statements of work, specifications, cost estimates, schedules, justifications, and technical documents for each solicitation.
Provide complex quality-related expertise on design, quality assurance, production, and surveillance functions, and configuration management.
Write and communicate clear concise requirements using in-depth analysis and/or ingenuity.
Provide solution-oriented oversight of suppliers’ Quality Assurance programs, while personally assisting suppliers with development and implementation of appropriate/warranted improvements (assist with Corrective Actions).
Travel to various LLNL labs, assembly areas and suppliers’ facilities and other manufacturing sites to observe, assess, and verify the implementation of and consistent adherence to standard requirements, repeatable fabrication, inspection, assembly, and surveillance processes, determine and provide necessary process improvements, identify and mitigate risks, and ensure progress on assembly of complex scientific equipment.
Provide regular status updates to stakeholders; recognize when to develop and initiate workarounds to project obstacles.
Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with quality organizations across the DOE/NNSA enterprise.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Support management in setting direction for quality implementation and supporting strategic engagements across the program.
Provide quality subject matter expertise and advanced support to engineers/scientists in solving highly complex technical problems for various projects.
Proactively address and influence resolution of emergent and systemic quality issues between LLNL and production agencies.
Identify, assess, and implement process improvements for achieving increased efficiency and ensuring compliance to quality requirements across the program.
Analyze, communicate, and resolve impacts from changes to federal requirements, institutional requirements, and production agency processes.