R&D Controls Engineer - Automation & Robotics (Experienced) - Hybrid

at  Sandia National Laboratories

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.

WHAT YOUR JOB WILL BE LIKE

We are seeking a motivated R&D Engineer to join our research, engineering, and design team.

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

• Work with a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team on fast-moving, innovative projects that progress from research to real-world applications that serve the national interest.
• Develop methods that enable rapid, adaptive, low volume production, inspection, and assembly.
• Develop new methods that enable robotic systems to intelligently perceive, manipulate, and interact with the environment.
• Create, design, and implement algorithms to enable advanced automation/autonomy, perception solutions, and action based on geometric and semantic perception of surroundings.
• Develop architectures for data collection to optimize assembly, inspection, and process flow.
• Develop software and hardware to implement on embedded systems to demonstrate real-time performance.
• Design real-time control systems for atypical, high-consequence systems with significant nonlinearities, known and unknown interactions, and/or other challenges.
• Develop capabilities to enable autonomous operations in complex environments: unstructured, previously unexplored, hazardous, or adversarial.
• Author publications and patent applications describing advances.
• Creatively brainstorm new problems, solutions, and capabilities
• Develop new ideas and proposals to obtain funding.
• Establish new collaborative partnerships within and external to Sandia.

QUALIFICATIONS WE REQUIRE

• PhD or Master’s degree in Manufacturing/Process engineering, Computer Science or Engineering, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, plus one (1) or mor years of related experience. Or Bachelor’s degree as mentioned above, plus five (5) years or more of directly related experience.
• Experience in the following:
• Implementing novel algorithms and control systems on hardware.
• Applying image- and/or signal-processing algorithms to sensor data.
• Development and use of one or more of the following: robots, perception systems, manipulation systems, or control systems.
• Ability to obtain and maintain DOE Q-level Security Clearance.

QUALIFICATIONS WE DESIRE

• Experience developing machine vision and image analysis solutions and tools
• Experience with the control or automation of manufacturing processes and systems such as additive manufacturing, machining and machine tools, forming, robotic assembly and/or welding, etc.
• Experience in online metrology, process instrumentation, measurements, or inspection
• Current or past focus on object detection, localization, estimation, autonomous navigation, planning, computer vision, machine learning, tracking, structure from motion, or related areas
• Expert-level experience developing code in Python, C++, or similar languages
• Experience with the Robot Operating System (ROS)
• Experience developing nonlinear, adaptive control systems
• Experience with robotic manipulation systems
• Experience with embedded and portable computing systems to include GPUs, FPGAs, microcontrollers, and related technologies
• Experience with collaborative software development and related tools and methods including version control tools (e.g., GitLab), communication and task management tools (e.g., mattermost, JIRA), and dynamic task planning (e.g., Agile)
• Experience developing novel robotic systems
• Experience developing electronic circuit boards, electrical power systems, etc.

NNSA REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDPEDS

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

Please refer the Job description for details