Target Experimental Systems Engineering and Operations Manager

About the role

Do you want to lead a large multidisciplinary organization responsible for some of the world's most complex, high performance laser systems while enabling groundbreaking national security science?

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most energetic laser, is seeking a dynamic Target Experimental Systems (TEXS) Engineering and Operations Manager to lead the TEXS Engineering Section in support of safe, reliable operations, strong system performance, critical maintenance, and future capability enhancements.

This role offers a unique opportunity to apply your leadership, engineering judgment, and strategic vision at one of the world's most advanced scientific facilities.

You will oversee a large organization of engineers, technicians, and technical leaders responsible for the installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, performance monitoring, configuration management, and operations of target systems, diagnostics, final optics, and associated experimental equipment supporting NIF.

This includes both engineering sustainment and round-the-clock operational readiness in an unprecedented radiological environment as NIF continues to increase the yield and number of fusion ignition shots.

As the TEXS Section Manager, you will lead a multidisciplinary technical team responsible for the safe operations, optimized system performance, and reliable, high-availability execution, while driving upgrades and engineering improvements needed to meet future mission requirements and increasing shot rate demands.

You will provide direct leadership in organizational development, workforce planning, technical direction, resource management, and strategic planning to sustain and enhance operational excellence across a broad portfolio of complex experimental systems. Reporting to the NIF Director, you will establish section objectives and priorities in alignment with NIF mission requirements and direction from NIF senior leadership.

Operating under broad organizational direction, you will exercise independent judgment in establishing section objectives, setting priorities, allocating resources, and resolving complex engineering and operational challenges.

You will partner with experimenters, operating programs, engineering organizations, target fabrication, and other supporting organizations to ensure that experimental parameters, system configurations, schedules, and capabilities support current and future NIF mission requirements.

You will also coordinate with diagnostic engineering teams to maintain existing systems and implement new diagnostic capabilities in support of present and future experiments. This position is in the Laser Systems Engineering & Operations (LSEO) Division within the Engineering Directorate. This position requires full-time on-site presence due to the nature of the work.

In this role, you will Establish section priorities, work plans, long-term objectives, and resource allocation in alignment with direction from the NIF Director and NIF senior leadership to ensure the safe operation, availability, performance, and readiness of target systems, diagnostics, final optics, and associated experimental equipment supporting the NIF experimental schedule and future mission requirements.

Provide technical leadership and management of a large multidisciplinary organization of approximately 90 engineers, technicians, and technical leaders responsible for Installation, maintenance, configuration management, troubleshooting, operations, upgrades, and readiness of complex mission-critical systems.

Manage multiple technically and scientifically challenging operational and engineering efforts with competing priorities, working to improve safety, experimental performance, reliability, shot availability, user satisfaction, cost-effectiveness, and efficient around-the-clock operational readiness in support of NIF shot execution.

Manage personnel performance, workforce planning, career development, and succession planning, in partnership with discipline organizations, to sustain organizational capability and support long-term mission success. Lead conduct of operations, work control, and safety culture within the section, including radiological work planning and implementation of ALARA practices.

Direct maintenance, reliability and lifecycle sustainment strategies for assigned complex systems, including risk reduction, obsolescence management, recovery planning, and continuous improvement of equipment, processes, and operational practices to sustain high-availability execution and enable future capability enhancements.

Collaborate and partner closely with experimenters, operating programs, engineering organizations, target fabrication, and other NIF sections to align system-level requirements, operational plans, troubleshooting efforts, experimental parameters, and new capability upgrades with overall mission objectives.

Interact and coordinate with, report and make recommendations to, influence, and negotiate with senior management and internal and external customers and sponsors regarding the progress, readiness, performance, and future needs of systems supporting NIF operations and mission execution.

Oversee, analyze, and evaluate technical and operational progress of projects and work activities within the section and across organizational interfaces to ensure goals, objectives, schedules, and performance expectations are met. Exercise independent judgment in resolving complex engineering and operational issues while balancing technical, schedule, staffing, and budget considerations to meet mission requirements.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements

Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship. Bachelor's degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or another related technical field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.

Expert knowledge of and extensive experience with leadership, management, and organizational development principles to lead and achieve unit objectives and meet Laboratory, Department of Energy (DOE), and customer/sponsor requirements. Extensive experience effectively planning and directing work and strategies involving technical objectives, estimating effort, setting milestones, and managing within a designated budget.

Expert technical knowledge and extensive operational experience with high-energy-density experimental systems, diagnostics, target systems, final optics, detectors, controls, radiological operations, or similarly complex engineered systems in a high-consequence environment. Extensive experience in complex work control, safety systems, risk assessment, maintenance strategy, and quality assurance.

Extensive experience effectively establishing organizational priorities, interpreting operational objectives, and exercising judgment in the use of resources to meet mission requirements. Demonstrated ability and extensive experience successfully resolving a diverse and complex range of project execution challenges.

Expert communication, facilitation, collaboration, and problem-solving skills necessary to effectively present and explain information, direct an organization, build cooperative multi-disciplinary teams, and interact with and advise management and customers/sponsors on a wide variety of management level technical and complex issues.

Pay and benefits

We Desire Master's degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or related technical field. Experience with High Energy Density diagnostics and associated measurements, as well as Inertial Confinement Fusion experiments, target systems, final optics, detectors, controls, or experimental platforms.

Strong systems engineering experience including risk management, reliability engineering, configuration management, and lifecycle sustainment. Experience supporting maintenance and operations in high-availability research, defense, industrial, or national security facilities. Experience leading large multidisciplinary technical organizations in a 24/7 operational environment.

Experience partnering across organizational boundaries where system-level performance ownership and operational execution responsibilities are shared. Familiarity with safety and quality requirements in high-consequence environments.

Pay Range $282,210 - $359,700 Annually This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage.

An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

Additional Information

#LI-Onsite Position Information This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Lab employees and external candidates. Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory? Included in 2026 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor! If you are selected, we will initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter.

Also, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing. Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship. Pre-Employment Drug Test External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.

Wireless and Medical Devices Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the use and/or possession of mobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area where you are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile device in your possession.

This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices. If you use a medical device, which pairs with a mobile device, you must still follow the rules concerning the mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities require separate approval.

Hearing aids without wireless capabilities or wireless that has been disabled are allowed in Limited Areas, Secure Space and Transit/Buffer Space within buildings. How to identify fake job advertisements Please be aware of recruitment scams where people or entities are misusing the name of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to post fake job advertisements.

LLNL never extends an offer without a personal interview and will never charge a fee for joining our company. All current job openings are displayed on the Career Page under "Find Your Job" of our website. If you have encountered a job posting or have been approached with a job offer that you suspect may be fraudulent, we strongly recommend you do not respond.

California Privacy Notice The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.