NIF Target and Laser Interaction Sphere (TaLIS) Team Lead

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Are you interested in joining some of the brightest talent in the world to strengthen the United States’ security? Come join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where our employees apply their expertise to create solutions for BIG ideas that make our world a better place.

We are committed to a diverse and equitable workforce with an inclusive culture that values and celebrates the diversity of our people, talents, ideas, experiences, and perspectives. This is important for continued success of the Laboratory’s mission.

Pay Range

$182,310  - $231,180  Annually for the SEL.3 level
$218,700  - $277,344  Annually for the SEL.4 level

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.

The National Ignition Facility seeks a leader for the Target and Laser Interaction Sphere (TaLIS) team. This role involves managing a team of scientists and engineers responsible for evaluating the safety and impact when NIF’s 192 laser beams hit the targets at the center of the target chamber. Responsibilities include reviewing experimental proposals, assessing equipment configurations, and recommending safety and performance optimizations to the Facility and User Program management. Configuration related issues often include positioning and alignment of components, interactions and interferences with laser beams, laser-plasma interactions such as backscatter and beam bending, and damage risk due to target debris and shock waves.  The successful candidate will play a crucial role in maintaining operational safety of the laser and experimental systems and enhancing the NIF target chamber's performance. This position is part of the Laser Systems Engineering & Operations Division within the Engineering Directorate.

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. 

In this role, you will

• Provide leadership, supervision, and technical, strategic, and administrative direction, guidance, and support in accomplishing project/program goals and objectives to a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers.
• Establish project objectives and strategies for technical team, guiding workload planning for multiple projects among group members, assigning work, remaining aware of complex technical goals, problems, and solutions, and tracking progress of project schedule, milestones, and involved budgets to ensure deadlines are met.
• Lead the TaLIS expert group in conducting comprehensive reviews of complex experimental configurations to ensure chamber safety and effectiveness.
• Collaborate with NIF Experimental Program physicists, Systems Engineering, and Operations teams to document, review, and approve experimental setups.
• Oversee alignment evaluations for targets, diagnostics, and beams, ensuring compliance with requirements and tolerances.
• Coordinate in-depth analyses and assessments of laser-plasma interactions and backscatter to mitigate optics damage risks, as well as evaluation of unconverted light interactions and control of counter propagating light.
• Manage evaluations and recommend strategies for mitigating target debris, shrapnel, and shock effects, applying advanced knowledge and using innovative methods/technology where applicable.
• Participate in design reviews, providing expert technical analysis and recommendations for design optimization.
• Respond to operational upsets, participate in management review boards, and advise on corrective actions.
• Lead TaLIS campaign reviews to ensure compliance with all safety and operational standards, while also making certain that safety related Laboratory and Directorate policies are understood, applied, and followed.

In Addition, at the SEL.4 Level:

• Act as primary technical contact and work across stakeholder groups to identify and implement process improvements to enable more effective and efficient reviews, and to make recommendations and provide strategic technical advice to the NIF target and diagnostics engineering as well as operations team on the designs and the operations guidelines with respect to TaLIS impacts.
• Utilize subject matter expertise to strategically anticipate, identify, and provide technical leadership to stay ahead of potential tangible and intangible problems of high complexity.
• May develop new ideas, modify approaches, and/or redefine requirements that impact organizational operations or directions.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Engineering, or a related technical field, or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Significant experience in laser-plasma interactions and target chamber operations.
• Significant leadership experience and demonstrated ability to successfully lead work in a technical or scientific environment, preferably within a large-scale research facility.
• Advanced level understanding of experimental configurations, including diagnostics, targets, and beam alignment within a high-energy laser facility.
• Advanced level problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop and implement effective solutions for complex technical challenges.
• Advanced communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional teams and collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely and accurate completion of reviews and assessments.
• Commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety and operational excellence in all aspects of the TaLIS expert group’s activities.

In Addition, at the SEL.4 Level:

• Expert level knowledge of cutting-edge technologies used in laser-plasma interactions and target chamber operations.
• Extensive experience and expert ability to apply, lead, modify, and/or develop highly advanced principles, theories, concepts, and technologies to experimental configurations, diagnostics, targets, and beam alignment within a high-energy laser facility.
• Expert communication, facilitation, interpersonal, and collaboration skills necessary to present, explain, and advise senior management and/or key stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with National Ignition Facility operations and safety protocols.
• Expertise in laser-plasma interactions, including SRS/SBS backscatter modeling, and experience with modeling laser material interactions related to target debris, shrapnel, debris wind, and shock wave generation, propagation, and impact.
• Experience with configuration visualization and evaluation for laser beam interactions and equipment collisions.

#LI-Onsite

Position Information

This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Lab employees and external candidates.

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Included in 2024 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity
• Our core beliefs - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/our-values 
• Employee engagement - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/employee-engagement

Security Clearance

This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance.  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.

To learn more about recruitment scams: https://www.llnl.gov/sites/www/files/2023-05/LLNL-Job-Fraud-Statement-Updated-4.26.23.pdf

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

We invite you to review the Equal Employment Opportunity posters which include EEO is the Law and Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory.  If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request. 

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.