Fiber Optic and Optical Systems Principal Technologist

Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS) manages and operates the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).  Our MISSION is to help ensure the security of the United States and its allies by providing high-hazard experimentation and incident response capabilities through operations, engineering, education, field, and integration services and by acting as environmental stewards to the Site’s Cold War legacy.  Our VISION is to be the user site of choice for large-scale, high-hazard, national security experimentation, with premier facilities and capabilities below ground, on the ground, and in the air. (See NNSS.gov for our unique capabilities.) Our 2,750+ professional, craft, and support employees are called upon to innovate, collaborate, and deliver on some of the more difficult nuclear security challenges facing the world today.   

• MSTS offers our full-time employees highly competitive salaries and benefits packages including medical, dental, and vision; both a pension and a 401k; paid time off and 96 hours of paid holidays; relocation (if located more than 75 miles from work location); tuition assistance and reimbursement; and more.  
• MSTS is a limited liability company consisting of Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell), Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Jacobs), and HII Nuclear Inc.

• Associate degree in field related to the position plus at least 9 years’ progressive related experience or High School diploma plus 11 years’ progressive related experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing alternate systems, equipment, or engineering methods to increase efficiency or troubleshoot situations in the field.
• Travel required up to 10% of the time.
• Computer experience with Word, Excel, and a drawing software like Visio would be very helpful. 
• Experience in handling and organizing stock parts and supplies. 
• Demonstrated ability to safely operate hand and power tools. 
• Must have fine motor skills and excellent hand eye coordination to be able to work with and manipulate small scale glass fibers. 
• Must be able to follow Company Documents and Activity Level Work instructions while meeting customer needs. 
• Attention to detail in following instructions with hands-on tasks is essential. 
• Ability to work underground required. 
• Candidate must possess strong organizational skills, and be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. 
• Able to work well with others as candidate will regularly interface with team members, other teams and outside organizations.
• Primary work location will be the Los Alamos Operations Facility.
• Travel required up to 10% of the time.
• Work schedule will be 4/10s, Monday through Thursday (subject to change).
• Pre-placement physical examination, which includes a drug screen, is required. MSTS maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license.

MSTS is required by DOE directive to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants offered employment with MSTS are also subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment. In addition, Applicants for employment must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship, at least 18 years of age. Reference DOE Order 472.2, “Personnel Security”. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Department of Energy Q Clearance (position will be cleared to this level). Reviews and tests for the absence of any illegal drug as defined in 10 CFR Part 707.4, “Workplace Substance Abuse Programs at DOE Sites,” will be conducted.  Applicant selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation, required to participate in subsequent reinvestigations, and must meet the eligibility requirements for access to classified matter. Successful completion of a counterintelligence evaluation, which may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination, may also be required. Reference 10 CFR Part 709, “Counterintelligence Evaluation Program.”

MSTS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. MSTS is a background screening, drug-free workplace.

Annual salary range for this position is: $81,681.60 to $122,532.80.

Starting salary is determined based on the position market value, the individual candidate education and experience and internal equity. 

Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS) is seeking a full-time Fiber-Optic Principal Technologist to work as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide diagnostic fielding and development support in a national laboratory environment. The Stockpile Experimentation & Operations (SEO) organization is looking for a highly motivated technologist to collaborate in design, fabrication, development, characterization, and fielding of diagnostics systems on high stake weapons physics experiments conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Principal Underground Laboratory for Subcritical Experimentation (PULSE), as well as other facilities, including those located at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The Dynamic Instruments team is comprised of approximately 35 scientists, engineers, and technicians, and is the core for innovative diagnostic design, simulation, fabrication, characterization, and fielding in support of the NNSS’ stockpile stewardship mission. The Technology Deployment Team is specifically responsible for providing quality technical support through fiber optic component design and assembly, diagnostic builds, RGD operations, probe development and assembly, and participating in fielding efforts for stockpile stewardship experiments and other applications across the NNSA complex.

Key Responsibilities

• Build fiber-optic arrays and assemblies including cable breakout, fiber terminations, manual and mechanical fiber optic polishing, fusion splicing, and gas blocking.
• Fabricate optical systems, metrology, photonics, applied optical mathematics, optical elements, optical systems, lasers and photonics science.
• Evaluate and characterize an optical system using geometrical optics test procedures.
• Understand and perform basic and advanced metrology techniques for testing optical systems and individual optical components. 
• Provide field support for dynamic physics experiments within Test and Experimentation, working as a team member with coworkers, engineers and scientists on the fiber optics in their diagnostic systems. 
• Safely operate high power laser up to class 3B and 4.
• Use of Optical Time Domain Reflectometers, alignment lasers, optical power meters, hand tools, razor blades, small electric drills, Dremel tools, epoxies and solvents. 
• Assist with developing alternate systems, equipment, or engineering methods.
• On occasion walking over rough ground, lifting equipment safely up to 50 pounds in and out of vehicles and work in field temperatures between 30 and 100+ degrees.
• Must also organize and manage concurrent work requests from different field customers. 
• Organize and maintain adequate supplies in a timely manner. 
• This position sometimes requires driving to work in diverse field environments and out in remote desert locations. Some travel may be required to outlying locations in California and Nevada.
• Perform other duties assigned by Management.