Manager, R&D Science - Space Geospatial Mission Futures, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories

Albuquerque, USA

Job posting number: #7366885 (Ref:Sa698243)

Posted: June 29, 2026

Job Description

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 vacation, 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:

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking an enthusiastic and strategic leader to serve as the R&D Manager for the newly envisioned GeoInt Futures Department (6375). The Space Mission Program (Center 6300) continues to experience rapid growth in space missions that depend on advanced geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and space-derived data processing. As a Mission Engineering & GEOINT Data Analytics for Space Program Office (MEGASPO) program manager, this role is central to shaping Sandia¿s GEOINT future¿strengthening sponsor relationships, identifying new opportunities, and ensuring execution of funded programs.

Working in close partnership with the MEGASPO program office, the manager will be responsible for both program development and project execution in this rapidly expanding mission area. The ideal candidate is an established professional in GEOINT data analytics, remote sensing exploitation, and/or mission ground processing with strong sponsor relationships and the ability to cultivate new opportunities, while integrating their team¿s work with subject matter experts across Sandia to ensure mission impact.

Positions of this nature across the laboratory provide excellent pathways to future leadership roles, and the successful candidate will bring a growth mindset and the vision to imagine what Sandia can contribute to national security in the future. This manager will guide a team of scientists and engineers, collaborate with peer managers and the MEGASPO program manager, and help shape new mission opportunities.

On any given day, you may be asked to:

  • Work collaboratively with peer research managers and the MEGASPO program manager to deliver on project outcomes to existing defense and IC sponsors on time and to Sandia¿s standards for quality.
  • Manage a team of innovative scientists and engineers, including hiring, retention, performance engagement, career development, and skills-to-project alignment.
  • Build and maintain relationships with key sponsors in the defense and IC communities, with a focus on identifying new opportunities for Sandia to serve national security needs.
  • Set strategic direction by aligning technical capabilities with emerging mission needs and influencing investment priorities.
  • Travel to key sponsor meetings and offsites as needed (approximately once every 4¿8 weeks).

This position is based in Albuquerque, NM, and requires four days onsite each week. Some travel will be required to build and maintain relationships with external partners and sponsors.

Salary Range:

$163,700 - $278,000

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require:

  • A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and eight (8) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q and SCI clearance.

Qualifications We Desire:

The ideal Manager, R&D Science and Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

  • Two or more years of demonstrated leadership experience.
  • A graduate degree in science or engineering (MS or Ph.D.).
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills in developing trusting relationships with peers, staff, management, customers, and stakeholders.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in the development and delivery of presentations, proposals, reports, and documentation.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

  • Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills, including effective leadership, teamwork, and negotiation.
  • Demonstrated capability to build trust-based relationships among peers, staff, management, and customers at all levels.
  • Demonstrated experience developing technical proposals, presenting these proposals to potential customers, and acquiring funding for those proposals.
  • Demonstrated ability to work well in diverse, multidisciplinary engineering teams.
  • Ability to travel as needed.
  • Experience managing space-related analytics and/or ground system research and development programs (e.g., TCPED, mission data processing, real-time exploitation, or similar).
  • A working understanding of GEOINT mission needs and relevant sponsor workflows.
  • Familiarity with multi-INT data processing and fusion and/or commercial remote sensing data exploitation.
  • Experience in the following areas:
  • Remote sensing technologies
  • Mission systems engineering
  • Modeling and simulation
  • Signal/image processing and analysis
  • Information/data science, data analytics, and algorithm development
  • Real-time and/or large-scale data processing architectures for GEOINT exploitation

About Our Team:

The NGS System Engineering & Integrated Solutions department (6365) is a multi-disciplinary organization that takes a system from requirements through development environments, CI pipelines, testing to successful deployment. The team performs research & development of modern technologies and methodologies to ensure the successful delivery on our customer commitments. Our primary mission area is the US and International nuclear monitoring and non-proliferation mission. Our work ranges from prototyping innovative solutions to the deployment of operational data processing systems. Our capabilities include system engineering, software development, computer platform architectures, development environments, continuous integration, virtualization, system integration & testing, and deployment. We blend art & science to find creative solutions. We strive to think outside the box in our development efforts to advance the state of the art in support of the monitoring missions.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

Sandia is required by DOE 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 for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance and SCI access, both of which require US citizenship. SCI access may also require a polygraph examination. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain these levels of access may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are 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 the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

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.

Job ID: 698243

Job Family: RD

Regular/Temporary Position: R

Full/Part-Time Status: F



All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.


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Job posting number:#7366885 (Ref:Sa698243)
Application Deadline:Open Until Filled
Employer Location:Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque,New Mexico
United States
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