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Cleared Space Systems Mechanical Engineer, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories · Albuquerque, NM · posted yesterday

In short: Cleared Space Systems Mechanical Engineer, Onsite at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, posted yesterday.

By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.

Sandia National Laboratoriesemployer

Albuquerque, NMlocation

Manufacturing and hardware engsub-niche

yesterdayposted

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The job

LIVE Live feed (private-sector employer) Source: The Muse public API · Data: listed 2026-11-07

Employer	Sandia National Laboratories
Location	Albuquerque, New Mexico
Field	Engineering, Construction and Energy › Manufacturing and hardware engineering
Level	Mid Level
Source category	Science and Engineering
Posted	2026-11-07 (yesterday)
Work arrangement	On-site at the location listed
Pay	Not published in the source listing

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's Space Mission Engineering Program Office (SMEPO) strives to enhance national security by creating the future of our space enterprise. To this end we seek the toughest unmet, space control mission challenges for our DoD and IC partners. Solving these problems requires acting as a trusted resource, leveraging innovative ideas, applying differentiating technologies, and harnessing the strength of Sandia¿s unique capabilities.

We are seeking a mechanical or systems engineer with space systems experience to support a broad portfolio of critical high-security projects. The portfolio consists of a mix of analysis, modeling, and hardware demonstration efforts. Successful execution of these efforts will inform US Space Force acquisition planning, operations and technical risk reduction efforts. The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to strengthen partnerships, work with DoD or IC sponsors, mature enabling technologies, and execute space flight payloads through full lifecycle. The work is conducted at TS/SCI and special program levels.

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

Work in a high security environment delivering critical analysis, modeling and technical risk reduction capabilities
Support diverse, multidisciplinary teams
Help deliver technical analyses, models, or realize new flight systems
Engage with external sponsors and Sandia leadership
Generate and deliver proposals, reports, or presentations
Independently design or develop solutions to complex technical problems
Build and test space flight systems or associated prototypes
Identify gaps and opportunities to drive innovation

Must be willing to support occasional travel.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range:

$102,400 - $199,700

*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, 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.
Active DOE Q and SCI, or equivalent.

Qualifications We Desire:

The ideal R&D S&E Mechanical Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
Experience with mechanical engineering and product realization in the NNSA complex.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

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

Two or more years of hands-on experience with space flight systems (designs/architecture, realization/build, testing and deployment)
Two or more years of project leadership experience with DOD or IC communities
Experience implementing SCI and/or Special Access Program (SAP) level technical projects
Demonstrated ability to work well in a diverse, multidisciplinary teaming environment
Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with external and internal partners
Demonstrated ability to develop and present proposals (cost/schedule/scope/conceptual design) to internal and external partners
Demonstrated ability to lead small teams
Possess a strong dedication to positive teaming dynamics, strong written and verbal skills, detail oriented with a keen focus on supporting sponsors
Experience designing optomechanical and electromechanical systems
Ability to develop simple code to interface with mechanisms, components, testers, etc.
Willingness to travel to engage with sponsors, conferences, etc.

About Our Team:

Rapid prototype development to create solutions for emerging threats.
Modeling and analysis to inform national security questions.
Developing resilient space electronic architectures. Moving traditional algorithms, which were designed to run on high-performance ground stations, to the edge.
Payload and tech maturation in the areas of remote sensing, space control, space domain awareness, and space cyber.

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:

Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) SCI security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). 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: 699618

Job Family: RD

Regular/Temporary Position: R

Full/Part-Time Status: F

Explore around this job

Field: Engineering, Construction and Energy Sub-niche: Manufacturing and hardware engineering All jobs at Sandia National Laboratories Jobs in New Mexico Jobs in Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque city guide New Mexico state guide Bernalillo County economy Pay for this occupation (BLS) All 45 open jobs for this occupation

View this job and apply on The Muse →

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About the role

This is a Mid Level role in the Engineering, Construction and Energy field (Manufacturing and hardware engineering) at Sandia National Laboratories. Mid-level roles usually expect some years of relevant experience and the ability to work with limited supervision.

The closest occupation in the official wage statistics is Mechanical engineers (a match by name, so treat it as an estimate). Nationally its median pay is $104,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), employment is projected to change by +11.2% between 2025 and 2035, and the typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree.

Pay by state and metro area for this occupation →

Does the pay work here? (estimate)

Gross salary a year Filing State income tax rate %

Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; set your own state tax rate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.

How to prepare and behave

This is editorial guidance, not information from the employer.

Read the whole description and match your examples to its requirements; use the same words the posting uses where they are true for you.
Research the employer before the interview: what it does, who its customers are and recent news; prepare two or three questions about the work.
Arrive early (or log in early for a video call), dress one step above the daily dress code, and test your camera and audio beforehand.
Answer with short stories: the situation, what you did and the result. Give numbers when you have them and never invent them.
Be honest about gaps; say what you did to learn and how fast you can close them.
Ask about the team, the first 90 days, how success is measured and the schedule; do not open with salary and time off.
When pay comes up, know the market range for the occupation and your lowest acceptable offer before you answer; ask for the full package in writing.
Send a short thank-you message within a day, mentioning one thing you discussed.

Know your rights as a candidate and an employee:

The city

The job is in Albuquerque, NM. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.

How Albuquerque compares. Among the 40 largest places in New Mexico, Albuquerque is #1 by population, #4 for college degrees (#1 = most), #33 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #8 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Bernalillo County, is #4 of 33 counties for average pay ($63,493).

The place in numbers

Albuquerque has 562,218 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 26.5% of the population of New Mexico. It covers 187 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 3,002 people per square mile. The median age is 38.8, about the same as the state median (38.8 against 39.4).

Housing

The median gross rent is $1,145 a month (rent plus utilities), 7% above the state median ($1,145 against $1,067). Over a year that is 20.1% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $291,500, which is 4.3 times the median household income ($68,317). 61.8% of households own their home, 12% below the state average (61.8% against 70.0%).

Work and pay

The Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area has 404,700 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $48,060 a year, 6% below the national median ($48,060 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (54,860 jobs, median $45,850); food preparation and serving related (38,230 jobs, median $30,990); sales and related (31,990 jobs, median $35,960). The area is most specialised in architecture and engineering (2.0 times) and construction and extraction (1.2 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are architecture and engineering ($131,720) and management ($108,920). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Bernalillo County was 4.6%. 63.5% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Bernalillo County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.

Getting around

Among workers, 70.7% drive alone, 0.9% use public transit, 2.0% walk, 14.9% work from home. 7.5% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 42% below the state average (7.5% against 12.8%).

People and education

39.2% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 27% above the state share (39.2% against 31.0%). 10.6% of residents were born outside the United States, 13% above the state share (10.6% against 9.4%). The poverty rate is 15.5%, 13% below the state rate (15.5% against 17.8%).

Climate

The warmest month is Jul, averaging 79°F (26.2°C), and the coolest is Jan at 35°F (1.6°C). About 258 mm (10 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (51 mm) and Mar the driest (11 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.

Nearby cities to compare

Closest cities in this guide: North Valley (5 miles, rent 22% lower); South Valley (7 miles, rent 17% lower); Corrales (9 miles, similar rent); Rio Rancho (13 miles, rent 32% higher). Rent differences are against Albuquerque; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.

Full guide to Albuquerque →New Mexico guide All jobs in Albuquerque

Official links for Albuquerque

These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.

Where to live

CITY Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Places within 50 miles (straight line) of Albuquerque, NM that have a guide, with what living there costs. The last-but-one column divides a year of rent by the median pay of the closest occupation ($104,110 a year), an estimate, not this employer's pay.

Sort:

Place ⇅	Distance from the job city ⇅	Median rent ⇅	Median home value ⇅	Median household income ⇅	Commute 45+ min ⇅	Rent as % of occupation pay ⇅	Open jobs there ⇅
Albuquerque, NM	0 mi	$1,145	$291,500	$68,317	7.5%	13.2%	Jobs
North Valley, NM	5 mi	$893	$302,700	$61,498	6.1%	10.3%	—
South Valley, NM	7 mi	$954	$224,300	$58,224	10.0%	11.0%	—
Corrales, NM	9 mi	$1,143	$571,500	$102,307	14.4%	13.2%	—
Rio Rancho, NM	13 mi	$1,514	$310,200	$89,596	21.6%	17.5%	—
Bernalillo, NM	15 mi	$902	$255,500	$63,880	14.0%	10.4%	—
Los Lunas, NM	22 mi	$1,110	$262,900	$62,330	13.2%	12.8%	—
Edgewood, NM	24 mi	$1,114	$306,400	$84,761	28.0%	12.8%	—
Belen, NM	25 mi	$916	$166,100	$42,627	21.1%	10.6%	—

Career paths

Occupations close to Mechanical engineers in the official classification, with pay, outlook and whether there are open jobs for them on this site right now.

Sort:

Occupation ⇅	National median pay ⇅	Growth 2025–35 ⇅	Openings a year (US) ⇅	Open jobs here ⇅
Industrial engineers	$102,440	+12.4%	23,100	7 open
Engineers, all other	$122,930	+3.7%	8,800	none right now

Distances

CITY Calculation (straight line) Source: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (coordinates) · Data: 2024

How far Albuquerque, NM is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.

Sort:

From ⇅	Straight-line distance (miles) ⇅	Population of that city ⇅
Phoenix, AZ	328 mi	1,642,323
Denver, CO	336 mi	718,877
Oklahoma City, OK	516 mi	697,125
Fort Worth, TX	556 mi	963,194
Dallas, TX	588 mi	1,307,930
San Antonio, TX	614 mi	1,479,835
Austin, TX	614 mi	979,539
San Diego, CA	621 mi	1,389,526
Los Angeles, CA	673 mi	3,857,263
Houston, TX	752 mi	2,328,253
San Jose, CA	858 mi	990,138
San Francisco, CA	928 mi	830,235
Chicago, IL	1,123 mi	2,711,226
Indianapolis, IN	1,167 mi	885,860
Seattle, WA	1,183 mi	754,195
Columbus, OH	1,335 mi	914,802
Charlotte, NC	1,454 mi	903,844
Jacksonville, FL	1,485 mi	977,670
Philadelphia, PA	1,750 mi	1,579,706
New York, NY	1,814 mi	8,483,844

The employer

Sandia National Laboratories is the employer in this listing. See all its open jobs here →

We do not hold headcount or revenue for this employer. Check its careers site and, if it is listed on a stock exchange, its public filings (SEC EDGAR search).

What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

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FAQ

What is the Cleared Space Systems Mechanical Engineer, Onsite job at Sandia National Laboratories?

A mid level role in engineering, construction and energy (manufacturing and hardware engineering) listed yesterday. The full description is on this page and on The Muse.

Where is this job?

Albuquerque, NM.

How do I apply?

Use the "View this job and apply on The Muse" button. AtiveSite does not receive applications.

How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay. For the closest occupation (Mechanical engineers) the national median is $104,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

What is the cost of living there?

Median rent in Albuquerque is $1,145 a month and median household income $68,317 (ACS 2020–2024).

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-11-07 (yesterday). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse manufacturing and hardware engineering jobs in New Mexico.

Sources and terms

Job data: The Muse public API (listing dated 2026-11-07). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

AtiveSite is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Muse, the employer or any government agency, and does not process applications. Verify every detail with the employer before acting.

Sources

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