Senior Reliability Engineer

Are you passionate about applying reliability and system engineering principles to analyze and assess the resilience of future strategic weapon systems?

Do you have a strong technical background in reliability engineering, safety engineering, or related experience in managing and evaluating the reliability, availability, maintainability (RAM) and resilience of weapon systems for national defense?

Are you motivated by working on multidisciplinary teams tackling some of the nation’s most critical security challenges?

If so, we are looking for someone like you to join the Reliability and Sustainment Engineering Team in the System Realization and Resilience Group (KBR) within the Force Projection Sector. Our team is responsible for enabling the realization of strategic systems, ensuring resilience and specialty disciplines are integrated throughout system development, and supporting credible verification of strategic weapon systems. We lead efforts in systems engineering, system security engineering, test and integration, digital engineering, nuclear command and control, and reliability engineering. As a member of our team, you will provide subject matter expertise to inform reliability strategies, methodologies, and assessments of existing and future strategic weapons systems. We are passionate about making critical contributions to these critically important programs, and you will be a key part of our success. With your help, we will remain at the forefront of weapon systems engineering for the Force Projection Sector.

As a Senior Systems Reliability Engineer...

• Your primary responsibility will be to provide Subject Matter Expertise (SME) and thought leadership by engaging with and advising on reliability and resilience topics across several strategic deterrent systems.
• You will participate as a reliability SME in various projects, studies, and technical working groups focusing on requirements development, analysis, concept/technology development, acquisition, risk assessments, test planning and system evaluation.
• You will develop reliability methodologies and analyses of strategic deterrence weapon system capabilities and to assist in the development of future weapon system requirements.
• You will provide reliability domain expertise while leading/coordinating research, studies, and analysis on current and future weapons system capabilities and performance, as well as provide supporting data and associated recommendations to advise program sponsors.
• You will deliver formal presentations to sponsors and supporting contractors, and effectively communicate proposed concepts/solutions and analysis results. You will produce reports that bring together concept definitions, requirements, analysis results, and technical recommendations.
• You will identify risk areas to project and program leaders with recommended mitigation strategies that are cost and schedule effective to meet the needs of the program.

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...

• Have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or related technical field.
• Have 5+ years of relevant experience performing systems reliability (RAM) engineering in the design, development or evaluation of complex weapon systems.
• Have experience developing and executing reliability approaches (e.g. FMEA, FMECA, Reliability Block Diagrams, Fault Tree Analysis, Probabilistic Risk Assessment and so forth) to quantify risk and inform program decisions in early concept development, acquisition, requirements analysis, design, test and evaluation, and sustainment.
• Have familiarity with developing and allocating RAM requirements based on assessment of mission needs in relation to the end user Concept of Operations.
• Have familiarity with RAM management strategies that evolve as the system matures through DoD acquisition phases.
• Have especially strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as strong critical thinking skills.
• Have shown ability to interact effectively with and lead multidisciplinary teams, including industry and government sponsors.
• Are willing and able to travel periodically, including short duration visits to sponsor offices at the Washington Navy Yard and to supporting contractor sites, as well as occasional travel to other military bases across the country.
• Hold an active Secret security clearance and are able to get a Top Secret clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...

• Have an advanced degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or related technical field.
• Have 10+ years of experience applying reliability engineering for the Department of Defense, particularly for Strategic weapon systems, ballistic defense systems, or space systems in development and deployment.
• Have experience formulating, implementing, and/or executing reliability models or metrics for Strategic weapon systems.
• Have experience with DoD acquisition processes and managing or evaluating Reliability Availability and Maintainability for DoD systems.
• Have familiarity with reliability and statistical engineering software tools such as Reliasoft, Windchill, Saphire, MADe, JMP, R, SAS, and so forth.
• Have experience developing reliability tools and analysis through code development (R, Matlab, Python, SAS, etc.)
• Have experience applying Bayesian techniques to data analysis for prediction, planning, and evaluation purposes.
• Have experience with Software Reliability analysis and implementation of best practices for ensuring highly reliable and available code.
• Have experience identifying risk to system performance or system safety taking into account Human Factors
• Have familiarity with systems engineering software, especially model based systems engineering tools like CAMEO, and DOORS.
• Have experience with new DoD program development to include concept development and Pre-Milestone A activities.
• Have experience with Navy Strategic Systems programs, and/or Air Force ICBM programs.
• Have knowledge of the Navy Trident II Strategic Weapon System and/or Air Force ICBM System.
• Hold an active Top Secret security clearance.

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at  .

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact  View email address on apply.j-vers.com .

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.