Sustainment Project Manager - NIF and Laser Systems

Company Description

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability.

Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi-domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact.

Job Description

Are you ready to lead a major sustainment project portfolio advancing the world's most powerful laser systems in support of national security science? The National Ignition Facility (NIF) Sustainment team is seeking a Project Manager to lead complex, interdependent projects that support long-term reliability, modernization, and operational readiness for NIF and advanced laser systems. In this role, you will apply your technical expertise, project leadership, and strategic judgment to deliver mission-critical outcomes, optimize resources, and ensure execution in a highly regulated environment.

As the Project Manager, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for the NIF Sustainment project: a large, multi-disciplinary technical effort. You will direct and manage project activities across engineering, operations, procurement, quality, safety, and scientific disciplines to ensure technical coherence, safety, schedule performance, and successful delivery of project objectives. You will work closely with program leadership, technical staff, project controls, and internal and external stakeholders to drive execution, manage risk, and achieve project and organizational goals. This position is part of the Laser Systems Engineering & Operations (LSEO) Division within the Engineering Directorate.

This position requires full-time on-site presence due to the nature of the work.

In this role, you will

• Lead and manage the sustainment project and associated related projects with a complex technical focus, operating and using extensive leadership experience and independent judgment to establish objectives, manage resources, and achieve project milestones, sponsor commitments, and long-range goals.
• Direct and coordinate a multi-disciplinary team of 75 - 120 personnel across engineering, operations, procurement, quality, safety, and scientific disciplines to execute scope, maintain alignment with mission priorities, and ensure successful delivery of project objectives across the major sustainment effort and the broader $600M portfolio.
• Develop and implement project execution strategies, governance, and controls, to ensure technical, safety, regulatory, and schedule compliance.
• Manage and oversee project scope, budget, staffing, procurements, and schedules, applying project controls and earned value management (EVM) practices, as appropriate, to ensure commitments are met and work is executed in accordance with Laboratory and sponsor expectations.
• Apply project management rigor and systems engineering discipline to sustainment and modernization efforts, including interface coordination, technical reviews, and validation of project deliverables, while aligning technical baselines with operational objectives.
• Lead development of recovery strategies, issue resolution plans, and mitigation actions for technical, schedule, resource, and operational challenges affecting project success, and implement improvements in project execution processes and efficiency.
• Collaborate with senior management, program leadership, and partner organizations to establish priorities, align project activities with broader NIF and Laboratory strategies, and ensure effective integration with related efforts across organizational boundaries.
• Interact and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders, customers, sponsors, and support organizations on matters of significance to the project and organization, and communicate project status, risks, and resource needs with clarity and strategic focus.
• Lead, mentor, and develop technical leaders and project team members, fostering collaboration, accountability, innovation, and high performance, including clarifying team roles and responsibilities and supporting effective coordination approaches such as RACI matrices, succession planning, and cross-functional team integration.
• Ensure project activities are carried out in accordance with applicable safety, security, quality, and regulatory requirements, and that operational, engineering, and project execution practices support sustained mission success.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, or related technical field, or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Significant experience managing complex technical projects or programs in a highly regulated industrial, laboratory, defense, or similarly specialized environment.
• Significant experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and directing project execution across technical, operational, and business functions.
• Significant experience developing and implementing project management tools, systems, and processes, including schedule management, risk management, budget planning, performance tracking, and change control.
• Significant experience with integrated project scheduling, earned value management, work breakdown structures, and phase-gate or readiness review processes.
• Demonstrated ability and significant experience successfully resolving a range of complex scientific, engineering, operational, and project execution challenges, and developing strategic solutions that improve performance and efficiency.
• Significant experience planning and managing project budgets, resources, procurements, and schedules to achieve defined objectives and sponsor commitments.
• Significant experience interacting with and influencing senior management, customers, sponsors, and other internal and external stakeholders on matters of significance.
• Expert communication, facilitation, collaboration, and problem-solving skills necessary to effectively present, explain, negotiate, influence, and advise senior management and stakeholders.

Qualifications We Desire

• Master's degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field, or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Extensive experience managing and successfully delivering multiple parallel projects within a large technical portfolio.
• Extensive knowledge of NIF programs and expertise in laser systems, engineering, and production or sustainment environments.
• Experience meeting milestones and working collaboratively across NIF programs and the Laboratory.
• Ability to deal effectively with high levels of management within customer organizations such as NNSA/DOE.
• Experience in national laboratory, defense, nuclear, or high-energy physics environments.
• Applied knowledge of Laboratory programs, project management processes, and NIF mission objectives, strategies, and operational environment.

Pay Range

$338,580 - $431,568 Annually

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. Additional Information

#LI-Onsite

Position Information

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

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Included in 2026Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
• FlexibleBenefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Our values - visit

Security Clearance

This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance.If you are selected, wewill initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if youmeet 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.

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Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the useand/or possession ofmobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area whereyou are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile devicein your possession. This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices.

Ifyou useamedical device, whichpairs with a mobile device,you must still follow the rules concerningthe mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities requireseparate 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.

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