Senior/Principal Technical Writer & Editor for Joint Nuclear Weapons Pubilications, Onsite

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.

We are seeking a skilled Technical Writer and Editor to join our team, responsible for the development, coordination, publication, and maintenance of Joint Nuclear Weapons Publication System (JNWPS) technical publications. The JNWPS is a comprehensive system of technical publications related to nuclear weapons and associated test and handling equipment, designed to support the nuclear weapons stockpile. This system provides the NNSA, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and respective military departments of the DoD with authoritative, stand-alone weapon instructions that supplement the existing publications systems of the participating agencies. Our Military Liaison uses advanced desktop publishing technologies to maintain this suite of technically specialized documents while ensuring compliance with DoD-mandated formatting standards.

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

• Develop, publish, and manage updates to various JNWPS manuals that cover maintenance, testing, and handling procedures for nuclear weapons and related items.
• Utilize Structured FrameMaker and other Adobe products to execute these tasks effectively.
• Collaborate directly with system and field engineers in the preparation of associated manuals.
• Employ succinct writing skills to distill complex operations into clear and concise procedural steps while adhering to a highly constrained formatting structure, with a strong emphasis on detail and quality.
• Participate in formal reviews conducted by the Laboratory and Joint Task Group to validate JNWPS manual procedures.
• Participate in formal reviews conducted by the Laboratory and Joint Task Group to validate JNWPS manual procedures, incorporating feedback from stakeholders to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Occasionally contribute to other technical documents in support of department operations and weapon design activities.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. Occasional travel to operational sites is required.

$85,100 - $164,100

*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.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field plus 5 years of technical writing experience or equivalent education and experience.
• Experience in desktop publishing and illustration/editing software (e.g. FrameMaker, PTC Abortext, MadCap Flare, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
• Demonstrated experience in developing professional technical manuals and performing technical editing.
• Active DOE Q or equivalent DoD clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Sigma 15, which may require a polygraph test.

• Knowledge, experience, or familiarity with DoD nuclear weapon maintenance operations and nuclear weapon design and production.
• Familiarity with the Joint Nuclear Weapons Publication System (JNWPS).
• Experience in writing and developing DoD technical orders (TOs), interactive electronic technical manuals (IETMs), or equivalent documentation.
• Proficiency in embedding graphics, video, and pro-E/Creo models into technical documents.
• Proficiency in Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and familiarity with Structured FrameMaker, SGML, XML, or DITA.
• Familiarity with the Government Publishing Office (GPO) Style Manual, Chicago Manual of Style, or equivalent standards.
• Experience in estimating and negotiating timelines while prioritizing competing tasks based on customer and team priorities.
• Excellent teamwork and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively with diverse individuals and teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a highly structured environment with established guidelines and standards.
• Ability to handle pressure and provide real-time feedback during validation processes.
• Willingness to undertake some domestic and international travel as required.

The Military Liaison (ML) function was established in 1947 by LANL's Z Division to promote communication and understanding between the Lab and military services who had operational responsibility for nuclear weapons. When SNL was formed in 1949, ML became an SNL function. Today, ML serves as the lead operational interface agent for NNSA and the DoD/military services for future and enduring nuclear weapons.

ML supports the military services as well as other government agencies, such as the DTRA and carries out several tasks under the authority of DOE:

• Field engineering include anomaly resolution, field retrofit/repair, 6.X and product realization team involvement, spares analysis and Joint Nuclear Weapons Publication System (JNWPS) development for war reserve weapons, TYPE trainers, and ancillary gear.
• ML provides a variety of nuclear weapon training activities tailored to diverse organizations across the Nuclear Security Enterprise and DoD installations.

ML JNWPS team develops, publishes, and maintains operational and maintenance procedures for use in the field to support the nuclear weapons stockpile and acts as the single point of distribution for DoD weapon platform technical orders.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). Sandia 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 for employment need to be able to maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. 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.

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 DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

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.

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.