National Ignition Facility Integration Scientist

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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.

We are seeking a highly skilled and technically adept NIF Integration Scientist to join the National Ignition Facility and Photon Sciences Directorate. In this role, you will provide scientific, technical, and operational integration support for the safe, effective, and coordinated execution of NIF experiments as part of the Target and Laser Interaction Sphere (TaLIS) Expert Group. You will apply advanced technical knowledge and independent judgment to support experimental integration and optimization, ensuring that targets, diagnostics, laser configurations, and facility constraints are aligned to achieve high-quality experimental outcomes as part of the NIF User Office.

You will collaborate closely with physicists, engineers, software developers, designers, technicians, experiment responsible individuals, and program leaders to ensure that experiments are executable, scientifically sound, and compliant with facility requirements, safety expectations, and operational standards.

This position is part of the NIF&PS Directorate and requires substantial on-site presence at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California due to the nature of the work.

You will

• Collaborate in the scientific and technical integration of complex NIF and HED experiments across targets, diagnostics, lasers, chamber, and facility interfaces to meet scientific, operational, and program objectives.
• Independently evaluate experimental configurations for compatibility with chamber geometry, facility limits, operational constraints, and scientific requirements, identifying risks and providing solutions to improve readiness and outcomes.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex integration challenges in collaboration with physicists, engineers, and subject matter experts, including diagnostic placement, target alignment, cleanliness, debris, shrapnel, backscatter, and other chamber interface issues.
• Serve as a primary technical point of contact for assigned experiments, integration activities, or scopes of work, and support or serve as Shot Responsible Individual (RI) as needed to ensure execution readiness.
• Coordinate across organizational and multidisciplinary teams to support campaign planning, technical integration, experiment execution, and achievement of project deliverables, schedules, and budget constraints.
• May lead technical reviews of new or modified experimental configurations, ensuring compliance with scientific, engineering, operational, safety, quality assurance, and configuration management requirements.
• Manage, track, and communicate technical issues, action items, risks, non-conformances, and readiness status to experiment teams, facility stakeholders, management, and program leadership, ensuring timely resolution and proper documentation.
• Develop, maintain, and improve operational records, review packages, configuration verification data, integration guidance, checklists, interface constraints, technical references, and lessons learned repositories.
• Apply expertise in High Energy Density (HED) diagnostics and facility operations, including systems such as Dante, VISAR, and radiography at NIF and Omega, to support experiment setup, fielding, execution readiness, post-shot analysis, and continuous improvement.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional job responsibilities at the SES.4 level,

• Direct technical vision and integration strategy for major experiments, campaigns, and high consequence efforts.
• May lead large scale scientific and technical integration work that supports major experimental objectives, facility capabilities, and program priorities.
• Serve as a primary technical contact for major experiments, campaigns, and institutional initiatives, providing guidance, coordinating cross-functional technical efforts, and supporting strategic decision-making to ensure successful execution and alignment with organizational objectives.
• Utilize independent judgment to establish and develop organizational and technical objectives, guide priorities, methods and influence resource allocation with broad strategic latitude.
• Balance scientific, technical, operational, and programmatic requirements to achieve mission and campaign goals, ensuring effective integration of competing priorities, informed decision-making, and successful execution of highly complex initiatives.
• Provide solutions to complex problems that require research and in-depth analysis of high consequence integration issues with significant cost, schedule, mission, or reputational risk.
• Develop and implement innovative integration methods, tools, and capabilities that improve readiness, quality, and operational effectiveness.
• Influence technical direction across programs and stakeholders to enable new capabilities and improve integration effectiveness.
• Provide cross organizational leadership and mentorship to strengthen integration practices, execution excellence, and workforce capability.

• PhD in physics, plasma physics, nuclear engineering, optical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related technical field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience, with substantial professional experience in high energy density science.
• Advanced experience in high energy density science, inertial confinement fusion, laser-driven experiments, plasma physics, or related large-scale experimental science conducted at scientific or research facilities.
• Demonstrated expertise in experimental integration, technical coordination, operations, and facility-facing scientific support in complex multidisciplinary environments.
• Advanced knowledge of systems integration, technical reviews, configuration management, scientific decision-making, and the use of project management and documentation tools to coordinate experimental scope and track technical decisions.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver complex experimental objectives on schedule and within budget.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise advanced technical judgment, analyze and synthesize complex technical data, and resolve integration issues in fast-paced experimental environments.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and advanced documentation practices, including maintaining records, tracking action items, and managing technical review artifacts.
• Advanced verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and cross-organizational collaboration skills, with the ability to clearly communicate technical guidance to multidisciplinary teams, management, experiment leads, and program stakeholders.

Additional qualifications at the SES.4 level,

• Significant experience leading highly complex and high energy density science, inertial confinement fusion, plasma physics, or large-scale experimental science efforts in environments where objectives, constraints, and technical paths may be only partially defined.
• Demonstrated ability to set technical vision, shape integration strategy, and direct broad scopes of work affecting major experiments, campaigns, or programmatic objectives.
• Record of serving as a recognized scientific or technical leader for major projects, campaigns, or institutional initiatives, including responsibility for balancing competing technical, operational, and programmatic requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to determine and pursue courses of action under consultative direction, with broad latitude to establish objectives, guide priorities, and influence resource allocation to achieve desired outcomes.
• Expert level experience developing innovative methods, integration approaches, tools, or technical capabilities that improve execution readiness, experimental quality, operational effectiveness, or program impact.
• Demonstrated impact on major programs and key stakeholders including influencing technical direction, redefining approaches, or enabling new experimental capabilities or initiatives.
• Expert level experience engaging effectively with senior management, program leaders, and stakeholders as a trusted technical advisor on highly complex scientific and operational matters.
• Subject matter expertise in plasma physics and laser physics, with influence extending beyond the immediate work group and, where applicable, across the institution or broader technical community.
• Significant experience mentoring scientific and technical staff, providing technical leadership across organizational boundaries, strengthening integration practices, technical rigor, and operational excellence at the program level.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, manage high-consequence technical risk, and make decisions in situations where errors could result in substantial resource loss, long-term schedule impacts, reduced mission performance, or adverse effects on institutional reputation.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with NIF experiments, shot planning and execution, laser-target interaction experiments, and facility, diagnostic, alignment, and chamber integration processes.
• Familiarity with TaLIS-related technical areas and experimental readiness considerations, including chamber constraints, cleanliness, debris and shrapnel assessment, backscatter risk, risk assessment, technical reviews, and quality assurance protocols.
• Background in laser systems, high energy density physics, fusion energy research, or vacuum and target chamber operations.
• Record of technical achievement through publications, technical leadership, development of new capabilities, or recognized subject matter expertise.

Pay Range:

$175,530 - $267,060 Annually

$175,530 - $222,564 Annually for the SES.3 level

$210,630 - $267,060 Annually for the SES.4 level

This is the lowest to highest salary in good faith we believe 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.

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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 - visithttps://www.llnl.gov/inclusion/our-values

Security Clearance

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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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