Back to Jobs

Computational Engineering Division Section Leader

Physics World
Livermore, CA
Company Description

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

 Are you interested in joining some of the brightest talent in the world to strengthen the United States’ security? Come join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where our employees apply their expertise to create solutions for BIG ideas that make our world a better place.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture that values individuals, talents, partnerships, ideas, experiences, and different perspectives, recognizing their importance to the continued success of the Laboratory’s mission.

Pay Range

$262,410 - $332,772 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.

Job Description

We have multiple openings for Section Leaders in the Computational Engineering Division (CED). CED consists of four sections that unite human expertise, cutting-edge research and software, and harnessing advanced computing platforms to simulate, analyze, and predict complex systems performance to address enduring and emerging national security challenges. Our unique engineering expertise and one-of-a-kind software tools enable us to design and analyze, in silico, natural and engineered systems operating in non-traditional regimes. Our signal processing and data science expertise allows us to model and analyze large volumes of heterogeneous data to form new insights, and our systems analysis expertise and capabilities provide decision makers with rigorous technically informed analysis for complex emerging systems. CED staff are technical experts and leaders for programmatic activities across the Laboratory and frequently participate in Strategic Partnership Projects with external sponsors. Our experts often contribute to multi-disciplinary teams, interacting with experimentalists and project engineers to deliver solutions to their customers. These positions will be in the Computational Engineering Division (CED), within the Engineering Directorate.

In this role, you will

  • Provide technical and operational leadership, supervision, mentoring and technical guidance to effectively develop and manage a diverse and inclusive team of group leaders, technical staff, and project leaders, including responsibility for high-level goal setting, strategic planning, and capability development to ensure program goals and objectives are accomplished.
  • Lead, execute, and/or coordinate recruiting, hiring, training, career development, and performance and salary management activities as needed to meet programmatic staffing, employee development, and performance and salary related needs, including providing career counseling, mentoring, and technical guidance.
  • Champion, influence, develop, and lead strategic positions on programs and technologies to advance one or more of the section’s core technology areas. Perform in-depth analysis and use extensive creativity and innovation to lead the application, development, and advancement of principles, theories, and concepts related to the core technology areas. Determine, pursue, and refine courses of action essential to obtaining desired outcomes to highly unusual, complex, and/or sensitive issues and problems where the solution path is not known ahead of time.
  • Develop and maintain effective relationships with program leaders, senior management, and external customers, using expert level knowledge and facilitation skills, extensive experience, and ingenuity to influence strategic technical decisions and R&D investments, including serving as an organizational spokesperson and senior technical expert for Laboratory management and/or as an external advisor to customers, sponsors, and policy makers.
  • Participate as a core member of the CED senior leadership team, influence strategic technical decisions, and contribute to long-term goals and objectives for the continued development and improvement of the division. Serve as the primary contact between CED senior leadership and the section members, ensuring projects’ status, risks, and issues are communicated in an effective and timely manner to ultimately meet project deadlines and deliverables, and successfully accomplish project goals.
  • Foster and prioritize appropriate cross-training between technical staff within the section and across sections of the division, developing staff capabilities and effectiveness for current and future program assignments.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • This position requires an active Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance or active Top Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at the time of hire.
  • Master’s degree in Engineering, Applied Science, Data Science, or related technical field or the equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
  • Subject matter expert knowledge of and extensive experience in at least one of the section core technology areas: computational mechanics and methods development, cyber security, data analytics, decision sciences, engineering analysis, imaging science, optimization, signal processing.
  • Extensive experience developing and implementing creative solutions to a diverse range of highly complex technical problems that may have impact beyond the Laboratory.
  • Expert level communication, facilitation, collaboration, and interpersonal skills necessary to effectively present, explain, influence, and advise senior management, programmatic organizations, and/or sponsors both internal and external to the Laboratory, and to interpret and convey Laboratory policies to employees.
  • Extensive experience and expert level skills in providing technical leadership, guidance, counseling, and project management while working in a multidisciplinary team environment, including a demonstrated ability to manage in positive ways by communicating effectively, empathizing with others, overcoming setbacks, and defusing conflict, with a demonstrated aptitude for successfully mentoring and supervising others and managing sensitive personnel matters.

Qualifications We Desire

  • PhD in Engineering, Applied Science, Data Science, or related technical field.
  • Experience with the development of new computational methodologies in at least one of the section’s core technology areas.
  • Experience with personnel management, supervision, writing performance appraisals, salary management, and Laboratory policies and procedures
  • Familiarity with the Engineering Policies and Procedures Manual, Design Safety Standards, and leading or participating in formal design review processes.

Additional Information

Position Information

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

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

  • Included in 2025 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
  • Flexible Benefits Package
  • 401(k)
  • Relocation Assistance
  • Education Reimbursement Program
  • Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
  • Our values - visit

Security Clearance

This position requires an active Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance or active Top Secret clearance issued by another U.S. government agency at time of hire.

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.

Wireless and Medical Devices

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

If you use a medical device, which pairs with a mobile device, you must still follow the rules concerning the mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities require separate 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.

How To Identify Fake Job Advertisements

Please be aware of recruitment scams where people or entities are misusing the name of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to post fake job advertisements. LLNL never extends an offer without a personal interview and will never charge a fee for joining our company. All current job openings are displayed on the Career Page under “Find Your Job” of our website. If you have encountered a job posting or have been approached with a job offer that you suspect may be fraudulent, we strongly recommend you do not respond.

To learn more about recruitment scams:

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request.

California Privacy Notice

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.

Posted 2025-11-21

Recommended Jobs

Director of Total Rewards

University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA

Primary Purpose The Director of Total Rewards provides strategic leadership and oversight of the Universitys total rewards programs with 75% responsibility for benefits strategy design and adminis…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-22

Property Manager

Apartment Management Consultants
Fairfield, CA

Apartment Management Consultants (AMC) is a leader in the property management industry. Our passion for helping people, creating authentic relationships, and common values has established a working en…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-21

Payroll Manager, PIMS & Employee Services

CSU Careers
Pomona, CA

Type of Appointment : Full-Time At Will Job Classification : Administrator II Anticipated Hiring Range :$5053 - $10000 per month (Commensurate with qualifications and experience) Work Hour…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-21

Human Resources Manager (Employee Engagement)

University of San Diego
San Diego, CA

Human Resources Manager (Employee Engagement) Location San Diego, CA (Morena area) : This position manages the employee engagement team and talent acquisition function to ensure the university has th…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-21

Community Services Program Coordinator (First 25 Qualified)

City of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA

Why Join Team SB Are you passionate about building strong communities creating meaningful programs and enhancing the quality of life for residents of all ages Join our team as a Community Se…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-22

Cook / Grill Operator

Waffle House - Hilltop Foods
Campbell, CA

At Waffle House, we are not in the food business. We are in the People Business and we are hiring immediately for full time and part time cooks for (All Shifts). Being in the People Business, we don…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-13

Store Director

Tiffany & Co.
Walnut Creek, CA

Tiffany & Co. seeks a Store Director in Walnut Creek to lead and develop store operations, driving sales and profitability. The role requires a seasoned professional with 7-10 years of sales managemen…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-08

Communications Manager, Beneficial Deployments

Anthropic
San Francisco, CA

About Anthropic Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a qui…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-08

FP&A Manager

Mach Industries
Huntington Beach, CA

About Mach Industries Founded in 2022, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms . At the core of our m…

View Details
Posted 2025-11-15

FOOD SERVICE UTILITY (FULL TIME)

Compass Group
San Anselmo, CA

  We are hiring immediately for a full time FOOD SERVICE UTILITY position. Location : San Domenico - 1500 Butterfield Road, San Anselmo, CA 94960. Note: online applications accepted only. …

View Details
Posted 2025-09-10