Senior Principal Project Engineer

Job Description

Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS) manages and operates the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Our MISSION is to help ensure the security of the United States and its allies by providing high-hazard experimentation and incident response capabilities through operations, engineering, education, field, and integration services and by acting as environmental stewards to the Site’s Cold War legacy. Our VISION is to be the user site of choice for large-scale, high-hazard, national security experimentation, with premier facilities and capabilities below ground, on the ground, and in the air. (See NNSS.gov for our unique capabilities.) Our 2,750 professional, craft, and support employees are called upon to innovate, collaborate, and deliver on some of the more difficult nuclear security challenges facing the world today.

• MSTS offers our full-time employees highly competitive salaries and benefits packages including medical, dental, and vision; both a pension and a 401k; paid time off and 96 hours of paid holidays; relocation (if located more than 75 miles from work location); tuition assistance and reimbursement; and more.
• MSTS is a limited liability company consisting of Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell), Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Jacobs), and HII Nuclear Inc.
  
  

Responsibilities

The Senior Principal Project Engineer within Infrastructure Design Engineering, based in North Las Vegas, will be the central technical nexus for various diverse design projects, acting as the primary interface between our design engineering teams, project managers, and a wide array of stakeholders across various facilities. The core responsibilities include orchestrating design schedules, estimating costs, meticulously tracking design reviews, and expertly resolving discrepancies to ensure design integrity and seamless project progression. Candidates will demonstrate exceptional time management, communication, and teamwork skills, particularly in influencing others without direct authority and navigating complex technical and interpersonal challenges. The Senior Principal Project Engineer will be instrumental in driving project success, upholding technical quality, and fostering collaborative relationships throughout the project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, coordinating, and preparing designs, procurement documents, specifications, bid evaluations, and award recommendations for equipment with support from the Project Manager and Engineering Staff.
• Responsible for design aspects for projects over the entire lifecycle (initiation, discovery, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing).
• Participate in project development by helping define customer needs, developing proposals and planning projects that will produce effective outcomes.
• Work with customers to verify their needs are clearly defined and documented to meet their objectives and requirements; ensure engineering decisions are responsive to those needs.
• Effectively communicate to confer and gather information from subject matter experts for inclusion into specifications or designs to ensure technical accuracy and completeness of the content.
• Ensure that design output documents appropriately reflect the design basis, Design requirements, and functional requirements.
• Perform a wide range of tasks and special assignments that require comprehensive knowledge of engineering processes and procedures with the ability to analyze, interpret, and make recommendations.
• Collaborate and develop business case for facility modifications and enhancements to ensure mission success.
• Manage a large design project portfolio consistently delivering projects on time and under budget constraints.
• Identify systemic technical issues or inefficiencies and implement long-term solutions that benefit the entire organization.
• Effectively convey complex technical information to diverse audiences.
• Mentor engineering staff and technical management in methods, processes, and best practices.
• Recognized as an authoritative source of information.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) required for Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering degrees;
• Or, Calculus-based STEM bachelor’s degree in engineering;
• Or, for Architects, Certification from the National Council or Architectural Registration Board (NCARB)
• Or Professional Engineer license
• Plus at least 14 years’ relevant experience. Skill building experience must demonstrate either deeper technical specialization or additional cross-disciplinary knowledge. Graduate research experience may be recognized.
• Past Project Engineering experience required.
• Skilled in working and communicating effectively with project functional groups, primarily Design Engineering, Construction, Project Management, and other services.
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact with all types of people in a tactful, professional, and effective manner while maintaining confidentiality.
• Able to cope with conflicting deadlines, heavy workloads, and constant interruptions.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities with emphasis on continuous improvement and team building.
• Knowledge of nuclear safety basis, technical vocabularies, and terminology common to the assignment.
• Ability to interpret codes and standards within the discipline.
• Prior Department of Energy (DOE) complex work experience preferred, but not required.
• Proven ability to work effectively as a team leader to ensure task and project success.
• Demonstrated the ability to work effectively as a team member.
• Project Management Professional Certification preferred, but not required.
• Understanding of Primavera P6 EPPM or equivalent scheduling tool is preferred.
• Solid understanding of Earn Value Management System (EVMS) is desired.
• The primary work location will be at the Losee Road facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Work at the Nevada National Security Site (located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada) may be required in support of these functions.
• Work schedule for this position will be 4/10’s, Monday – Thursday (subject to change).
• Pre-placement physical examination, which includes a drug screen, is required. MSTS maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license.
  

MSTS 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 offered employment with MSTS are also 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. In addition, Applicants for employment must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship, at least 18 years of age. Reference DOE Order 472.2 , “Personnel Security”. 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.

Department of Energy Q Clearance (position will be cleared to this level). Reviews and tests for the absence of any illegal drug as defined in 10 CFR Part 707.4 , “Workplace Substance Abuse Programs at DOE Sites,” will be conducted. Applicant selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation, required to participate in subsequent reinvestigations, and must meet the eligibility requirements for access to classified matter. Successful completion of a counterintelligence evaluation, which may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination, may also be required. Reference 10 CFR Part 709 , “Counterintelligence Evaluation Program.”

MSTS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. MSTS is a background screening, drug-free workplace.

Annual salary range for this position is: $144,622.40 – $224,161.60.

Starting salary is determined based on the position market value, the individual candidate education and experience and internal equity.