"Alerted.org

Staff Engineer 3 - Protection Systems at SSRL

Job ID

6490

Location

SLAC - Menlo Park, CA

Full-Time

Regular

SLAC Job Postings

Position Overview

Are you passionate about solving complex technical challenges in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment? Do you thrive in a world-class scientific research setting, contributing to breakthrough discoveries and working with cutting-edge experimental instrumentation?

The Operations Division within the SSRL Directorate at SLAC is seeking a **Staff Engineer Level 3** to join the **Protection Systems Group** . This group is responsible for the design, implementation, and stewardship of SSRL's beamline and accelerator safety systems, including Machine Protection Systems (MPS), Personnel Protection Systems (PPS), and Beam Containment Systems (BCS).

In this role, you will manage and engineer safety systems of considerable scope and complexity, collaborating with engineers, technicians, and scientists to ensure the safe and reliable operation of SSRL's facilities

Your specific responsibilities include:

Engineering Projects

+ System manager for Personnel Protection Systems (PPS).

+ Design and lead the implementation of PLC-based systems and the modification of legacy, relay-based safety systems.

+ Guide workflow using configuration control processes and version control software, ensuring best practices are followed.

+ Lead system design reviews, planning, and documentation efforts.

+ Maintain subject matter expertise (SME) in Personal Protection Systems (PPS) and Hutch Protection Systems (HPS), providing technical leadership and strategic insight.

+ Mentor team members in the safe and effective use of a voltmeter and other diagnostic equipment for troubleshooting electrical circuits.

+ Create and interpret engineering prints, specifications, logic diagrams, and validation tests to ensure system integrity and compliance.

Operations and Maintenance

+ Develop programmatic objectives and priorities as the PPS system manager.

+ Contribute to planning meetings and long-term scheduling.

+ Contributes to SLAC-wide safety systems groups as the SME for PPS groups to ensure consistency and best practices.

+ Interpret effectively across disciplines and explicitly define interfaces.

+ Maintaining SharePoint and CDMS engineering resources and documentation.

+ Streamline and contribute to annual certification checkout procedures.

+ Arrange for resources and assist with operations requests.

To be successful in this position you will bring:

+ Bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

+ Minimum 4 years of experience with relay logic and PLC-based interlock systems, including system design, implementation, licensing, and support.

+ Demonstrated competence in interpreting engineering schematics, including partially complete or ambiguous designs.

+ Strong skills in creating schematics using Altium or AutoCAD.

+ Experience documenting engineering changes and proactively developing standard operating procedures (SOPs).

+ Proven leadership in applying configuration control and version control processes.

+ Advanced troubleshooting skills, including mentoring others in the safe use of diagnostic tools such as voltmeters.

+ Excellent communication skills across multidisciplinary teams, including physics, engineering, and operations.

+ Ability to lead projects independently and collaborate effectively in a dynamic, operational environment.

+ Willingness to provide occasional 24/7 support for critical systems.

+ Commitment to fostering a culture of safety, reliability, and continuous improvement.

In addition, preferred requirements include:

+ Familiar with the SLAC conduct of engineering.

+ Proficient in PLC system architecture and tools, including Siemens Distributed Safety PLCs and HMIs, PILZ PNOZMulti2 safety controllers, and Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 5000, CompactLogix, SLC 500, PanelView, and RSView32.

+ Experience writing and executing certification and validation procedures.

+ Extensive experience with relay logic.

+ Subject Matter Expert for a technical system.

+ Expert with safety rated PLCs and how they are used in credited controls.

+ Daily use of Linux, Python and EPICS.

SLAC employee competencies:

+ Effective Decisions: Uses job knowledge and solid judgment to make quality decisions in a timely manner.

+ Self-Development: Pursues a variety of venues and opportunities to continue learning and developing.

+ Dependability: Can be counted on to deliver results with a sense of personal responsibility for expected outcomes.

+ Initiative: Pursues work and interactions proactively with optimism, positive energy, and motivation to move things forward.

+ Adaptability: Flexes as needed when change occurs, maintains an open outlook while adjusting and accommodating changes.

+ Communication: Ensures effective information flow to various audiences and creates and delivers clear, appropriate written, spoken, presented messages.

+ Relationships: Builds relationships to foster trust, collaboration, and a positive climate to achieve common goals.

Physical requirements and working conditions:

+ Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

+ Given the nature of this position, SLAC will require onsite work full-time.

Work Standards:

+ Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.

+ Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for environment, safety and security; communicates related concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned. Meets the applicable roles and responsibilities as described in the ESH Manual, Chapter 1, General Policy and Responsibilities: http://www-group.slac.stanford.edu/esh/eshmanual/pdfs/ESHch01.pdf

+ Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu

----------------

+ Classification Title: Staff Engineer 3

+ Grade: L, Job Code: 0133

+ Duration: Regular Continuing

_The expected pay range for this position is $140,000 to $207,000 per annum. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs._

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and supports diversity in the workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. All staff at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory must be able to demonstrate the legal right to work in the United States. SLAC is an E-Verify employer.