Senior/Principal Environmental Professional - Hazardous Waste Specialist, Onsite

About Sandia

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.

• These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking a highly skilled Hazardous Waste Specialist to serve as the technical lead for operations at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) Hazardous Waste Handling Unit (HWHU). This critical role is based within the Waste Management and Environmental Protection Department (WMEPD), which is responsible for coordinating all waste disposition activities across SNL/NM. The Hazardous Waste Specialist will oversee the safe, compliant, and efficient management of hazardous waste handling processes, ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements and Sandia’s rigorous environmental standards. The ideal candidate must demonstrate strong technical expertise, leadership capabilities, and a commitment to environmental stewardship to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence within the HWHU.

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

• Coordinate, document, and monitor all day-to-day activities at the Hazardous Waste Handling Unit (HWHU), including waste characterization, pickups, packing, and shipments, ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.
• Develop and maintain all HWHU Work Planning and Control (WP&C) documentation such as Preliminary Hazard Screenings (PHSs), Approval/Acceptance forms, Job Safety Analyses (JSAs), and Safety Cases.
• Create and update all technical work documents related to HWHU operations.
• Oversee and support all hazardous waste shipment activities, ensuring proper handling and compliance.
• Prepare for and manage emergency response activities related to HWHU operations.
• Serve as a point of contact for Sandia Members of the Workforce (MOWs) regarding questions or issues related to HWHU activities and support.
• Collaborate with Sandia working groups, including Emergency Response, Chemical Management, and Dashboard Reporting teams.
• Manage shipments of regulated waste from remote Sandia facilities, including arranging shipments, review and approve paperwork, travel to oversee packing, labeling, loading, and signing shipment documents.
• Travel to witness and verify the destruction of sensitive regulated waste, such as ITAR-controlled or proprietary materials.
• Maintain required training and certifications, including Department of Transportation (DOT) Advanced Hazardous Waste Shipper certification, Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste training, and OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER/ 8-hour refresher.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Qualifications We Require

• Bachelor's degree in a science emphasis (e.g., chemistry) or relevant discipline, plus five (5) years or more years of directly related experience; Or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience working at a RCRA permitted Hazardous Waste Facility.
• Experience in the following:
  • Managing personnel and activities at an RCRA permitted Hazardous Waste facility.
  • Working with New Mexico Special Waste, DOE beryllium and nanoparticle waste, PCB waste, and Universal waste.
• DOT Advanced Hazardous Waste Shipper training and certification, with a strong familiarity in applying hazardous waste shipper requirements.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE L-level security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire

• OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER training and certification with updated 8-hour refreshers.
• Experience interacting with New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) auditors assessing RCRA requirements at the RCRA permitted facility.
• Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and customer relations skills.
• Ability to effectively work independently and in diverse teaming environments.
• Familiarity with waste management computer applications that include databases and spreadsheets.
• Active DOE L-level security clearance or equivalent.

About Our Team

The mission of Sandia's Environmental Stewardship Group is to assist with work processes to minimize negative environmental impacts. Through proper planning; relevant monitoring and surveillance; waste management; and collecting, analyzing, and distributing quality data and metrics, we assist in meeting regulatory compliance requirements and ensuring the safety and success of members of the workforce, the DOE, and the community.

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE 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 obtain and maintain a DOE L-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 the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

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.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

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.

Essential Functions

If offered the position, you may be required to demonstrate your fitness to perform certain physical aspects of the position, including lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling.