Lead Project Engineer

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Caltech'sLaser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) seeks a highly motivated and skilled Lead Project Engineer to join its Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) team at the Richland, Washington observatory site.

LIGO Laboratory is a major U.S. National Science Foundation facility dedicated to observing the newly-discovered gravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, LIGO operates the world's leading gravitational observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA, as well as campus R&D centers in Pasadena, CA and Cambridge, MA.

This position is a fulltime in-person role located at LIGO Hanford in Richland, WA.

LIGO Laboratory's mission supports the young science of gravitational-wave physics and astronomy and includes observatory operations, analysis and dissemination of astrophysical observations, detector science and technology R&D,gravitational-wave astrophysics, and education and public outreach. To learn more about LIGO Laboratory, please visit LIGO.caltech.edu.

LIGO now also leads the effort to expand humanity's gravitational wave horizon with a next-generation observatory, Cosmic Explorer (CE). Slated for construction in the 2030's, CE will be ten times the size and reach of LIGO, able to gather signals from the edge of the observable universe.

The selected applicant will join an elite team charged with conceiving, designing, building and testing advanced technology for CE vacuum systems, destined to be the largest ultrahigh vacuum projects ever built. We will exercise and develop this technology in a new, purpose-built research facility, the Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) Laboratory, located at LIGO Hanford.

Job Summary

As Lead Project Engineer you will spearhead the strategic design and development of large scale next-generation vacuum systems for Cosmic Explorer (CE). Current gravitational wave observatories encompass ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) beamtubes up to 4 kilometers in length, operating at one trillionth of atmospheric pressure (10-9 millibar) with stringent vacuum, optical and mechanical interface constraints. These machines already comprise the largest contiguous UHV volumes on the planet, and are among the largest structures ever built for astrophysical research. CE will be ten times bigger, allowing it to monitor a thousandfold greater volume of the universe. This unprecedented scale presents your team with truly unprecedented engineering challenges.

The Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) will address these challenges by designing, erecting and testing scale prototype CE beamtube systems and supporting infrastructure. Plans include a fully instrumented 1.24 meter diameter, 120 meter demonstration tube, to be integrated in a new, purpose-built 11,000 square foot (1,000 m2) research laboratory at the LIGO Hanford Observatory (LHO) site. As Lead Project Engineer, you will join the CEBEX Principal Investigator and Project Manager in guiding a multidisciplinary team to create and exploit this new research tool. Your team will chart the experiment's roadmap and technical framework, execute the development program, and translate research outcomes into an integrated construction strategy and reference design for Cosmic Explorer.

The CEBEX team will perform structural, vacuum, vibration and optical analysis, material selection, characterization, modeling, trade studies,design, material preparation, fabrication, installation, conditioning and performance testing. You will also take charge of key interfaces with observatory facilities and instrumentation, including stray light control, contamination control, mechanical vibration, manufacturing, logistics, assembly and test processes, and cleanroom protocols. In parallel, you will forge your results into a reference design, construction plan, and parametric cost estimate. Delivery of this study, currently slated for late 2028, will set a cornerstone for the upcoming CE Observatory construction proposal.

Your role emphasizes leadership, with responsibility for managing the team, collaborating with institutional and industrial partners, and aligning development with broader CE program objectives. It is ideally suited to a seasoned engineering leader with a background in Project-level aerospace, ultrahigh vacuum, systems engineering, or large-scale scientific research infrastructure.

This is an Essential Reporting position. In the event of an emergency on campus, an employee designated as essential reporting has essential job skills that are needed for response and recovery and is expected to report to Campus as soon as possible.

Essential Job Duties

• Technical and Strategic Leadership
  • Lead the conceptual and strategic design of Cosmic Explorer vacuum systems, translating scientific goals into scalable, cost-effective engineering solutions
  • Drive design reviews, track milestones, and proactively manage program risk over complex, multi-year development cycles
  • Orchestrate collaboration with specialists in metallurgy, welding and fabrication technology, structural analysis, surface science, contamination control, residual gas analysis, quality assurance, fault detection and other disciplines to solve novel engineering challenges
• Team & Resource Management
  • Build and mentor a high-performing engineering team, fostering collaboration, professional development and technical excellence
  • Partner with Project Management to develop and maintain workplans, schedules, budgets, and resource allocations that deliver mission-critical objectives
  • Lead recruitment efforts to attract top talent in vacuum technology and related disciplines
  • Oversee procurement strategy from technical specifications through vendor selection, contract execution, and quality assurance
• Collaboration & Communication
  • Serve as a key liaison with U.S. and international collaborators, industrial partners, and the LIGO and Cosmic Explorer communities
  • Exchange best practices and engineering standards with LIGO Laboratory teams across Vacuum, Systems, Optical, Detector Engineering, and Science/Commissioning groups
  • Initiate, author and present research papers, seminars and technical documentation for scientific and engineering audiences
  • Travel to LIGO facilities, vendor sites, conferences, and domestic and international collaborating institutions as needed to advance project goals
  • Adapt to evolving program needs with flexibility and leadership initiative
• This position reports directly to the CEBEX Project Principal Investigator and is based at LIGO Hanford Observatory (LHO) in Richland, Washington.
• Depending on Project phase, up to 20% of workdays may require offsite domestic or foreign travel.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Masters degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or Systems Engineering; MaterialScience; Physics; or a related scientific or engineering field.
• 10 or more years experience in relevant industrial or scientific engineering applications.
• 8 or more years of successful experience in engineering leadership or supervisory roles.
• Record of successful accomplishment in strategic planning and technical project management.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary, vertically integrated project teams.
• Effective English-language written and verbal communication skills, including proficiency in both technical and non-technical communication.
• Proven ability to effectively mentor junior engineering and technical staff.
• Level-headed professionalism with excellent interpersonal and team-building skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain automobile driver's license valid in the United States.
• Ability to lift at least 20 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or Systems Engineering;MaterialScience; Physics; or a related scientific or engineering field.
• Experience interfacing with US government agencies, national laboratories, or international scientific collaborations.
• Professional certification or coursework in Project Management.
• Hands-on experience building, improving or maintaining large-scale scientific instrumentation or research infrastructure.
• Experience related to vacuum, thermal process, fluid, cryogen, pressure, flow rate, and gas manipulation and measurement technology.
• Experience related to surface analysis, metallurgy, welding, manufacturing technology, structural dynamics, or contamination control.
• Computer-aided design (CAD) experience and demonstrated proficiency.
• Finite-element analysis (FEA) experience and demonstrated proficiency.

Required Documents

• Cover letter summarizing your relevant experience and your interest in a career with LIGO and Cosmic Explorer.
• Resume.