Job Abstract

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s (LBNL) Engineering Division has an opening for a Lead RF Electronics Engineer / RF Project Manager to join the team.

This position is responsible for leading the Radio Frequency (RF) and supporting teams and providing project management for the remaining development, implementation and commissioning of the RF systems in the Advanced Light Source Upgrade (ALS-U) project. This ALS-U project will install two new synchrotron rings and transfer lines. This will include a new completely replaced Storage Ring as well as the addition of a brand-new Accumulator ring both of which have RF accelerating structures and many supporting RF systems including external driving high power RF amplifiers based on either klystrons or solid state amplifiers. The ALS-U is a world class fourth generation light source that will enable cutting edge research in many disciplines from energy to material and environmental sciences, to biology and chemistry. This position is in the Engineering Division and is matrixed to the Advanced Light Source Upgrade project (ALSU) but will report to the Advanced Light Source (ALS) Electrical Engineering Lead.

This position will work in collaboration with other project management, system engineers and scientists within the ALS, ALS-U, other divisions, DOE labs, and the international accelerator community and will direct the efforts of engineers, associate engineers and technicians.

This position will also involve collaboration with the Advanced Light Source (ALS) RF lead and supporting teams gaining familiarity with the existing ALS RF systems to prepare for the eventual integration of ALS-U systems into ALS.

• What You Will Do:
• Provide technical leadership to the RF and Supporting Teams on the ALS-U Project.
• Provide Project Management of the Completion of the Design, Implementation and Commissioning of the RF Systems for the ALS-U Project working closely with and leading all cross functional trades and teams supporting the ALS-U RF Systems.
• Lead and coordinate cost and schedule estimates for RF electronics projects.
• Serve as a cost account manager (CAM) for the RF Systems within the ALS-U project, tracking progress, reporting earned value and managing variances and all project related activities.
• Lead cost and planning efforts such as estimates to complete, project planning and scheduling as well as plan and monitor all project related progress.
• Supervise and direct engineers, coordinators, and other technical staff on assignments.
• Determine methods and procedures on assignments and system developments that can be applied to ALS-U and ALS RF structures and systems through the entire life cycle of each system including:
  • Determine the scope and develop the plan
  • Conduct systems analysis and develop the requirements
  • Create the system design
  • Conduct development work
  • Integrate and test prototypes
• Direct the production and installation of RF structures and systems and supporting interfaces.
• Direct the final commissioning of installed RF structures and systems and supporting interfaces.
• Support operations and maintenance of the RF structures and systems and supporting interfaces.
• Network with key contacts outside their own area of expertise to develop and maintain collaboration across diverse technical fields (accelerator physics, magnet design, controls, facilities engineering) to develop specifications and requirements for high performance and high reliability RF systems.
• Present at design reviews for the ALS-U and other projects.
• Provide and maintain documentation of RF equipment
• May have occasional foreign and domestic travel to attend reviews, visit vendors and attend conferences and workshops.

Additional Roles and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the technical leadership and RF Teams within the ALS Division including gaining familiarity and experience with the following ALS systems (in anticipation of eventual integration of the ALS-U systems into ALS):
  • Electron Gun System, a thermionic gun that is pulsed at 125 MHz and operates at an accelerating potential of 120 kV DC
  • Sub-Harmonic Buncher amplifier systems operating at 125 & 500 MHz in pulse mode at 20 kW
  • 24 MW pulsed S-Band Pulsed Modulators delivering power to the 3 GHz Linac accelerating structures
  • 80 kW CW, 500 MHz IOT based Booster Ring RF amplifier system
  • 65 kW CW, 500 MHz Klystron based Cavity Teststand amplifier system
• 300 kW CW, 500 MHz Klystron based Storage Ring RF system
• Solid-state RF amplifiers at 125 MHz, 500 MHz & 3 GHz
• HVDC Power Supply systems with 208 VAC, 480 VAC and 4160 VAC input, up to 56 kV DC output and 800 kW average power
• Hi-speed amplifier protection systems; Thyratron crowbar and Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) disconnect switch
• Normal conducting, Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) high-Q resonant RF cavities at 125, 500 MHz & 1.5 & 3.0 GHz
• Coaxial, WR-284, WR-650 and WR-1800 waveguide RF transmission line systems
• Higher Order Mode (HOM) Damping systems
• Temperature Controlled water-cooling systems
• Multi-megahertz pulsed Cam-Shaft beam kicker system
• Document ongoing and completed work and present it at conferences and workshops. Publish in relevant journals.
• Adhere to the Berkeley Lab’s EH&S policies and maintain all required related training up to date.
• Participate in developing electrical safety procedures for high voltage and high-power RF Systems including radiation generating devices.
• Improve documentation, baseline data and operating and maintenance procedures.
• Serve as a resource to other RF related projects at LBNL.

What is Required:

• Requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 6 years of experience with RF High Power Systems including High Power Klystrons, HVDC Power Supplies and/or Solid-State RF High Power Amplifiers.
• Demonstrated record of leading the design, development, testing and installation of high-power RF Systems for Accelerators.
• Demonstrated technical leadership in developing advanced concepts for RF Systems.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multidisciplinary projects in design or upgrade of complex RF Systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading a team of engineers and/or technicians.
• Demonstrated relevant knowledge of electronics engineering concepts, theories, practices, and tools.
• Demonstrated strong technical understanding and experience in RF engineering and has provided creative solutions to a range of issues
• Have technical knowledge in high power RF systems
• Experience with E-CAD tools: schematic capture, layout, simulation, and design for manufacture.
• The ability to independently resolve most RF system design and operation issues with a moderate amount of direction and assistance.
• Demonstrate knowledge and experience with RF and microwave electronic instrumentation such as vector network analyzers, spectrum/signal analyzers, signal generators, high speed oscilloscopes and RF power meters.
• Formal training, or equivalent experience in Project Management, PMP, EVMS or equivalent
• The ability to interact effectively with experts in multiple disciplines, including machine control software engineering, mechanical engineering, physics and operations
• Will be required to wear a dosimeter when working in the ALS accelerator area during klystron and IOT operations as they are radiation generating devices.
• Demonstrated strong technical understanding and knowledge base with in as many of following technical areas as possible:
  • Klystrons, IOTs and other High Voltage / High Power RF Tubes (125 MHz up through 3 GHz) in pulsed and/or CW applications.
  • Solid State RF High Power Amplifiers in Pulsed and/or CW applications.
  • RF Distribution Systems including circulators, waveguides, RF loads, and Dual Directional couplers for both high RF power and up through 3 GHz.
  • PLCs and Controls Interfaces.
  • Low Level RF Systems (Monitoring and Feedback Control Systems)
  • Fast and Slow Interlock Systems
  • Radiation Safety Systems and Personnel Safety Systems.
  • AC Electrical Systems and Interfaces.
  • HVDC Electrical Systems and Interfaces.
  • Low Conductivity Water (LCW) Cooling Systems.

Desired Qualifications:

• PhD or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics or related field.
• 10+ years of experience working in a research and development environment with an emphasis on RF electronics including medium and high-power Continuous Wave (CW) and Pulsed RF systems.
• Familiarity with particle accelerators including having a working knowledge of accelerating structures and UHV materials and assembly techniques.
• Experience with a finite element method simulation solver for electromagnetic structures such as Ansys HFSS or CST Studio Suite as well as analog and RF circuit simulation tools such as PSPICE and Keysight ADS.
• PCB layout and design including simulation.
• Experience with the EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) toolkit.
• Programming skills such as MATLAB, FPGA languages, C/C++, and/or visual basic.

Salary Range:

The full salary range of this position is between $137,376.00 - $231,840.00 annually and is expected to pay between a targeted range of $154,560.00 - $188,904.00 annually depending upon the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and abilities, including education, certifications, and years of experience.

Notes:

• This is a full-time career appointment, exempt (monthly paid) from overtime pay.
• This position may be subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
• ·Work will be primarily performed at: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA.

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