Location: Los Alamos, NM
Cap-Exempt H-1B Position — No lottery required
**Overview** Become part of a nationally critical mission. The Special Materials Machinist (SMM) Pipeline Program is a competitive and comprehensive pathway designed to prepare students for entry-level machining roles at Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) premier plutonium facility-TA-55. In collaboration with Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), this program equips students with the skills to operate in one of the most advanced, secure, and high-tech manufacturing environments in the country. **What You Will Do** Located in **northern New Mexico** , LANL is the nation's **premier plutonium center of excellence** , leading the charge in: - Ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile - Pioneering research in national security, space, geophysics, renewable energy, medicine, supercomputing, and nanotechnology Within LANL, the **Pit Technologies (PT) Division** , under the Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Production (ALDWP), plays a critical role in delivering top-quality plutonium pit-related products and services that are central to U.S. national security. As part of the **PT-2 Machining Group** , SMMs are on the front lines of high-precision, high-consequence manufacturing of **plutonium pits** -the core components of modern thermonuclear weapons. Machinists work within **TA-55's PF-4 nuclear materials facility** , supporting both **manufacturing** and **surveillance** operations. You'll contribute to: - Fabricating and qualifying nuclear weapons components - Performing technical machining on actinide materials - Supporting surveillance efforts to monitor and predict stockpile longevity This **tuition-supported internship** offers a direct pipeline into full-time employment at LANL and includes: - Full reimbursement of tuition and fees - Hourly pay for: - Class time at SFCC - Time spent initiating security clearance - Completing LANL training - On-site internships at LANL - Transition to full-time employment upon graduation (conti