Physical Security Systems Engineer
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory · Richland, WA
$152,400–$228,500from the description
Jul 9, 2026
Richland, WA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A physical security engineering role focused on designing, deploying, and maintaining systems such as access control, intrusion detection, and video management across a large federal research campus. The position involves risk assessments, lifecycle management of security infrastructure, contractor oversight, and ensuring alignment with DOE regulations and NIST standards. It suits experienced security professionals with a background in government, defense, or related sectors who can also serve as a subject matter expert on DOE physical security programs.
Senior level · 9+ years · Kennewick-Richland, WA · Secret clearance · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $158,347 (middle half $126,308–$182,824). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
This role is primarily a physical security engineering position — designing, implementing, and maintaining PACS, IDS, and VMS systems — rather than a traditional IT/cyber information security role. 15-1212 (Information Security Analysts) is the closest available SOC code; 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is noted as a runner-up given the physical security engineering focus.
The minimum qualification structure is tiered: BS/BA + 9 years, MS/MA + 7 years, AA + 18 years, or HS/GED + 20 years. No single degree is hard-required; equivalent experience is explicitly accepted, so the degree requirement is set to None. The 9-year figure is used as the overall years minimum as it represents the most common professional entry point.
The posting states the role 'requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance' but does not specify the exact level. Given the DOE national laboratory context and classified matter access (10 CFR 710), a Secret-level clearance is the reasonable minimum; the actual level may be higher.
The CSSP (Certified Security Systems Professional) certification is listed under Preferred Qualifications alongside CISSP but is not a widely standardized credential — it is captured in the notes rather than as a separate skill to avoid ambiguity.
Product-specific certifications (AXIS, i-Pro, Bosch) and VMS certifications (Genetec, Milestone, Avigilon) are listed under Preferred Qualifications only.
Qualifying experience domains (technology protection, facility security, access control, information security, etc.) are listed as context for what counts as relevant experience, not as discrete named technology skills, so they are not emitted as individual skill entries.
Ignored 2 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): Physical Access Control Systems, cloud-based security solutions.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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