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Will DOGE reduce non-technical management at LANS/L?

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By scooby

 What will DOGE think about the excessive number of LLNL managers, many with zero technical talent themselves, assigned to “rank” the engineering and technical staff at LLNL that consume millions of dollars to rank lab employees to a high resolution with poor accuracy? Does LLNL really need that many non-technical managers on the payroll?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism, are all part of the LLNL management structure. They all want to surround themselves with “yes” lower managers to advance their OWN careers at the expense of taxpayers and programatic goals. Lots of waste here for DOGE to investigate.
2/12/2025 3:55 PM
Anonymous said…
LLNL has a high percentage of same-family employees
Husband and wife. Father and son. Funny thing is, management conducts all sorts of job interviews but they already have someone selected. Ver often, the candidate is a relative of an employee. No competition!
2/12/2025 7:04 PM
Anonymous said…
Speaking of ranking of the technical and engineering staff, I found it quite interesting with this week’s announcement on newsline that employees must remove DEI related goals for next year’s ranking. I was like wait the what … I was told we had to have technical related goals for the above mentioned staff. Then again we have this salary inversion where new non DEI technical and engineering staff were hired at XXX.1 while the “special hire” was hired at xxx.3 and performs no actual work. The xxx.1 goals must be to train the xxx.3 so maybe they can move up to a xxx.2 after some unwritten time.
2/12/2025 7:23 PM
Anonymous said…
LANL is still dragging it's feet on eliminating DEI. I predict that will change soon as NNSA has already started DOGEing some of our DEI related programs.
2/12/2025 9:16 PM
Anonymous said…
Mason sent out a memo today saying LANL is getting rid of the DEI stuff.

Mason also said there is no plans for reduction of workforce or changing at working. Once again he says that most LANL workers are coming in but lets the cat out of the bag when saying that the LANL also needs to balance work from home due to parking and space issues. All I can say if we have a whole lot of people that are not coming in who are not officailly "work from home". Managers have noticed this too. Triad better hope someone does not take a look at into the place.

I get that there is too many people for the parking and space but maybe they should have thought about the earlier to either make some more buildings, or just say we have to prioritize and maybe move parts to LLNL, Sandia or elsewhere. Of course it is all about money but at some point they should consider what will be the best use of resources.
2/13/2025 11:03 PM
Anonymous said…
Mason is a poster child for woke weakness. With luck he’ll be removed and replaced with a breathing director.
2/14/2025 1:35 AM
Anonymous said…
“Funny thing is, management conducts all sorts of job interviews but they already have someone selected.”

Another tactic is to knowingly exclude the instant promotional content of a job posting to make it appear less attractive for applicants except for the pre-selected.
2/14/2025 7:00 AM
Anonymous said…
"Mason is a poster child for woke weakness. With luck he’ll be removed and replaced with a breathing director."

I don't know about that but maybe you have a point. It seems to me that LANs number one priority is PITS so the only thing that matters if the PIT workers show up. Everyone one can stay home or do whatever. I am of course exaggerating to some extent but PITs are the clear priority.

Also the lab is growing crazy with AI, but not the science AI, essentially ChatGPU is what they want. Just from what the managers are saying it is clear they really do not understand AI at all and really do not care to understand it. I think this hype is going to die out as they find the are not going get much out of it, or anyone with real skills in that area would want to have nothing to do with LANL.















2/14/2025 9:09 AM
Anonymous said…
Mason is the best Canadian lab director you guys are ever going to get
2/14/2025 1:57 PM
Anonymous said…
But they already have someone selected” Sandia posted a job not too long ago and the about Sandia portion was longer than the skills desired and job description combined.
2/14/2025 4:10 PM
Anonymous said…
Nailed it. Have seen many many cases of people kissing butt to get into management, that then use tax payer funding for career growth, over doing what’s right for the nation. Many saw this clearly in the weapons programs with particular promotions of incompetants. Complaints of people stealing projects to move up the ladder, and then the unethical and abusive behavior is swept under the rug. Does DOGE have a line to report this stuff? Lab management and HR have covered it all up. It’s time for this to be reversed and consequences had.
2/15/2025 12:25 PM
Anonymous said…
Reminds me of a case a few years ago where a manager involved in funding LDRD, was giving lab funding to a professor in Texas who was the new advisor of his kid! Everyone who knew about it whispered in the background that it sure seemed odd that this wasn’t considered a conflict of interest. But lab introverts stay quiet even when broadly uncomfortable…

So many stories like this…
2/16/2025 11:49 AM
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