How Jerod Bosey and D4K’s in-house design and construction teams are transforming Sandia

Jerod Bosey always dreamed of being an architect. While other kids wanted to be doctors or firefighters, he imagined designing buildings and creating something lasting. Now, as a manager for Sandia’s in-house design team, Jerod is turning that passion into something even greater. Beyond shaping physical spaces, Jerod and his construction counterpart Ramon Baca are building something entirely new at Sandia — a homegrown capability that is transforming the Labs from within.

His journey to Sandia involved years of traveling across the country, designing and tackling projects big and small. But in 2018, seeking a better work-life balance for his growing family, he joined Sandia as an operations architect. At the time, a structured in-house design and construction group didn’t exist. Architects primarily scoped projects for external firms to handle, but Bosey and others saw potential for something more.

A vision for in-house expertise

For years, Sandia relied on external architectural, engineering and construction firms to design and implement facility upgrades and modifications. While effective, this model came with inefficiencies, such as costly contracts, extended timelines and a reliance on outside firms unfamiliar with Sandia’s mission and security constraints.

“We had the talent. We had the capability. We just needed the structure in place to do it ourselves,” Jerod recalled.

His insights aligned with management’s growing interest in greater self-sufficiency, culminating in 2022 with the Division Agility Transformation initiative, a strategic shift that ultimately led to the creation of Sandia’s in-house design and construction teams.

What started as an idea quickly became reality. Jerod’s insights blended with Construction’s expertise, and they formed Sandia’s in-house capabilities. Over the past two years, both teams grew from just a handful of architects, engineers and craftsmen to a fully staffed operation with expertise spanning many disciplines. Today, the in-house design and construction teams work closely together, operating as a full-service firm embedded within Sandia, providing tailored solutions at a fraction of the external cost.

Better, faster, cheaper

Since its inception, and with input from partners in Facilities Planning and Projects and Operations and Maintenance, the division’s in-house capabilities have delivered measurable results. In-house design and in-house construction have a shared philosophy to be more agile, efficient and cost-effective than external firms without compromising quality.

Recent numbers confirm their impact. Compared to external firms, Sandia’s in-house capabilities have reduced design costs by up to 67 percent for indirect-funded projects. Turnaround times have also improved.

“We’re Sandians designing for Sandia,” Jerod said. “We focus on providing a strategically thought-out, constructible solution. We save time and costs because we know how the Labs function. We can walk into a facility, assess the needs, collaborate with project managers, operations and systems engineers and get started right away.”

That agility has been crucial in tackling recapitalization projects, which involve reconfiguring and modernizing existing lab spaces. From overhauling office suites to upgrading sensitive research facilities, in-house design and construction teams collaborate to take on projects that once languished in backlogs, slashing wait times and ensuring mission-critical work isn’t delayed.

From backlogged to breakthroughs

One of the in-house teams’ and project management’s early wins was tackling a growing facility backlog that had plagued Sandia for years. At its peak, there were 362 pending requests for office modifications and infrastructure updates, some waiting in queue for more than 16 months. Working in lockstep with Facilities Express, this collaboration developed a streamlined process to prioritize and address these requests.

“We focused on prioritization and efficiency,” Jerod said. “We set clear priorities, established rules of engagement and made sure designs were executed in sync with the project management and construction teams.”

The result? The backlog was burned down in months, not years — a dramatic turnaround that cleared the way for new requests to be addressed in real time. But beyond eliminating the backlog, this process gave the burgeoning in-house teams something even more valuable: momentum.

The experience and collaboration with project management and in-house construction sharpened the team’s ability to navigate Sandia’s complex operational landscape, helping them refine how work was scoped, approved and executed. It also strengthened collaboration between design, construction and facilities management, creating a more agile system where work moved faster and decisions were made with greater confidence.

“We learned Sandia, our clients, our policies and our challenges,” Jerod said. “Now, we’re not just designing, we’re shaping how we operate.”

With that foundation in place, Jerod and the in-house design and construction teams are ready for bigger challenges.

Growing a culture of excellence

Sandia’s in-house design, project management and construction teams have been on a roll, delivering a string of impressive wins from high-security infrastructure upgrades to mission-critical improvements. Each project has reinforced the value of keeping expertise in-house, saving time, cutting costs and ensuring Sandia’s needs are met with precision.

One standout success was the neutron generator equipment replacement project, where in-house teams streamlined the workflow to replace 11 high-risk units in six months, saving $100,000.

Another was a high-security door relocation, where the team used their deep knowledge of Sandia’s security protocols to complete the job two months faster than external bids, saving $122,000.

Meanwhile, the in-house construction team took on a 360-degree berm for explosive testing, enhancing safety while mitigating environmental hazards. By completing the project ahead of schedule, they saved $115,000.

Beyond the numbers, Jerod takes the most pride in the team.

“Every single person here epitomizes professionalism. They show up every day ready to take on new challenges,” he said.

Unlike designing outside of Sandia, where designers may never see their projects come to life, Sandia’s in-house teams work side by side with the engineers and scientists using these spaces. That proximity fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

“We’re not just designing in a vacuum. We see the impact of our work every day,” Jerod said.

The road ahead

For Jerod and his team, the work is just beginning. As Sandia expands its self-sufficiency in both design and construction, the vision is clear: more complex projects, more efficiency and greater independence.

A major focus moving forward is fast-track project execution — reducing bureaucratic hurdles to accelerate design and construction timelines. The team is also refining a digital journey mapping tool to improve project intake and feedback loops, ensuring Sandia’s evolving needs are met with precision.

“Unless we’re told otherwise, there’s no limit to what we can do,” Jerod said.

From an architect to a leader, Jerod’s story is one of a vision reshaping Sandia’s environment and building the teams that are building the Labs’ future.