Lead Software Engineer - Richland

Protecting U.S. residents and visitors is among our nation’s highest priorities. As adversaries gain access to sophisticated technologies and materials, the threats grow more dynamic and complex—from cyber and nuclear to chemical and biological weapons of mass effect and other forms of terrorism. The PNNL national security mission employs our researchers, tools, and technologies to play a key role in advancing the ability to identify and secure nuclear materials, detect weapons of mass effect, manage nonproliferation treaties, secure our nation's borders, and protect critical infrastructures. PNNL’s scientific discovery and capabilities—rooted in innovative theory, methods, algorithms, and tools—are enabling stronger, more resilient technologies and systems to safeguard national security. Coupled with decades of radiological and nuclear materials expertise, advanced computing and threat analysis capabilities, and a broad fundamental science base, we are identifying and countering emerging threats that have significant impact at home and around the globe.

Are you someone who is interested in operationalizing AI in support of National Security Missions? At PNNL, we help bring analytical tools and predictive models into deployed national security systems.

National Interest Project Examples:

• Support detection and prevention of drugs and contraband at ports of entry through development and deployment of ML algorithms
• Develop large data pipelines to thwart funding for terrorists, nuclear proliferators, drug cartels, and rogue leaders
• Applying big data solutions to national security problems
• Applying image classification for nuclear forensics analysis
• Detect and respond to advanced cyber threats with at-edge computing
• Develop capabilities for scalable geospatial analytics
• Use remotely sensed imagery to identify and monitor the progression of wildfires
• Analyze the resiliency of the electric power grid to prevent large-scale outages
• Optimize building efficiency using IOT and ICS data with automated demand-response markets
• Model climate change and impacts to national security
• PNNL engineered a high-resolution radar imaging technology as a way to rapidly scan for potential threats

Core Technologies:

• Programming & Scripting – Python, C#/.Net, Bash, Powershell, javascript, typescript, (Java, C/C++)
• Platforms – AWS, Azure, On-Prem, (IoT/ICS, GCP)
• Development/Lifecycle – Agile/Scrum/Kanban/others, Gitlab/Atlassian, CI/CD & DevSecOps
• Paradigms – Rapid prototypes with ad-hoc CSP managed services, well-architected solutions using Infrastructure as Code, compliant deployments in highly-regulated environments
• Data & Storage – S3, Athena, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, Dynamo, Redshift, MongoDB

Supplemental Technologies:

• Model serving tools (Sagemaker endpoints, Nvidia Triton Server, torchserve, kubeflow)
• Big data and distributed systems (Spark, Databricks, Athena)
• Analytics focused services in AWS or Azure (Redshift, Elasticsearch, Kafka, Sagemaker, EMR)

Data Complexities:

• Volume – large, terabytes and petabytes of data
• Variety – Images, audio, text, IoT, RF, GPS, edge sensors
• Velocity – Sub-second and lower frequency

How We Work:

• Mission-Critical Development:
  • Design, develop, test, and deploy software applications that directly contribute to the nation’s mission objectives
  • Collaborate with Government and Industry partners to understand mission needs, requirements, and translate them into robust and scalable software solutions
• Innovative Problem Solving:
  • Tackle complex technical challenges with creativity and innovation
  • Propose and implement solutions that go beyond conventional approaches, ensuring the software we deliver is both efficient and impactful
• End-to-End Ownership:
  • Take ownership of the entire software development lifecycle, from initial concept to deployment
  • Ensure the reliability, security, and performance of mission-critical software systems
• Collaborative Teamwork:
  • Work in an agile environment with multidisciplinary teams, including software engineers, cloud engineers, machine learning engineers, data scientists/domain experts, UX/UI, front-end developers, scrums masters, product owners, and most importantly, USERS
  • Participate in code reviews and knowledge-sharing sessions to enhance the overall team skill set
• Continuous Learning:
  • Stay up-to-date with industry trends and emerging technologies to bring innovative ideas to the table
  • Actively participate in training and development opportunities to enhance your skills and contribute to the team's growth
  • Have opportunities to attend conferences and engage in industry events

If this sounds like you, come and join a team of 90+ mission driven software, data, and ML engineers who come to work every day to do something that makes a difference.

• Identify mission challenges and formulate engineering solutions methodically
• Embrace software engineering excellence and delivering quality results at scale
• Employ expertise with a high-level programming language such as Python / C#
• Apply good design and innovative problem-solving skills to solve challenging technical problems
• Initiate personal direction and goals
• Demonstrate outstanding verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work in a collaborative environment
• Be passionate and self-motivated with good time management skills
• Desire to mentor and grow junior staff

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS/BA and 7 years of relevant experience -OR-
• MS/MA or higher and 5 years of relevant experience -OR-
• PhD and 3 years of relevant experience -OR-
• AA and 16 years of relevant experience -OR-
• HS/GED and 18 years of relevant experience
• Qualifying software development experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development may be counted

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in computer science, software engineering, or related field
• Strong understanding of software engineering and data management best practices
• Strong cloud architecture and implementation experience
• Experience transitioning research code (such as pytorch and tensorflow) to a deployed system
• Familiar with machine learning algorithms with hands-on experience in machine learning pipeline development
• Active Federal Q Clearance and ability to maintain such clearance

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.

Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
• Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the candidate selected is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).

Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy until non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months can be demonstrated.

This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!

At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, flexible work schedules and telework options. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3-hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.

Our laboratory is committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment dedicated to solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. In support of this commitment, we encourage people of all racial/ethnic identities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities to apply for employment.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at .

PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.

If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn.

In accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, new employees are required to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete and pass a Federal Tier 1 background check investigation. This investigation includes a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last year. This includes marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, supplemental parental bonding leave**, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401k savings plan. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**Once eligibility requirements are met.

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PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.