Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Back-end Software Developer, Entry Level

Oak Ridge National Laboratory$95K — $120K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BS degree in a scientific or technical field and 2-4 years of experience
  • Proficient in Python development and software development best practices
  • Experience with APIs and backend services
  • Familiar with data processing or ETL workflows
  • Basic knowledge of web frameworks and database usage

Responsibilities

  • Partner with research organizations to enhance project delivery
  • Design and manage spatial data platforms in SaaS and DaaS environments
  • Deliver IT capabilities that improve research outcomes and minimize burdens
  • Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers
  • Contribute to the research and deployment of spatial computing and machine intelligence systems
  • Develop geospatial software solutions and digital map layers
  • Support research staff in publishing results and maintaining project transparency

Benefits

  • Flexible remote work environment
  • Supportive team culture aligned with core values
  • Opportunities for professional development and growth
  • Diverse, multidisciplinary collaboration
  • Participation in innovative R&D projects at a national laboratory
Full Job Description
Requisition Id 16908

Annual Salary Range:$$95,000.00 -$$120,000.00

Work-Site Type: Remote

Note about pay range:

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. Many factors are taken into consideration when setting starting pay. Salary for this position will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications, plus also aligned with the internal peer group. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Link to benefits. https://jobs.ornl.gov/content/Benefits/?locale=en_US

Overview:

The Information Technology Services Division in the Information Technology Services Directorate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is seeking qualified applicants for a Python Developer position in the Research and Development Solutions Team. The R&D Solutions team exists to facilitate lab goals through systems engineering, development, integration, and support for the research community at ORNL.

We are responsible for facilitating service and capability delivery for R&D projects. We work as team to provide development, deployment, automation, monitoring, and management tool infrastructure for researchers. We advocate, promote, and facilitate Agile Scrum development practices to researchers who develop or require development of code as a part of their projects.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:
  • Partner with research organizations to enable research excellence and successful project delivery
  • Design, develop, and manage spatial data platforms and solutions within Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) environments
  • Deliver capabilities, services, cost savings, and optimizations that enhance research outcomes and reduce IT burden for researchers
  • Collaborate with a diverse, multidisciplinary team including photogrammetrists, geographers, mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, and engineers
  • Contribute to research, development, integration, testing, and deployment across areas such as spatial computing, real-time data platforms, and machine intelligence systems
  • Develop geospatial applications, software, and digital map layers as service-based solutions
  • Support research staff in publishing and disseminating results through peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, conferences, and open-source repositories
  • Work with researchers and project sponsors to gather, understand, and implement project and security requirements in developed solutions
  • Optimize workflows and monitoring solutions to leverage 24/7 operations support and minimize off-hours work
  • Utilize collaboration tools such as Email, Jira, Confluence, Teams, Slack, and other platforms to maintain effective communication
  • Support a flexible, team-oriented work environment
  • Deliver ORNL's mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace - in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.


Basic Qualifications:
  • BS degree in a scientific or technical field and 2-4 years of experience
  • Experience with:
    • Python development
    • Software development best practices (Git, Agile, issue tracking tools)
    • Working with APIs and/or backend services
    • AI-integrated workflow
  • Experience with:
    • Data processing or ETL workflows
    • Debugging and maintaining existing codebases
  • Familiarity with:
    • Web frameworks (e.g., Flask, FastAPI, Django)
    • Basic database usage (SQL or NoSQL)


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Exposure to geospatial tools/data (e.g., PostgreSQL/PostGIS, GDAL)
  • Exposure to cloud or container technologies (e.g., Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes)
  • Understanding of microservices concepts
  • Experience working in research, scientific, or government environments
  • Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines
  • Experience with Data-as-a-Service or API-based architectures
  • Programming experience in C, C#, C++, and SQL
  • Experience working in highly technical environments (government, scientific, or similar)


Special Requirements:
  • Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
  • This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a clearance from the Department of Energy. As such, this position is a Workplace Substance Abuse (WSAP) testing designated position. WSAP positions require passing a pre-placement drug test and participation in an ongoing random drug testing program.


This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.



About Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy (DOE) by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the largest science and energy national laboratory in the Department of Energy system by size and by annual budget. ORNL conducts research and development activities in a variety of scientific and technical disciplines. ORNL's scientific programs focus on materials, neutron science, energy, high-performance computing, systems biology and national security. ORNL partners with other national laboratories, universities and industry to solve complex problems and transfer knowledge and technology. ORNL is home to several of the world's most powerful supercomputers, including Summit, the world's most powerful supercomputer as of November 2018.
Learn more about Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Size
5,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1943

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