Responsibilities

We are seeking an exceptional Lead Software Engineer to architect and build next-generation AI systems at PNNL, spanning agentic AI platforms, petabyte-scale data orchestration, and real-time intelligence processing that define the future of national security technology. This role blends deep technical leadership with hands-on AI/ML engineering, requiring both strategic vision and tactical excellence.

Who You Are

An experienced engineer who bridges infrastructure, AI/ML, and production software. You've built highly scalable systems from scratch, led initiatives that matter, and turned complex problems into solutions. You're as comfortable architecting distributed systems processing terabytes per hour as you are fine-tuning LLMs. You bring startup agility to mission-critical work.

What You'll Build

• AI-Native Systems: Agentic AI with dynamic reasoning, LLM orchestration (LangChain, LlamaIndex, LangGraph), MLOps platforms, and multi-modal reasoning pipelines
• Scalable Infrastructure: Microservices across security enclaves, real-time streaming (TB/hour), petabyte-scale ETL, data lake/mesh architectures, and Kubernetes/CI-CD for classified & edge environments
• Production Systems: Secure AI deployments, observability across enclaves, ethical AI compliance, and geospatial/time-series intelligence data fusion
• Technical Leadership: Lead engineers on high-impact ambiguous scope, drive architecture and strategy, build roadmaps from cutting-edge research, and mentor teams

What You Bring

• Engineering Leadership: Expert Python + another language (C#/.NET, Go, C++); proven track record establishing best practices, advanced CI/CD, and architecting distributed systems
• AI/ML Architecture: Production agentic AI experience; deep expertise with PyTorch/TensorFlow/JAX and LLM orchestration; advanced LLM optimization (LoRA/PEFT, RAG, fine-tuning); end-to-end ML platform design
• Cloud & Distributed Systems: Enterprise-scale architecture across AWS/Azure/GCP; Docker/Kubernetes/IaC; event-driven systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ); API design mastery (REST, GraphQL, gRPC); polyglot persistence (SQL/NoSQL/warehouses)
• Data Platform Engineering: Cloud-native pipelines & orchestration (Airflow, Prefect); data lakehouse architectures; distributed computing (Spark, Flink, Ray); petabyte-scale optimization and modern data formats (Parquet, Iceberg, Delta)
• Leadership & Communication: Mentoring teams, articulating strategy to executives & stakeholders, balancing delivery with technical excellence, and driving cross-functional collaboration

What Makes This Role Unique

You will work at the intersection of cutting-edge AI research and production engineering, building platforms that process the nation's most sensitive intelligence data while mentoring teams and shaping technical strategy. Startup agility on problems of national importance.

National Interest Project Examples

• Detect and prevent smuggling of drugs and contraband at ports of entry [Link]
• Develop large data pipelines to thwart funding for terrorists, nuclear proliferators, drug cartels, and rogue leaders [Link]
• Applying big data solutions to national security problems [Link]
• Applying image classification for nuclear forensics analysis [Link]
• Develop capabilities for scalable geospatial analytics [Link]

Read more about the AI & Data Analytics division: https://www.pnnl.gov/ai-and-data-analytics

This position is based in Richland, WA or Seattle, WA and requires an onsite presence Monday through Thursday, with Friday as required by business needs.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD and 3 years of Software Engineering experience -OR-
• MS/MA and 5 years of Software Engineering experience -OR-
• BS/BA and 7 years of Software Engineering experience -OR-
• AA and 16 years of Software Engineering experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development -OR-
• HS/GED and 18 years of Software Engineering experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development.
• Current, hands-on software development experience using Python.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Actively using Python and have been doing so for the previous five years
• Expert-level Python: Architecting production frameworks, libraries, and large multi-language codebases at scale
• Enterprise ETL/data platform leadership: Designing petabyte-scale ETL/ELT pipelines, orchestration (Airflow, Prefect, Step Functions), and data lakehouse architectures
• Advanced cloud architecture: Multi-cloud strategy across AWS, Azure, or GCP with Kubernetes and Infrastructure as Code at enterprise scale
• FFRDC or national laboratory experience: Prior work within a Federally Funded Research and Development Center or DOE national lab environment
• National security / intelligence experience: Supporting government, defense, or intelligence programs, including classified and compliance-driven environments
• Production agentic AI / advanced LLM experience: Deploying autonomous agent systems, RAG, and fine-tuned models in operational environments
• Distributed ML at scale: Deploying and optimizing ML workloads on Ray, Spark, or Kubernetes clusters
• Technical team leadership: Proven experience leading engineering teams through ambiguous, high-impact scope

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

Not applicable.

Additional Information

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

A security clearance background investigation includes review of your employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with you and your personal references, neighbors, and co-workers to determine trustworthiness, reliability, and loyalty to the United States. The investigation also examines your foreign connections, drug and alcohol use, foreign influence, and overall conduct.

Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship

Rockstar Rewards

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, 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 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

Click Here For Rockstar Rewards

Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position i