Description

Job Title Research Engineer (Scientist 1/2)

Location Los Alamos, NM, US

Organization Name A-4/Advanced Research in Cyber Systems

This position is open for external candidates only to apply.
What You Will Do
This position will be filled at either the Scientist 1 or Scientist 2 level, depending on the skills of the selected candidate. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if the candidate is hired at the higher level.

Scientist 1 $96,600 - $158,000
The Analytics, Intelligence, and Technology Division (A-Division) - Advanced Research in Cyber Systems (A-4) group is seeking an early career Research Engineer to support the Trustworthy and Reliable AI Laboratory (TRAIL). This role offers the opportunity to apply and expand expertise in software engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and large language models (LLMs) in support of research teams for the LANL global security mission.

As an entry-level Research Engineer, you will work closely with research scientists, mission operators, and software engineers to rapidly prototype, evaluate, and transition novel research concepts into operationally relevant capabilities. This role focuses on developing new capabilities from emerging technologies for real-world mission problems, developing proof-of-concept systems, and iterating on research prototypes in operational environments supporting organizations such as the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of War, Department of Homeland Security, and the US Intelligence Community.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the maturation of research prototypes into reliable, maintainable, and operationally deployable capabilities.
• Rapidly iterate on prototype systems based on research findings, stakeholder feedback, and evolving mission requirements.
• Prototype and evaluate emerging techniques in operationally relevant environments, balancing research objectives with mission, security, scalability, and usability constraints.
• Work in exploratory research environments where requirements may evolve as prototype capabilities mature and mission understanding develops.
• Support development, evaluation, and operational integration of LLM-based solutions, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, and agentic AI workflows applied to mission problems.
• Develop and maintain modern web applications and software solutions using contemporary front-end and back-end frameworks, APIs, databases, and cloud-native technologies in support of mission-focused applications and services.
• Collaborate with researchers, engineers, cybersecurity professionals, and mission stakeholders to identify operational gaps, translate mission needs into prototype AI capabilities, and evaluate solutions in realistic operational contexts.
• Contribute to software development efforts in Linux-based environments utilizing Git, GitLab, Docker, and Kubernetes for on-prem, high-performance computing, and cloud architectures.
• Assist with implementation and maintenance of CI/CD pipelines supporting deployment and testing.
• Document technical work, communicate findings, and support presentations and reviews for technical and non-technical audiences.

Scientist 2 $106,400 - $176,000
In addition to what was outlined at the lower level, at this level you must be able to operate independently, be self-sufficient, and must exercise personal initiative in successfully completing assigned tasks.

• Lead the design, prototyping, evaluation, and operational transition of new capabilities supporting mission-focused research environments.
• Guide prototype architecture decisions and technical trade studies balancing research innovation with operational constraints.
• Independently design and implement scalable architectures and workflows for mission applications.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute technical guidance to multidisciplinary project teams.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and provide technical recommendations for adoption and implementation.
• Contribute to strategic planning and execution of research initiatives aligned with national security objectives.
• Coordinate technical efforts across multiple projects while balancing priorities, schedules, and deliverables

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements: Software Development

• Experience developing software within Unix/Linux environments using modern software development tools and workflows including Git, GitLab, containerization technologies, and CI/CD pipelines utilizing modern development standards and engineering best practices.
• Experience developing applications utilizing GPU-enabled local and distributed compute environments.
• Experience developing and deploying applications utilizing technologies such as large language models (LLMs), retrieval augmented generation (RAG), agentic workflows, model orchestration frameworks, or related AI technologies.
• Strong proficiency in Python with experience utilizing modern frameworks and libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Pandas, NumPy, SciPy, or similar technologies.

Collaboration and Teamwork

• Demonstrated skill in building productive relationships with internal and external partners to ensure requirements align with mission objectives and customer expectations.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary technical teams consisting of software developers, engineers, analysts, and scientific staff.

Communication

• Ability to effectively participate in research discussions and prototyping.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts and development activities to diverse audiences.
• Ability to effectively participate in stakeholder reviews including communicating requirement changes or exceptions

Additional Job Requirements for Scientist 2:
In addition to the requirements outlined above, qualification at the higher level requires:

• Demonstrated experience developing and deploying purpose-built software applications in operational, research, or production environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing or implementing scalable workflows and distributed application architectures.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical implementation efforts within collaborative engineering teams.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating hardware, software, and infrastructure requirements supporting application development and deployment.

Candidates that meet the degree requirement, but who do not meet the two-year experience requirement, are encouraged to apply and may be considered for hire through an allowable variance.

Education/Experience at lower level: Position requires a bachelor's degree in a STEM field from an accredited college or university and 2 years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation. Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, or related STEM field preferred.

Education/Experience at higher level: Positions requires a bachelor's degree in a STEM field from an accredited college and university and 4 years of related experience, typically with post-doctoral research experience at a university or national lab or equivalent experience directly related to the occupation. Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, or related STEM field preferred.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience developing proof-of-concept or prototype systems for operational users or mission environments.
• Experience transitioning research software or prototypes into operational or production environments.
• Experience evaluating systems under real-world performance, security, or reliability constraints.
• Experience contributing to applied research projects involving AI, machine learning, or autonomous systems.
• Experience with cloud-native or high-performance computing environments.
• Experience working with container technologies such as Docker, Podman, and Kubernetes.
• Active Q clearance or TS clearance

Work Environment:

Work Location : The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Position commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.

Note to Applicants:

Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Employment Status Full Time

Appointment Type Regular

Regular