Lead AI Systems Engineer – National Security (Hybrid Onsite)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Richland (WA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Pension plan

401(k) with company match

Flexible work schedules

Job summary

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) seeks an exceptional Lead Software Engineer to architect and build next‑generation AI systems. You will lead agentic AI platforms, real-time data processing, and secure deployments across multi‑cloud and on‑prem environments.

You’ll mentor engineers, drive architecture, and map research to production, while collaborating with cross‑functional teams to deliver impactful national security​​​​ results.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent with extensive software engineering background.
• Advanced degrees preferred for senior research leadership roles.
• Hands-on Python development required for production-grade systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect & build AI systems at scale across domains.
• Lead engineers on high-impact projects and ensure delivery milestones.
• Mentor teams and drive architectural strategy and roadmaps.

Skills

Python

Distributed systems

Cloud architecture

AI/ML

Education

PhD in Software Engineering

MS/MA in Software Engineering

BS/BA in Software Engineering

AA with 16 years experience

Tools

LangChain

LlamaIndex

LangGraph

Kubernetes

Docker

Job description

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) seeks an exceptional Lead Software Engineer to architect and build next‑generation AI systems. You will lead agentic AI platforms, real-time data processing, and secure deployments across multi‑cloud and on‑prem environments.

You’ll mentor engineers, drive architecture, and map research to production, while collaborating with cross‑functional teams to deliver impactful national security​​​​ results.