Lead Software Engineer IV

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Richland (WA); On-site; USD 161,300 - 255,000; Full time

Job summary

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to architect next-gen AI systems for national security challenges. You will leverage your expertise in Python and AI/ML to lead projects encompassing dynamic reasoning, large-scale data orchestration, and secure AI deployments.

The candidate should possess a strong educational background coupled with extensive experience in creating scalable systems. The role demands leadership in managing high-impact initiatives while maintaining compliance. Candidates must be eligible for federal security clearance and excited to work on significant projects.

Qualifications

• PhD with 3 years or MS/MA with 5 years or BS/BA with 7+ years in Software Engineering.
• Current hands-on experience with Python.
• Experience in designing, architecting, and deploying software solutions.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build AI-native systems and scalable infrastructure.
• Lead engineering teams in high-impact projects.
• Ensure ethical AI compliance and manage secure deployments.

Skills

Python

C#/.NET

Go

C++

Machine Learning

Cloud Architecture

ETL

Kubernetes

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

MS/MA in Computer Science or related field

BS/BA in Computer Science or related field

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Docker

Airflow

Spark

Kafka

Job description

Overview

PNNL’s AI & Data Analytics Division, part of the National Security Directorate, focuses on developing computational solutions for national security challenges.

Responsibilities

We are seeking an exceptional Lead Software Engineer to architect and build next‑generation AI systems that span agentic AI platforms, large‑scale data orchestration, and real‑time intelligence processing.

Who You Are

An experienced engineer who bridges infrastructure, AI/ML, and production software. You have built highly scalable systems from scratch, led impactful initiatives, and turned complex problems into solutions. You are comfortable architecting distributed systems and fine‑tuning large language models.

What You’ll Build

• AI‑Native Systems: Agentic AI with dynamic reasoning, LLM orchestration, MLOps platforms, and multimodal reasoning pipelines
• Scalable Infrastructure: Microservices across security enclaves, real‑time streaming, 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; mentor teams

What You Bring

• Engineering Leadership: Expert Python and another language (C#/.NET, Go, C++); experience 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; LLM optimization and 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; polyglot persistence
• Data Platform Engineering: Cloud‑native pipelines & orchestration (Airflow, Prefect); data lakehouse architectures; distributed computing (Spark, Flink, Ray); petabyte‑scale optimization and modern data formats
• Leadership & Communication: Mentoring teams, articulating strategy to executives, 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 shaping technical strategy.

National Interest Project Examples

• Detect and prevent smuggling of drugs and contraband at ports of entry
• 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
• Develop capabilities for scalable geospatial analytics

Location

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
• MS/MA and 5 years of Software Engineering experience
• BS/BA and 7 years of Software Engineering experience
• AA and 16 years of Software Engineering experience
• HS/GED and 18 years of Software Engineering experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions for scientific research or consumer products
• Current, hands‑on software development experience using Python

Preferred Qualifications:

• Actively using Python for the previous five years
• Expert‑level Python: Architecting production frameworks and large multilanguage codebases at scale
• Enterprise ETL/data platform leadership: Designing petabyte‑scale pipelines, orchestration (Airflow, Prefect), 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
• National security / intelligence experience in classified environments
• Production agentic AI / advanced LLM experience
• Distributed ML at scale
• Technical team leadership experience through ambiguous, high‑impact scope

Additional Requirements

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

Equal Employment Opportunity

PNNL is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected class.

Minimum and Maximum Salary

Minimum Salary: USD $161,300.00/Yr.

Maximum Salary: USD $255,000.00/Yr.