Senior Software Engineer III

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 133,100 - 210,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Seattle seeks a Senior Software Engineer to contribute to advanced AI capabilities. In this role, you will design and implement scalable systems while collaborating with talented professionals across various disciplines.

Your responsibilities will also include developing infrastructure for data processing and ensuring the successful delivery of innovative solutions. This position requires proven experience in software engineering, particularly with Python, alongside a commitment to mentorship and team collaboration.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience for PhD holders in Software Engineering.
• 3+ years of experience for MS/MA holders in Software Engineering.
• 5+ years of experience for BS/BA holders in Software Engineering.
• Current hands-on software development experience in Python.

Responsibilities

• Design scalable, mission-critical solutions across AI platforms.
• Mentor staff and shape technical direction.
• Build ETL pipelines and large-scale data orchestrations.

Skills

Python

.NET/C#

Go

C++

Rust

Git

TDD

CI/CD

Cloud Native

ETL

Education

PhD in Software Engineering or related field

MS/MA in Software Engineering or related field

BS/BA in Software Engineering or related field

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget. Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

Responsibilities

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join PNNL's advanced AI engineering team and help build next-generation systems across agentic AI platforms, large-scale data orchestration, and real-time intelligence processing. You’ll design scalable, mission-critical solutions while mentoring others and shaping technical direction.

What You’ll Build

• AI Systems: Agentic AI, LLM orchestration (LangChain, LlamaIndex), MLOps pipelines, and multi-modal data integration
• Scalable Infrastructure: Microservices, real-time streaming, large-scale ETL pipelines, and Kubernetes deployments
• Production Systems: Monitoring/observability, secure & edge deployments, geospatial and time-series processing
• Technical Leadership: Lead project components, mentor staff, drive design decisions, and support proposals

What You Bring

• Engineering: Strong Python plus one other language (.NET/C#, Go, C++, Rust); solid CS fundamentals (object-oriented design, design patterns, data structures, algorithms, clean code practices); Git, testing (TDD), CI/CD, AI-assisted development tools (Copilot, Claude, Cursor)
• AI/ML: Understanding of the ML lifecycle, model serving, and production integration via APIs
• Cloud Native: Hands-on experience with AWS/Azure/GCP, Docker/Kubernetes, event-driven & microservice architectures, API design (REST, GraphQL, gRPC), and SQL/NoSQL databases
• Data Engineering: ETL/ELT pipelines, distributed processing (Spark, Kafka, Flink, Ray), cloud storage, and data modeling at scale
• Collaboration: Strong communication and engagement with cross-functional teams, Agile experience, mentorship, pragmatic delivery

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

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 onsite presence Monday through Thursday, with Friday as needed based on business needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD and 1 year of Software Engineering experience -OR-
• MS/MA and 3 years of Software Engineering experience -OR-
• BS/BA and 5 years of Software Engineering experience -OR-
• AA and 14 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 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.
• Current, hands-on software development experience using Python.

Preferred Qualifications

• Actively using Python and have been doing so for the previous three years
• Advanced Python expertise: Building production-grade applications, libraries, or frameworks at scale
• ETL/data pipeline experience: Designing and optimizing large-scale ETL/ELT workflows using cloud-native tools (AWS Glue, Azure Data Factory, Step Functions) and distributed frameworks (Spark, Kafka)
• Deep cloud platform experience: Production deployments on AWS, Azure, or GCP, with multi-cloud and Kubernetes orchestration highly valued
• FFRDC or national laboratory experience: Prior work within a Federally Funded Research and Development Center or DOE national lab environment
• National security / mission-driven experience: Supporting government, defense, or national security programs, including familiarity with secure and compliance-driven environments
• Agentic AI / LLM experience: Hands-on work with LLM orchestration, RAG, or autonomous agent frameworks
• MLOps maturity: Experience operationalizing ML models with experiment tracking, versioning, and monitoring in production

Additional Information

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

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
• Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions. The applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing and post-employment random drug testing. Applicants must demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).

Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information—including family medical history—protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at [e-mail].

Benefits

• Medical, dental, 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 assistance, 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.

Pay Range

Minimum Salary: USD $133,100.00 / Yr. Maximum Salary: USD $210,400.00 / Yr.

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job- related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules. As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.