Early Career Software Engineer

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

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, Integrated Discovery 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. The National Security Directorate (NSD) drives science-based, mission-focused solutions to take on complex, real-world threats to our nation and the world. The AI and Data Analytics Division, part of NSD, combines profound domain expertise and creative integration of advanced hardware and software to deliver computational solutions that address complex data and analytic challenges. Working in multidisciplinary teams, we connect foundational research to engineering to operations, providing the tools to innovate quickly and field results faster. Our strengths are integrated across the data analytics lifecycle, from data acquisition and management to analysis and decision support. We are seeking a motivated Early Career Software Engineer to join our dynamic team at PNNL and contribute to cutting-edge projects that shape the future of critical technology supporting national security and intelligence. In this role, you'll collaborate with experienced engineers to design, build, and optimize scalable systems for processing multi-modal intelligence data at a remarkable scale and speed. This hands-on position offers a unique opportunity to grow your skills in AI/ML engineering, data orchestration, and system architecture while delivering impactful solutions in a fast-paced environment where agility and reliability are key to success. As a Software Engineer on PNNL's Software Engineering and Architectures (SEA) team, you'll have the chance to shape mission-critical AI systems, help build enterprise-scale data platforms, and gain hands-on experience with some of the nation's most sophisticated intelligence and security applications. You'll receive mentorship from senior engineers, collaborate with research scientists, and see your code deployed in production systems that directly support national security missions. What You’ll Build & Learn AI-Powered Software – Help develop applications that use AI agents and large language models (LLMs). Gain hands-on experience with LLM integrations, evaluation, testing, and foundational MLOps practices. Intelligence Platform Development – Contribute to software that combines multiple sources of intelligence, supports geospatial analysis, and helps users understand complex information. Data Engineering – Build and maintain data pipelines, develop analytics workflows, and learn how cloud-native systems process and manage data at scale. Collaborative Software Development – Work alongside experienced engineers, participate in code reviews and design discussions, and build your skills in testing, debugging, documentation, and enterprise software development. Professional Growth – Receive mentorship, take on increasing responsibility, and learn how to design, build, deploy, and support production-quality software. Technical Skills We’ll Help You Grow: Programming Foundation – Solid Python skills and experience with at least one additional language, such as Go, Rust, C#/.NET, C++, or a similar language. Platform Experience – Exposure to at least one cloud platform, such as AWS, Azure, or GCP and familiarity with Linux environments. Development Practices – Understanding of Git and version control, exposure to CI/CD practices, and familiarity with Agile or Scrum development environments. Data and Databases – Experience writing SQL and a basic understanding of data modeling, data processing, or data pipeline concepts. AI-Assisted Development – Familiarity with AI coding tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, or similar tools. You should be comfortable using them to explore code, generate or improve tests, troubleshoot issues, and accelerate development while applying sound judgment around accuracy, security, code quality, and validation. Curiosity and Eagerness to Learn – An interest in AI/ML, geospatial systems, large-scale data processing, and the opportunity to learn new technologies and domains. 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] This position is located in Richland, WA and requires an onsite presence Monday through Thursday, with Friday as required by business needs.

Requirements

BS/BA or higher
Hands-on experience building and delivering software applications using Python through professional, internship, academic, or personal projects
U.S. Citizenship
Ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance
Ability to pass a federal background investigation
Ability to pass pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana

Nice To Haves

Degree in computer science, software engineering, or related field.
Experience programming in Python, Go, Rust, C#/.NET, C++.
Solid understanding of software engineering and data management best practices.
Demonstrated strong communication and collaborative skills.
Exposure to at least one cloud platform, such as AWS, Azure, or GCP and familiarity with Linux environments.
Understanding of Git and version control, exposure to CI/CD practices, and familiarity with Agile or Scrum development environments.
Experience writing SQL and a basic understanding of data modeling, data processing, or data pipeline concepts.
Familiarity with AI coding tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, or similar tools.
An interest in AI/ML, geospatial systems, large-scale data processing, and the opportunity to learn new technologies and domains.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with experienced engineers to design, build, and optimize scalable systems for processing multi-modal intelligence data.
Develop applications that use AI agents and large language models (LLMs), including LLM integrations, evaluation, testing, and foundational MLOps practices.
Contribute to software that combines multiple sources of intelligence, supports geospatial analysis, and helps users understand complex information.
Build and maintain data pipelines, develop analytics workflows, and learn how cloud-native systems process and manage data at scale.
Work alongside experienced engineers, participate in code reviews and design discussions, and build skills in testing, debugging, documentation, and enterprise software development.
Receive mentorship, take on increasing responsibility, and learn how to design, build, deploy, and support production-quality software.