Group Leader - Applied Decision Systems & Analytics

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Earth Systems Science Division (ESSD) within the Energy & Environment Directorate (EED) is seeking a Group Leader for the Applied Decision Systems & Analytics (ADSA) Group within ESSD. ADSA has approximately 60 employees, including data scientists, software engineers, program managers, technicians, post-docs and students with a budget of approximately $20M/yr. ADSA supports key applied energy and national security programs including (but not limited to) Office Environmental Management, Office of Nuclear Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, and associated industry sponsors. Specific areas of emphasis include integrating across subject matter experts and sponsors to design, implement, and execute test and evaluation events on innovative hardware, software, and high-tech interfaces and related software support systems; design and develop analytic and data visualization software systems and web-based applications that integrate data science, risk assessments, and visualization tools to inform decision-making; provide infrastructure, visualization, and data science tools and services to identify and deliver new insights through technology-based solutions that provide decision support in critical areas of energy, environment, intelligence, and defense. Positions comprised predominantly of management responsibilities, with significant span of control and/or delegated authority and responsibility. These positions generally manage multi-disciplinary organizations or functions through staff leaders or subordinate managers. Positions within the manager family generally interact with and negotiate at the senior management and executive levels. Management decisions impact objectives, goals and long-term success of the organization and Laboratory. Responsibilities may involve line, sector or functional lead responsibilities as part of any compensable factor at any level. The Group Leader reports directly to the ESSD Director.

Requirements

BS/BA and 10 years of relevant experience -OR- MS/MA or higher and 8 years of relevant experience
U.S. Citizenship
Ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.
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, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).
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.
The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.
If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn.
To obtain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication.
All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.
For foreign national candidates: If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment.
The Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in decision or data science, mathematics, software engineering or computer science, and 10 or more years of progressively responsible leadership, program leadership, or line management experience; or Advanced degree in decision or data science, mathematics, software engineering or computer science and 8 or more years of progressively responsible leadership, program leadership, and line management experience.
Outstanding scientific research and technical leadership in decision science, data analytics, or software architecture or engineering as evidenced by publications, intellectual property, technology transfer and licensing agreements, citations, presentations, and/or other relevant metrics.
A record of success in developing new program funding initiatives and a network of contacts with program sponsors relevant to ADSA.
Record of effective leadership and teamwork (interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills) in a complex scientific organization and a demonstrated scientific vision and ability to collaborate across business units to build, maintain, and market capabilities.
Demonstrated ability to manage safely, securely and effectively diverse research facilities with chemical, radiological, and field/lab operations.
Demonstrated leadership of data science / software engineering organizations and ability to integrate expertise across data science, modeling, analytics, and software engineering to create impactful decision-support tools.
Software portfolio leadership experience, including establishing technical roadmaps, modernization strategies, or architecture governance.

Responsibilities

Maintaining awareness of competitive landscape for ADSA capabilities and informing group and division strategies.
Being a key member of the ESSD Leadership team, championing the strategic, tactical, and operational success of the division in partnership with colleagues-, group-, and division-level leaders.
Leading the development and execution of the Group Strategy, in partnership with Division Leadership and Sector Managers from across the organization that delivers successful outcomes tailored to PNNL and sponsor needs.
Developing research capabilities that are externally recognized for their national impact and effectively and efficiently utilized by PNNL’s research and development programs.
Working with sector and program managers to establish new programs based on innovative combinations of the group’s core competencies in response to PNNL and national needs.
Provide experienced leadership to multidisciplinary teams including data scientists, software engineers, and analysts to deliver robust, modern analytic and software solutions that meet sponsor needs.
Steward and communicate the group’s capabilities and accomplishments with internal and external partners to advance the organization’s reputation.
Establish and maintain a culture of integrity, commitment to scientific and technical excellence, and delivery on commitments and operational effectiveness.
Implement all applicable safety, environment, security, quality, compliance, and administrative policies.
Nurture an intellectual environment conducive to scientific research, development, and innovation that retains and attracts the highest caliber scientific staff and ensures appropriate mentoring and supervision of postdocs and students.
Implement practices to recruit, develop, assess performance, and retain talented people to support current and future mission needs. This also includes managing essential aspects of research operations and expert delivery, including interfacing with those responsible for managing project risk and execution.
Maintain a high level of technical credibility in data science, modeling, software architecture, and analytics to effectively guide teams and engage sponsors.
Provide technical and organizational leadership for the development of modern, scalable software and analytics platforms—ensuring robust architectures, disciplined engineering practices, and effective integration of data science, modeling, and visualization workflows.
Build and sustain strong collaborative and trusted relationships across EED and National Security Directorate (NSD) leadership, program offices, and technical teams—leveraging cross‑directorate structures, shared governance frameworks, and joint sponsor engagement to ensure ADSA’s work is strategically aligned, well‑integrated, and impactful across the laboratory’s national security and energy missions.