Principal Engineer for Geospatial Computing Infrastructure

Oak Ridge National Laboratory•Oak Ridge, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This role will lead ORNL’s COMPASS, a next-generation geospatial data & computing platform and data center, supporting the lab’s geospatial science research portfolio with high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities. ORNL is the nation’s geospatial research laboratory. Our scientists and engineers are breaking new ground in geospatial science and technologies, advancing the state-of-the-art and scaling science for global impacts. From designing advanced sensing platforms and autonomous systems, to characterizing global population risk with increasing spatiotemporal clarity, to designing GeoAI models for supercomputer-scale applications, geospatial science at ORNL is establishing new horizons for global geospatial intelligence and human security. The Geospatial Science and Engineering Division is part of the National Security Sciences Directorate, where we translate and apply the latest advancements in ORNL and US scientific leadership to support the nation’s national and energy security needs. Over the past decade ORNL has earned a strong reputation for delivering novel geospatial capabilities grounded in HPC, and this new role offers the opportunity to transform the foundations of these capabilities into a distinct center with its own mission of delivering leading-edge geospatial compute and data services, driving innovation at the intersection of computing and geospatial science, and advancing research outcomes across sponsors, disciplines and institutional partners. The successful candidate will have the strategic mindset, technical breadth, and leadership skills to stand up a mission-driven organization, guide its evolution, manage its operations, and cultivate a world-class team. This role is both operational (managing and optimizing assets and services today) and strategic in charting the future of geospatial compute, orchestrating large-scale investments and partnerships, and positioning ORNL as the national leader in geospatial HPC, data infrastructure, and emerging computing paradigms (edge compute, neuromorphic, quantum). In this capacity you will be responsible for the technical and business operations of the COMPASS geospatial data center. Your responsibilities will include helping to refine the strategic direction and the business model (service delivery + research + partnerships), establishing operating practices, building the team, and engaging sponsors and users. You will be the face of the center internally and externally, aligning with ORNL and National Security Sciences leadership and programs, and ensuring that the center becomes a trusted advisor, partner, and innovation hub in the geospatial and HPC community.

Requirements

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Computer Science, Data Science, Geospatial Science (GIS/remote sensing), Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
Minimum of 10–12 years of relevant experience (or equivalent) in one or more of the following: geospatial science/engineering, HPC/data center operations, large-scale data infrastructure, research center leadership, service delivery in a technical organization, or related field.
Proven track record of leadership: building and managing multidisciplinary teams, developing strategy, hiring, mentoring, and managing scientists/engineers/technologists.
Technical expertise in one or more of the following: high performance computing (compute, storage, interconnects, networking), large-scale data management (ingest, curation, archive), geospatial data workflows (remote sensing, GIS, mapping, analytics), and infrastructure-as-a-service models.
Experience with service delivery models (e.g., user support, resource allocation, service catalogue, SLAs) and/or research infrastructure.
Strong communication and collaboration skills: able to articulate vision and technical concepts to senior leadership, sponsors, non-technical stakeholders, and users; comfortable representing the center externally.
Demonstrated financial and contract management experience: budget planning, vendor/subcontractor management, procurement, cost-modelling, and governance oversight.
Demonstrated familiarity with data governance, security, compliance (cybersecurity, export controls, access policies) as applies to HPC/data infrastructure in federal research environments.
Motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory.
Ability to function well in a fast-paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to ever changing needs.
All team members deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.

Nice To Haves

Experience specifically in geospatial HPC and geospatial technologies, e.g., leveraging HPC and AI/ML for remote sensing, large-scale mapping, geospatial big data analytics, Earth system science, real-time geospatial streaming, or associated research infrastructure.
Experience leading or being part of a research center or institute (or similar) with a mix of service delivery and research mission.
Familiarity with ORNL-style national laboratory environment (or similarly complex research institution), federal research stakeholders, user facilities, and large-scale infrastructure operations.
Established professional network in the geospatial, HPC or data infrastructure community; prior leadership of/participation in geospatial or HPC user communities, etc.

Responsibilities

Advance the strategic roadmap for COMPASS, including continually honing the vision, value proposition, operating model (services, research, partnerships), business case, metrics of success, and growth path.
Oversee the effective integration, operation, scaling and optimization of the GDC’s compute, storage, networking, and geospatial-data assets (existing and planned). Ensure high performance, high availability, cost-effectiveness, data integrity, and operational resilience.
Define, implement and continually improve service offerings (e.g., large-scale geospatial compute pipelines, data ingest/curation/archive, analytics/visualization, user support). Establish operating policies, SLAs, user workflows, resource allocation models and performance metrics.
Identify and integrate emerging geospatial/HPC technologies (e.g., ML Ops for geospatial data, real-time analytics, cloud/HPC hybrid, edge geospatial compute, neuromorphic, quantum), pilot new capabilities, foster innovation partnerships (academia, industry, federal sponsors). Serve as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on research proposals, secure external funding, and help shape COMPASS to support the Division’s research agenda.
Hire, develop, and lead a highly agile and high-performing multidisciplinary team covering, HPC/data infrastructure, data engineering, platform engineering, user engagement, and operations. Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, inclusion and continuous learning.
Serve as the external interface for the center: liaise with ORNL counterparts addressing lab-wide computing and data initiatives, build and maintain external relationships with the vendor ecosystem, understand internal user needs, and communicate the center’s capabilities and vision. Internally align with ORNL leadership, HPC facility management, ORNL’s National Center for Computational Sciences, data services groups, programmatic divisions and labs.
Develop and manage budgets, resource planning (people, infrastructure, capital investments), cost model, vendor and subcontractor relationships. Build inclusive teams to define governance structures, policies (data governance, security, access), compliance (cybersecurity, data privacy, export controls).
Define performance metrics and dashboards for the center (e.g., utilization, throughput, time-to-science, user satisfaction, cost per unit, growth of services), regularly report to ORNL leadership, sponsors and stakeholders. Drive continuous improvement and benchmarking against peer organizations.
Ensure robustness of operations (backup/archival, disaster recovery, continuity), manage risk (data loss, data protection, downtime), oversee infrastructure lifecycle (refresh, decommissioning), and uphold industry best practices in HPC/data center operations.