Software Engineer 1

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•UNAVAILABLE, UNAVAILABLE

About The Position

The 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. The Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate (EBSD) leads critical research in four areas: Atmospheric, Climate & Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Molecular Sciences, and Global Change. Our vision is to develop a predictive understanding of biological and Earth systems in transition. We aim to understand energy and material flows within the integrated Earth system; to understand, predict, and control the response of biosystems to environmental and/or genomic changes; and to Model the Earth system from the subsurface to the atmosphere. The Environmental Molecular Sciences Division is comprised of 18 interdisciplinary research teams focused on deciphering molecular-level interactions driving biological and environmental processes across temporal and spatial scales. Through computational analysis and modeling, these findings contribute to predictive understanding of how systems respond to environmental perturbations thus enabling solutions to the nation’s energy, environmental, and human health challenges. The division also manages the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus that accelerates the research of scientists around the world by providing access to world-class expertise, instrumentation, and computational resources. This Software Engineer 1 role will support the development of the EMSL Science Central technology platform with a focus on backend services, data infrastructure, and platform reliability. The successful candidate will design and develop RESTful APIs using Python and FastAPI, build and maintain PostgreSQL databases, implement role-based access control (RBAC) across platform services, and contribute to the deployment of containerized services in Kubernetes environments. The team follows modern DevOps principles using GitLab CI/CD and actively uses AI-assisted development tools — including GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, and Claude Code — to accelerate development and improve code quality. The candidate will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers to deliver scalable, maintainable software that supports scientific research workflows at EMSL. Familiarity with frontend technologies is a plus but is not a primary focus of this role.

Requirements

BS/BA or higher
API development using Python
Backend languages and tools such as Python and PostgreSQL

Nice To Haves

Degree in Computer Science
Working knowledge of Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, and other deployment environments
Experience designing and implementing role-based access control (RBAC) for APIs and platform services
Experience with API gateways (e.g., Kong, AWS API Gateway, or similar) for routing, rate limiting, and authentication enforcement
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, or Github Actions
Experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Claude Code, or similar) in a professional software development workflow
Familiarity with RESTful API design patterns and backend service architecture
Familiarity with frontend technologies

Responsibilities

Designs, develops, documents, tests, and debugs new and existing software systems, hardware/software interfaces, and/or applications according to industry established software engineering principals and best practices.
Works collaboratively within a team to execute on the full system development lifecycle including analyzing user needs to determine technical requirements; developing technical specifications based on conceptual design and requirements; developing well-crafted and documented source code; integrating hardware using software; automating manual tasks; and consulting with the end user to prototype, configure, refine, test, and debug programs or systems to meet needs.
Identifies and evaluates new technologies or methods for implementation and continuous improvement.
Design and develop RESTful APIs using Python and FastAPI.
Build and maintain PostgreSQL databases.
Implement role-based access control (RBAC) across platform services.
Contribute to the deployment of containerized services in Kubernetes environments.
Work closely with a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers to deliver scalable, maintainable software that supports scientific research workflows at EMSL.