Software Engineer II - Building Applications

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Portland, OR

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Software Engineer II will work in the Building Simulation and Design Group (BS&DG) within PNNL’s Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division. The group conducts modeling and analysis of building energy policies, codes, and standards; develops tools and workflows for building research and decision making; and supports adoption of energy-efficient technologies. Its core research capabilities include building energy simulation, building energy policy analysis, and tool development for building applications. This individual contributor will apply software engineering and web application development skills to building technology applications. The role involves developing, improving, and maintaining software systems that support building energy efficiency, working with project teams and collaborators to translate domain needs into software requirements, and contributing to technical approaches. The engineer will complete recurring work independently and may define and lead small tasks or projects, coordinating contributors and delivering results within assigned scope, schedule, and budget. The position contributes to software releases, technical reports, publications, and presentations, and communicates technical progress, findings, and limitations to project teams and collaborators. The engineer also contributes research ideas and technical content to proposals and collaborates across the group and division to share methods and strengthen research capabilities. The position is based at a PNNL office in Portland, Oregon; Richland, Washington; or Seattle, Washington, with an on-site presence expected. Hybrid arrangements may be available based on laboratory policy, project needs, and team expectations. Remote work may be considered for candidates with strong technical expertise and demonstrated success working remotely.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or a related technical field, and 2 years of relevant software development experience; or a master’s or doctoral degree in one of these fields or a related technical field.
Proficiency in one or more programming languages, such as JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, or PHP.
Relevant software development experience and evidence of growing independence in technical work and project contributions.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or a closely related field, with relevant software development experience and evidence of growing independence in technical work and project contributions.
Significant experience with full-stack software development, web application development, and database engineering.
Experience with web application technologies such as Node.js, React, Ruby on Rails, Django, or FastAPI, and ability to learn additional languages and frameworks as project needs evolve.
Experience developing or integrating APIs and working with structured data, including data exchange and validation.
Working knowledge of relational databases and object-relational mapping (ORM) tools.
Experience using Git, code review, software testing, and documentation for collaborative software development and reliable releases.
Experience working in an Agile development environment and using issue-tracking tools such as Jira.
Experience developing, testing, and evaluating AI-enabled software applications using large language models, including model API integration, external tool use, or agentic workflows.
Familiarity with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) or related approaches for incorporating domain documents and structured data into AI applications, with attention to source traceability, output accuracy, and human review.
Experience using AI-assisted development tools for coding, testing, or documentation, with the ability to review, test, and validate generated outputs.
Demonstrated ability to independently complete recurring software development assignments, contribute to technical approaches, and define and lead small tasks within assigned scope, schedule, and budget.
Knowledge of or experience with building energy systems, building energy auditing, simulation tools such as DOE-2, EnergyPlus, FEDS, or OpenStudio, or data exchange formats and standards such as gbXML, BuildingSync, or HPXML.
Strong written and verbal communication skills demonstrated through software documentation, technical reports, publications, or presentations, and effective collaboration across disciplines.

Responsibilities

Perform assigned roles under the direction of Project and/or Task Managers, follow applicable project and field procedures, and complete tasks on time and within budget.
Apply established software development practices, including version control, code review, testing, and documentation, in an Agile development environment.
Work with staff across the group and division to translate domain needs into software requirements and develop, improve, and maintain applications, software components, and reusable libraries.
Independently complete recurring assignments and define and lead small tasks or projects, coordinating contributors and delivering technically sound results within assigned scope, schedule, and budget.
Work with project teams and collaborators to understand research needs, contribute to technical approaches, and communicate progress, findings, and limitations.
Contribute to software releases, technical reports, journal articles, and conference presentations; lead elements or sections of technical products; and present findings in project meetings and technical forums.
Contribute research ideas and technical content to proposals for research and capability development opportunities.
Collaborate across the group and division to share methods, strengthen research capabilities, and identify opportunities for related research.
Maintain accountability to Project and/or Task Managers, the Group Leader, and the Team Leader for assigned responsibilities, project execution, professional development, and operational discipline, including compliance with procedures, training, and quality, safety, and security expectations.