Senior DevOps/Platform Engineer III - Richland, WA

Overview

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, 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 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.

Responsibilities

We are seeking a Senior DevOps/Platform Engineer to join PNNL's advanced AI engineering initiatives, contributing to next-generation systems spanning agentic AI platforms, large-scale data orchestration, and real-time intelligence processing. In this role, you'll apply your expertise in scalable system design and AI/ML engineering to build mission-critical capabilities while developing your technical leadership and establishing yourself as a key contributor to our engineering community.

Who You Are

You're an accomplished engineer with strong foundations in DevOps, scalable system design, AI/ML development, and production software engineering. You're ready to take on increasing technical responsibility, leading components of complex systems while mentoring junior team members. You excel at translating technical requirements into working solutions, selecting appropriate approaches for challenging problems, and contributing meaningfully to technical direction and project success.

What You'll Build

AI Systems & Platforms

• Develop and deploy agentic AI systems with reasoning and decision-making capabilities

• Build components of LLM orchestration frameworks using LangChain, LlamaIndex, and emerging platforms

• Contribute to MLOps platforms including experiment tracking, model versioning, and deployment pipelines

• Create developer tooling, utilities, and interfaces for AI-native frameworks

• Integrate multi-modal data sources into cohesive processing pipelines

Scalable Infrastructure & Data Systems

• Develop microservices within distributed architectures handling high-throughput workloads

• Build components of real-time streaming platforms and event-driven systems

• Implement data pipelines for large-scale ETL, data processing, and analytics

• Deploy containerized applications using Kubernetes and support CI/CD pipelines

• Contribute to systems deployed in secure and edge environments

Mission-Critical Production Systems

• Deploy AI systems with appropriate monitoring, logging, and observability

• Ensure code quality, security best practices, and compliance standards

• Build geospatial processing, time-series, and data fusion capabilities

• Support system performance optimization and troubleshooting

Technical Leadership

• Lead technical components of projects and tasks

• Mentor junior staff and contribute to team knowledge sharing

• Participate in design discussions and contribute to architectural decisions

• Support proposal development with technical content and scoping

• Build effective collaborations across teams and S&E domains

Technical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Infrastructure Automation & Platform Engineering

• Demonstrated proficiency in Python and working knowledge of at least one additional language (C#/.NET, Go, C++) for infrastructure automation and tooling development

• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code principles and tools including Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi, or ARM templates with emphasis on modular, reusable code patterns

• Ability to design, implement, and maintain sophisticated CI/CD pipelines across multiple environments using tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or Azure DevOps

• Proficiency with version control workflows (Git), GitOps methodologies, automated testing frameworks for infrastructure code, and policy-as-code practices with consistent use of AI assist tools (e.g., Claude, GitHub Copilot) to accelerate automation and troubleshooting

Cloud & Container Orchestration

• Demonstrated experience designing and managing infrastructure across cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) with multi-cloud experience highly valued

• Strong expertise with containerization technologies (Docker) and container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, EKS, AKS, or GKE) including advanced concepts like operators, custom resources, and cluster management

• Ability to design and implement event-driven architectures using cloud-native services (AWS EventBridge, Azure Event Grid, Pub/Sub) and messaging systems with understanding of service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd) and API gateway patterns

• Knowledge of networking concepts in cloud and containerized environments including CNI plugins, ingress controllers, load balancing, and service discovery with familiarity in edge computing deployments and hybrid cloud architectures

Observability, Reliability & Security

• Ability to implement comprehensive observability solutions including metrics collection (Prometheus, CloudWatch), distributed tracing (Jaeger, Tempo), and centralized logging (ELK Stack, Loki, Splunk)

• Understanding of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles including SLOs, SLIs, error budgets, and incident response with ability to design and implement chaos engineering practices to improve system resilience

• Experience implementing security best practices including secrets management (Vault, AWS Secrets Manager), vulnerability scanning, and DevSecOps tooling

• Knowledge of disaster recovery strategies, backup automation, and business continuity planning with understanding of compliance frameworks and ability to implement automated compliance controls

Data Platform Operations & ML Infrastructure

• Understanding of cloud-native data pipeline architectures and ETL/ELT orchestration (AWS Glue, Azure Data Factory, Airflow, Prefect) with ability to build and maintain infrastructure supporting ML pipelines, model training workflows, and MLOps practices

• Knowledge of deploying and operating cloud-based data storage systems and platforms (S3, Redshift, Delta Lake, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, OpenSearch, Snowflake)

• Understanding of distributed data processing frameworks (Spark/Databricks, Kafka, Flink) with experience operating Kubernetes-based platforms for data workloads including Spark on K8s, Ray clusters, or Kubeflow

• Ability to implement infrastructure supporting large-scale data systems with appropriate monitoring, cost optimization, and performance tuning including storage tiering, data lifecycle management, and compute resource optimization

Collaboration & Operations

• Strong problem-solving abilities with experience troubleshooting complex distributed systems spanning applications, infrastructure, and data layers

• Excellent communication skills to collaborate effectively with software engineers, data scientists, security teams, and business stakeholders with ability to create clear, comprehensive documentation for infrastructure designs, runbooks, and disaster recovery procedures

• Demonstrated capacity to manage multiple infrastructure initiatives simultaneously while maintaining high availability and reliability standards with proven ability to mentor team members on DevOps practices and operational excellence

• Experience participating in on-call rotations, incident response, and post-mortem processes with ability to balance tactical operational needs with strategic infrastructure improvements

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 based in Richland, WA and requires an onsite presence Monday through Thursday, with Friday as required by business needs.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD and 1 year of Software Engineering experience -OR-

• MS/MA and 3 years of Software Engineering experience -OR-

• BS/BA and 5 years of Software Engineering experience -OR

• AA and 14 years of Software Engineering experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development -OR-

• HS/GED and 16 years of Software Engineering experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in computer science, software engineering, or related field

• Experience in contributing to technical direction and independently structure complex problems into actionable work, in collaboration with senior engineers and cross-functional teams

• Expertise in Python and proficiency in at least one other language (C#/.NET, C++, Go)

• 3-5 years of hands-on DevOps, Platform Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering, or Infrastructure Engineering experience

• Contributions to open-source infrastructure projects or active participation in DevOps communities

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

Not applicable.

Additional Information

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.

A security clearance background investigation includes review of your employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with you and your personal references, neighbors, and co-workers to determine trustworthiness, reliability, and loyalty to the United States. The investigation also examines your foreign connections, drug and alcohol use, foreign influence, and overall conduct.

Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship

• 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).

Note: 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.

“Referral Eligible”

Testing Designated Position

This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). 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.

About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!

At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.

Commitment to Excellence and Equal Employment Opportunity

Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io .

Drug Free Workplace

PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.

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.

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements

As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. 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 tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.

Mandatory Requirements

Please be aware that 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.

Rockstar Rewards

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

• Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

Click Here For Rockstar Rewards (

Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.

Minimum Salary

USD $133,100.00/Yr.

Maximum Salary

USD $210,400.00/Yr.