Back-end Software Developer, Entry Level

Back-end Software Developer, Entry Level

Annual Salary Range:$$95,000.00 -$$

Work-Site Type:

Remote

ORNL offers a flexible work environment that supports both the organization and the employee. In addition, this position is considered remote-eligible for ORNL in pre-approved locations. Remote-eligibility is not a continued guarantee and could be subject to change based on evolving organizational needs.

Note about pay range:

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. Many factors are taken into consideration when setting starting pay. Salary for this position will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications, plus also aligned with the internal peer group. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position.

Link to benefits. (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).?locale=

Overview:

The Information Technology Services Division in the Information Technology Services Directorate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is seeking qualified applicants for a Python Developer position in the Research and Development Solutions Team. The R&D Solutions team exists to facilitate lab goals through systems engineering, development, integration, and support for the research community at ORNL.

We are responsible for facilitating service and capability delivery for R&D projects. We work as team to provide development, deployment, automation, monitoring, and management tool infrastructure for researchers. We advocate, promote, and facilitate Agile Scrum development practices to researchers who develop or require development of code as a part of their projects.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

• Partner with research organizations to enable research excellence and successful project delivery
• Design, develop, and manage spatial data platforms and solutions within Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) environments
• Deliver capabilities, services, cost savings, and optimizations that enhance research outcomes and reduce IT burden for researchers
• Collaborate with a diverse, multidisciplinary team including photogrammetrists, geographers, mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, and engineers
• Contribute to research, development, integration, testing, and deployment across areas such as spatial computing, real-time data platforms, and machine intelligence systems
• Develop geospatial applications, software, and digital map layers as service-based solutions
• Support research staff in publishing and disseminating results through peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, conferences, and open-source repositories
• Work with researchers and project sponsors to gather, understand, and implement project and security requirements in developed solutions
• Optimize workflows and monitoring solutions to leverage 24/7 operations support and minimize off-hours work
• Utilize collaboration tools such as Email, Jira, Confluence, Teams, Slack, and other platforms to maintain effective communication
• Support a flexible, team-oriented work environment
• 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.

Basic Qualifications:

• BS degree in a scientific or technical field and 2-4 years of experience
• Experience with:
  • Python development
  • Software development best practices (Git, Agile, issue tracking tools)
  • Working with APIs and/or backend services
  • AI-integrated workflow
• Experience with:
  • Data processing or ETL workflows
  • Debugging and maintaining existing codebases
• Familiarity with:
  • Web frameworks (e.g., Flask, FastAPI, Django)
  • Basic database usage (SQL or No
    
    SQL)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Exposure to geospatial tools/data (e.g., PostgreSQL/PostGIS, GDAL)
• Exposure to cloud or container technologies (e.g., Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes)
• Understanding of microservices concepts
• Experience working in research, scientific, or government environments
• Familiarity with CI/CD…