Senior Research Software Engineer

Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Research Software Engineer to join the Incident Modeling and Computational Sciences (IMCS) Group in the National Security Sciences Directorate (NSSD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In this role you will serve as a senior technical leader responsible for the architecture, development, and sustained operation of enterprise AI and data infrastructure—including Docker‑based microservices, large language model (LLM) inference servers on GPU clusters, vector database and retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, and observability stacks that advance AI capabilities across the laboratory.

You will work independently and lead collaboratively, driving technical decisions, mentoring junior staff, and partnering with multidisciplinary teams of scientists, data engineers, and system administrators to deliver reliable, secure, and high‑performance AI services to ORNL researchers.

• A PhD in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field and a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience, or an MS in these areas with a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing, deploying, and operating complex software systems or AI/ML infrastructure in a research, national security, or comparable production environment.
• Experience leading or making significant technical contributions to multi‑component software projects, including ownership of architecture decisions and delivery of results to stakeholders.
• Experience deploying and managing containerized applications using Docker and Docker Compose or equivalent technologies in multi‑service environments.
• Experience with Linux shell scripting and working in HPC or GPU cluster environments.
• Experience presenting technical work to diverse audiences, including both technical peers and non‑specialist stakeholders.

• Deep expertise deploying and operating LLM inference infrastructure, including serving frameworks such as vLLM, Ollama, or comparable tools, and model routing or proxy solutions such as LiteLLM.
• Experience architecting or administering vector database and RAG pipelines (e.g., Milvus, Chroma
  
  DB, or similar) at scale.
• Expertise in reverse proxy and web infrastructure, including Nginx configuration, TLS/mTLS certificate management, Web Socket proxying, and authentication sub request patterns.
• Experience designing and operating observability stacks using Open Telemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, Tempo, or equivalent tooling.
• Experience maintaining security‑sensitive forks of open-source projects, including upstream merge management, CVE triage, patch backporting, and coordinated disclosure workflows.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring junior engineers or leading multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Experience contributing to research proposals, white papers, or program development activities with federal sponsors or comparable R&D organizations.
• Experience working with DOE National Laboratories or other federal research institutions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to function well in a fast‑paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to ever‑changing needs.

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance from the Department of Energy. As such, it is a Workplace Substance Abuse (WSAP) testing designated position, requiring a pre‑placement drug test and ongoing random drug testing, and may include random polygraph testing.

ORNL is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory with an 80‑year legacy of addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges. Our team of over 7,000 individuals is dedicated to scientific breakthroughs that translate into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges.

Competitive pay and benefits include medical and retirement plans, flexible work hours, on‑site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities, as well as prescription drug, dental, vision, 401(k), pension, life insurance, disability, vacation, parental leave, identity theft protection, employee assistance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, wellness programs, educational assistance, relocation assistance, and employee discounts.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT‑Battelle is an E‑Verify employer.