Geospatial Software Engineer II

Requisition Id16690

The Geospatial Science and Human Security Division (GSHSD) is currently seeking world‑class research and development professionals for the National Security Sciences Directorate within Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this role, you will support the development of next‑generation software and data strategies that enable operational situational awareness products for sponsors across the Federal Government. We are looking for engineers who bring strong software engineering fundamentals and fresh ideas from areas such as distributed computing, information retrieval, scalable storage, and data processing workflows.

Our staff are expected to be flexible and enthusiastic about tackling problems as we address complex, global‑scale challenges in spatial computing.

The Geospatial Software Engineer will focus on designing, implementing, and maintaining user‑facing geospatial applications that power focused research and operational solutions across domains such as energy, transportation, and other cross‑disciplinary applications. Depending on your strengths, you will focus primarily on frontend engineering (interactive web applications and geospatial visualization) or backend (API, data services, distributed processing, and scalable storage) or both (full stack developer).

You will work closely with research scientists, product stakeholders, and other engineers to deliver robust, secure, and maintainable software leveraging ORNL's world‑class resources.

• Software Engineering (R&D):
  Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain software for geospatial applications and operational products.
• Frontend, Backend, or Full‑Stack Focus (based on fit):
  • Frontend:
    Build responsive web UIs and geospatial visualization experiences; integrate with APIs; improve usability, accessibility, and performance.
  • Backend:
    Build and operate APIs, services, and data pipelines; optimize performance and reliability; integrate with storage and compute platforms.
  • Full‑Stack:
    Own features end‑to‑end from UI through services and data layers; ensure cohesive design and smooth delivery.
• Requirements Decomposition:
  Work with researchers to capture requirements and translate them into software designs and implementations.
• Quality, Security, and Reliability:
  Write automated tests, participate in code reviews, and contribute to CI/CD following secure‑by‑design practices.
• Interdisciplinary
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams through development, integration, testing, and deployment.

• B.S. or M.S. in Geography, Data Science, Computer Science, or related field with a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience.
• Proficiency in one or more languages such as Type Script/JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, or Go.
• Experience with modern software engineering practices: git‑based workflows, documentation, testing, and code reviews.
• Ability to function well in a fast‑paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to changing needs.
• Demonstrated ability to present technical results to technical communities.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a strong commitment to a team environment.

• Experience with at least one of the following categories:
  • Frontend: Type Script/JavaScript and a modern framework such as React, Angular, or Vue; experience integrating UIs with APIs and building responsive, accessible interfaces (geospatial visualization tools such as Mapbox GL, Cesium, Open Layers, or Leaflet are a plus).
  • Backend: Designing and building RESTful APIs and/or gRPC services; experience with databases and storage technologies (e.g., PostgreSQL/PostGIS, SQL/No
    
    SQL, object storage such as S3) and data processing workflows/formats (e.g., ETL/ELT, Parquet; DuckDB/Zarr are a plus).
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, or similar container platforms/concepts.
• Familiarity with software engineering best practices (e.g., Agile development, Git/Git Flow, CI/CD) and project tracking tools such as JIRA or Asana.
• Motivated self‑starter with the ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative and…