Backend Software Engineer II; Seattle, 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.

We are seeking a motivated Software Engineer to join our dynamic team at PNNL and contribute to cutting‑edge projects that shape the future of critical technology supporting national security and intelligence. In this role, you’ll collaborate with experienced engineers to design, build, and optimize scalable systems for processing multi‑modal intelligence data at a remarkable scale and speed. This hands‑on position offers a unique opportunity to grow your skills in AI/ML engineering, data orchestration, and system architecture while delivering impactful solutions in a fast‑paced environment where agility and reliability are key to success.

As a Software Engineer on PNNL’s Software Engineering and Architectures (SEA) team, you’ll have the chance to shape mission‑critical AI systems, help build enterprise‑scale data platforms, and gain hands‑on experience with some of the nation’s most sophisticated intelligence and security applications. You’ll receive mentorship from senior engineers, collaborate with research scientists, and see your code deployed in production systems that directly support national security missions.

• AI Systems Development – Contribute to agentic AI implementations, work with LLM integrations, learn MLOps best practices on real‑world applications
• Intelligence Platform Development – Build components for multi‑INT fusion systems, develop GEOINT processing tools, contribute to threat analysis platforms
• Data Engineering – Develop data pipelines, build analytics workflows, contribute to cloud‑native data architectures
• Professional Growth – Receive mentorship from senior engineers, participate in code reviews, learn enterprise software development practices

• Programming Foundation – Solid Python skills, experience with one additional language (C#/.Net, JavaScript, Java, or similar)
• Platform Experience – Basic cloud experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP), familiarity with Linux environments
• Development Practices – Understanding of version control (Git), exposure to CI/CD, basic Agile/Scrum experience
• Data & Databases – Experience with SQL, basic understanding of data processing concepts
• Eagerness to Learn – Interest in AI/ML technologies, geospatial systems, large‑scale data processing

• Accelerated Learning – Work with cutting‑edge AI and data technologies while receiving guidance from industry experts
• Meaningful Impact – See your contributions deployed in systems that protect national security
• Career Growth – Clear advancement path with mentorship and technical skill development opportunities
• Cutting‑Edge Technology – Hands‑on experience with the latest AI, cloud, and data engineering technologies

• Detect and prevent smuggling of drugs and contraband at ports of entry (Link)
• Develop large data pipelines to thwart funding for terrorists, nuclear proliferators,…