Research Software Engineer

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Are you interested in joining some of the brightest talent in the world to strengthen the United States' security? Come join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where our employees apply their expertise to create solutions for BIG ideas that make our world a better place.

We are committed to a diverse and equitable workforce with an inclusive culture that values and celebrates the diversity of our people, talents, ideas, experiences, and perspectives. This is essential to innovation and creativity for continued success of the Laboratory's mission.

Pay Range

$123,960 - $166,992 Annually for the SES.2 level
$148,650 - $200,328 Annually for the SES.3 level 

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. Many factors are taken into consideration when setting starting pay including education, experience, the external labor market, and internal equity.

We have multiple openings for Research Software Engineers to support our research software teams. You will develop and maintain common infrastructure (e.g., build tools, continuous integration, testing) and perform focused software development tasks across a variety of application domains. You will work on a multi-disciplinary team in an environment that focuses on problems of interest to LLNL and Department of Energy (DOE) programs. You will apply fundamental knowledge of software development and contribute to multiple projects using creativity and imagination. This position will be in the CASC division in the Computing Directorate.

This is a hybrid position that has the option to be fully remote.

This position will be filled at either the SES.2 or SES.3 level depending on your qualifications. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if you are selected at the higher level.

In this role you will 

• Employ moderately complex software engineering methods using industry standard software development practices and modern programming languages and operating systems.
• Assist in modernizing scientific applications and workflows to utilize the latest high performance computing systems and/or cloud platforms.
• Help develop, test and/or implement new cross-cutting software infrastructure.
• Contribute to the fulfillment of technical projects and organizational objectives functioning as an effective team member on multi-disciplinary teams.
• Engage other developers frequently to share relevant knowledge, opinions, and recommendations.
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Additional Responsibilities at the SES.3 level

• Manage multiple advanced parallel tasks and priorities of customers and stakeholders, ensuring deadlines are met, while leveraging team member's skills.
• Design, implement, deploy, and maintain software systems using object-oriented analysis, design, and programming techniques.
• Provide solutions to complex problems that require in-depth analysis of tangible and intangible factors.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Proficiency in a modern programming language such as C++ or Python.
• Experience developing software on Linux HPC clusters or similar environments.
• Ability to work with limited direction on technical tasks and develop technical solutions.
• Proficient verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively in a team environment, prepare written reports and present and explain technical information. 
• Interpersonal skills necessary to interact with a diverse set of scientists, engineers and other technical and administrative staff in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment.

In Addition at the SES.3 level

• Significant experience in working with diverse teams to solve complex problems and deliver practical solutions.
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills necessary to interact with a multi-disciplinary research team, author technical and scientific reports and papers, and deliver scientific presentations.
• Comprehensive analytical and problem-solving skills necessary to craft creative solutions and solve complex problems.

Qualifications We Desire

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience developing and deploying containers to local and cloud environments.
• Experience with GPU programming, particularly using programming abstractions such as RAJA or Kokkos.
• Experience with MPI, OpenMP, parallel programming, and/or experience with High Performance Computing.
• Experience with continuous integration, testing and automated workflows.
• Experience with build systems such as CMake and/or software packaging and deployment.

Position Information

This is a Flexible Term appointment, which is for a definite period not to exceed six years.  If final candidate is a Career Indefinite employee, Career Indefinite status may be maintained (should funding allow).

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity
• Our core beliefs - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/our-values 
• Employee engagement - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/employee-engagement

Security Clearance

None required.  However, if your assignment is longer than 179 days cumulatively within a calendar year, you must go through the Personal Identity Verification process.  This process includes completing an online background investigation form and receiving approval of the background check.  (This process does not apply to foreign nationals.) 

Pre-Employment Drug Test

External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

We invite you to review the Equal Employment Opportunity posters which include EEO is the Law and Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory.  If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request. 

California Privacy Notice

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.