Job Description

About Sandia:

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacations, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a Computer Science/Generative AI Research Engineer to join our team.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Lead new projects and implementation thrusts, and secure funding for innovative research initiatives dedicated to integrating GenAI into the mission.
• Review state of the art literature with teammates and partners for continuous learning and brainstorming.
• Conduct experiments with algorithms from recent machine learning and deep learning literature
• Bring to bear and/or build machine learning prototypes for use in research assessments and experimentation.
• Present, publish and/or patent novel research.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range:

$114,000 - $227,500

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require:

• PhD in relevant STEM field plus two (2) or more years’ experience in deep learning or;
• Master’s degree in relevant STEM field plus six (6) or more years’ experience in deep learning
• One (1) or more years' experience in modern generative AI (VLMs, Diffusion models, LLMs) related to:
• Fine-tuning
• Building pipelines and workflows
• Three (3) or more years' experience:
• programming in Python
• working in Linux environments
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical information clearly, concisely and geared towards the appropriate audience
• Active DOE Q or TS clearance

Qualifications We Desire:

• Two (2) or more years' experience in early LLMs (e.g., BERT) and traditional NLP
• Experience in two (2) or more of the following machine learning frameworks:
• Tensorflow
• Pytorch
• Scikit-learn
• LangChain
• Exceptional communication skills with a track record of building and maintaining collaborative and customer relationships
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to identify creative solutions
• Author on a paper accepted at a major ML conference
• Ability to acquire and maintain an SCI clearance

About Our Team:

The Applied Machine Intelligence department provides state-of-the-art technologies and expertise in machine learning, deep learning, and research engineering to a diverse portfolio of mission programs. The department works closely with mission partners to apply innovative research to a broad range of disciplines including cyber security, computer vision, digital twins, complex systems, high performance computing and others in support of Sandia's national security efforts.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). Sandia is required by DOE directive to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.

Job ID: 694861

Job Family: RD

Regular/Temporary Position: R

Full/Part-Time Status: F

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.