Group Leader, Software Services Development

Requisition Id 15579 

The Organization:

The National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) provides state-of-the-art computational and data science infrastructure for technical and scientific professionals to accelerate scientific discovery and engineering advances across a broad range of disciplines. As an important part of the broader High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure, the division also hosts the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility.

The Team:

The Software Services Development (SSD) group writes and maintains large web applications and web APIs used by both staff and end-users of the National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) computational ecosystem.

One of the largest applications the group develops and maintains is the NCCS customer relationship management (CRM) tool. This tool provides a full-featured CRM solution for storing and organizing a broad set of relational data pertaining to the center’s users, projects, allocations, funding sources, file system directories, batch jobs, etc. In addition, it directly controls many of the day-to-day operational needs of the NCCS in real-time such as generating batch scheduler configurations, maintaining mailing lists, populating LDAP instances, and emailing end-users. It disseminates data through a RESTful API that staff use for operational automation and reporting.

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

Purpose:

We are seeking an individual that will provide leadership to the Software Services Development group. The technical focus of the group's work is on internal and external-facing web applications and APIs that are critical to the day-to-day operations of the NCCS, and by extension, ORNL’s aspiration to be the world’s premier R&D institution.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

In this role, you will lead and advocate for a diverse and talented group of software engineers, guide their technical work, and expand their ranks with new hires when needed. You will develop a vision and implement a cohesive group strategy to ensure the success of new and ongoing technical projects to position the group and the organization for future success.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Cultivate an environment where team members are empowered and demonstrate a strong sense of ownership and belonging.
• Meet with team members on a regular basis to support day-to-day work and provide career development opportunities.
• Coach your team by providing technical leadership and candid, ongoing feedback and mentoring.
• Lead successful technical projects, ensuring high-quality and timely delivery of features and fixes.
• Apply your knowledge of software architecture to manage software development tasks associated with developing, debugging, and/or designing software applications and databases according to provided design specifications.
• Review existing software architecture and suggest improvements.
• Oversee and guide the development and implementation of software features/controls to mitigate technical risks.
• Review code and ensure the team builds software that is architecturally consistent, of high quality, and follows operational best practices.
• Work with other teams across the division to meet the division's operational challenges.
• Help bring clarity to the team by fostering clear communication, understanding, and process improvements.
• Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.

Accountabilities:

• To group staff, for the quality and safety of their work environment and opportunities for professional growth.
• To the HPC Operations Section Head, for world-leading technical directions; for safe, effective, and compliant operations; for ownership of assigned staff, facilities, and equipment; and for the quality of the group's products and services.
• To the Division's end-users, for the quality of the group's products and services offered to them.

Authorities:

• To develop a vision and implement a cohesive strategy and technical directions for the group.
• To hold staff accountable for performance.
• To act to ensure safe and effective operations.
• To hire staff.
• To certify the technical quality of the group’s products and services.

Basic Qualifications:

• MS degree and 7+ years of relevant experience or BS degree and 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience in leading, hiring, building and developing successful software engineering teams.
• A track record of working with web services at scale and/or distributed systems.
• Experience writing software applications in at least one of the following programming languages: Ruby, Python, Go, and/or JavaScript.
• Experience with web application development using one or more of the following open-source frameworks: Rails, Vue.js, and/or Django.
• Experience using SQL database technologies (e.g., MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience customizing team processes for maximizing employee productivity without burnout.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience developing web applications in support of services at High Performance Computing (HPC) centers.

Special Requirement:

• Export control, no clearance:This position requires access to technology that is subject to export control requirements. Successful candidates must be qualified for such access without an export control license.

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements:

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain an HSPD-12 PIV badge.
• For employment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a Real ID compliant form of identification will be required.
• Additionally, ORNL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which requires a favorable post-employment background investigation.
• To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete and pass a Federal Tier 1 background check investigation. This investigation includes a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last year. This includes marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates:

• If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) risk determination to maintain employment.
• Once you meet the three-year residency requirement, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment.

Benefits at ORNL:

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain talented people. The laboratory offers many employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to help you and your family live happy and healthy. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also provided for convenience.

Other benefits include: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email: ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov. ORNL is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

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.