HPC / AI Programming Environment Engineer

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's (LBNL) National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) Division has an opening for an HPC / AI Programming Environment Engineer to join the Programming Environments and Models (PEM) Group.

The PEM group focuses on research, development, and engineering for scalable and efficient HPC software, working across programming models, toolchains, development environments, and runtimes. The team collaborates with vendors, open source projects, DOE community efforts, and standards bodies to enable current and future science on NERSC systems.

You will contribute to advancing the AI and HPC software environment on NERSC's flagship systems, including Perlmutter and Doudna, supporting Berkeley Lab's role in the DOE Genesis Mission while enabling next-generation programming environments critical to NERSC's evolving infrastructure.

The selected candidate will be hired at the Computer Systems Engineer 3 or 4 (CSE3 or CSE4) level depending on their skills and experience.

What You Will Do (if hired at a level 3)

Develop, integrate, and support software frameworks and tools that enable HPC / AI workloads within the NERSC HPC software environment on Perlmutter, Doudna, and future systems.

Enable and optimize software environment technologies, including runtime integration, testing, and development of advanced capabilities for Doudna (NERSC-10), a state-of-the-art NVIDIA Vera Rubin system integrated by Dell.

Serve as a liaison with NESAP science teams to understand workflow requirements and ensure programming environments meet the needs of scientific workloads.

Collaborate with vendors to prioritize, develop, and enhance their technologies to meet the needs of DOE Office of Science application codes and workflows.

Evaluate emerging technologies for their applicability to NERSC's scientific workloads.

Measure and analyze performance and scalability of software frameworks and runtimes on current and future platforms.

Contribute software engineering expertise to cross-team NERSC activities and collaborate across Berkeley Lab and the DOE Office of Science community.

Prepare technical documentation, reports, papers, presentations and training materials describing significant results for dissemination within NERSC and the broader research community.

Work directly with scientists and developers to ensure correct and optimal usage of software technologies and ensure requirements are met by future development.

Additional Responsibilities at Level 4

Provide technical leadership and mentorship within the PEM group and across NERSC.

Lead development and deployment efforts for major programming environment initiatives.

Represent NERSC in vendor engagements, standards bodies, and the broader HPC community.

Work with greater independence and drive strategy for areas of responsibility.

What Is Required (if hired at a Level 3)

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computational Science, Physical Sciences, or related field with a minimum of 8 years of related experience; or Master's degree with 6 years of experience; or equivalent experience.

Experience with HPC software stacks and / or AI / ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, or similar technologies.

Experience with state-of-the-art languages, methods, and tools used to program, profile, and debug parallel scientific applications and workflows, such as MPI, OpenMP, CUDA, C++, Rust, Python, or Fortran.

Knowledge of the Linux environment.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a cross-disciplinary team.

Additional Requirements at Level 4

Minimum of 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 8 years with a Master's degree; or equivalent experience.

Track record of technical leadership or leading collaborative projects.

Recognized expertise and established professional network in HPC or related fields.

Desired Qualifications

Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computational Science, Physical Sciences, or related field.

Experience with production HPC environments and deploying services at scale.

Experience with high-performance interconnects and distributed communication libraries for HPC and AI workloads, such as MPI, NCCL, libfabric, or UCX.

Experience with container technologies (e.g., Docker, Podman, Singularity / Apptainer) and their application in HPC environments.

Experience with hardware and software technologies in emerging areas such as cloud computing, AI accelerators, and their application to HPC.

Demonstrated track record of contributions to relevant open source projects, software standards, or community initiatives.

Nationally or internationally recognized expertise in an HPC-related discipline.

We’re here for the same mission, to bring science solutions to the world. Join our team and YOU will play a supporting role in our goal to address global challenges! Have a high level of impact and work for an organization associated with 17 Nobel Prizes!

Why join Berkeley Lab?

We invest in our employees by offering a total rewards package you can count on :

Exceptional health and retirement , including pension or 401K-style plans

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A culture where you’ll belong - we are invested in our teams!

In addition to accruing vacation and sick time, we also have a Winter Shutdown every year.

Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers)

Pet insurance

Additional information :

Application date : Priority consideration will be given to candidates who apply by February 21, 2026. Applications will be accepted until the job posting is removed.

Appointment type : This is a full time career appointment, exempt (monthly paid) from overtime pay.

Salary range :

Level 3 : The expected salary for this position is $156,864 - $191,724, which fits into the full salary of $139,440 - $235,308 depending upon the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and abilities. This includes education, certifications, and years of experience.

Level 4 : The expected salary for this position is $178,644 - $218,364, which fits into the full salary of $158,808 - $267,996 depending upon the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and abilities. This includes education, certifications, and years of experience.

Background check : This position is subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.

Work modality : This position requires on-site presence, but is eligible for a flexible work mode, and hybrid schedules may be considered. Hybrid work is a combination of performing work on-site at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA and some telework. Individuals working a hybrid schedule must reside within 150 miles of Berkeley Lab. Work schedules are dependent on business needs.

Export Control : This position will involve access to hardware, commodities, and technical information subject to export control regulations including, but not limited to, the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR") and / or International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR"). Accordingly, any hiring decision may depend in part on Berkeley Lab’s ability to obtain or rely on federal government authorizations as required, if you are not a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (“green card holder”), asylee, refugee, or other qualifying protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Multi-level Posting : This position will be hired at a level commensurate with the business needs and the skills, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate.

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Berkeley Lab is a University of California employer. It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement : As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.