Early Career Data Science - Artificial Intelligence Enablement, NM / CA Hybrid

About Sandia

Do not pass up this chance, apply quickly if your experience and skills match what is in the following description.

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 vacation, 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

Sandia's artificial intelligence (AI) team is building the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) next-generation AI Platform, an integrated scientific AI capability that delivers rapid, high-impact solutions for national security, science, and applied energy missions. The Platform is based on three pillars : Models, Infrastructure, and Data. You will join the Data Pillar team to design, implement, and operate Sandia's AI-ready, zero-trust data ecosystem. Your work will transform raw simulation outputs, sensor and facility logs, experimental records, and production data into governed, provenance-tracked, and access-controlled datasets that power AI models, autonomous agents, and mission workflows across DOE's HPC, cloud, and edge environments.

We anticipate multiple hires for the Data Pillar that collectively span the set of responsibilities and skills described below. Likewise, new hires will be expected to work in conjunction with existing Sandia staff and teams from other DOE laboratories to deliver on this ambitious, fast-paced project. Importantly, we anticipate that while AI Platform development will leverage existing AI and data science tools extensively, success will also require considerable innovation and problem solving to address the unique needs of DOE applications. If this sounds like an exciting challenge to you, we look forward to reading your application!

Key Responsibilities :

o Design, prototype, and deploy AI-driven applications that solve real organizational challenges

o Integrate large language models (LLMs), computer vision, and other AI capabilities into production environments

o Build and maintain APIs, pipelines, and interfaces that connect AI models to enterprise systems

o Evaluate emerging AI tools, frameworks, and research from academia and industry

o Rapidly prototype promising technologies to assess feasibility and value

o Operationalize proven concepts into robust, user-friendly systems

o Build intelligent workflows that automate data processing, analysis, and decision support

o Leverage orchestration tools and MLOps practices for reliable AI lifecycle management

o Design systems that integrate human feedback and oversight where needed

o Partner with data stewards to ensure clean, context-rich data fuels AI solutions

o Collaborate with domain experts to define use cases and success metrics

o Provide guidance and templates that help other teams safely and effectively adopt AI tools

o Implement responsible AI principles, including bias testing, explainability, and auditability

o Document model assumptions, limitations, and operational dependencies

o Ensure compliance with data protection and organizational security policies

On any given day you may be called upon to :

You will be part of a multi-disciplinary, mission-focused team delivering foundational data capabilities for transformative AI systems in national security, energy, and critical materials. Occasional travel may be required. If you¿re passionate about building the data backbone for next-generation AI at scale, we want to hear from you.

Salary Range

$114,000 - $227,500

Qualifications We Require

A Bachelor's degree in a relevant STEM discipline such as Data Science, Statistics or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.

Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q clearance

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D S&E Data Science candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following :

Graduate degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in a relevant computationally-intensive discipline with a where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).

Experience in developing software for enterprise and national security applications.

Experience acquiring, preparing, and analyzing real world data.

Demonstrated software development skills and familiarity with modern software development practices.

Proven ability to work and communicate effectively in a collaborative and interdisciplinary team environment.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience :

Degree in Data Science, Informatics, Statistics, or a related STEM field with a significant data research component

Background in AI-mediated data curation : automated annotation, feature extraction, and dataset certification

Familiarity with data security and zero-trust principles, including secure enclaves, attribute-based access control, and data masking or differential privacy

Familiarity with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data practices

Experience implementing data governance and metadata management tools (e.g., Apache Atlas, DataHub, Collibra)

Experience with programming languages, such as Python, R, SQL

Working knowledge of a variety of machine learning concepts, techniques, models, and tools

Familiarity with agile principles and practices

Implementing data policies for classified, export-controlled, or proprietary data

Advanced and automated data wrangling techniques for raw heterogeneous and streaming data sources, particularly for AI input

Ability to obtain and maintain an SCI clearance, which may require a polygraph test

About Our Team

The Computational Science Department performs leading-edge software development and technical analysis through physics-based modeling and simulation, using our applications expertise as 'power users' to guide software development at Sandia's Center for Computing Research. Our goal is to establish first-of-a-kind uses of this software in diverse applications of national importance, ranging from nuclear stockpile stewardship to global climate modelling, and spanning multiple disciplines of the physical sciences and engineering. As both developers and analysts, we act as a bridge to set a standard for computational simulation for the broader user community and to incorporate critical feedback from users for continuous improvements in our software development activities and products.

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

Sandia is required by DOE 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 obtain and 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.

Remote working / work at home options are available for this role.