Phd Software Engineer Jobs in Idaho (NOW HIRING)

Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Software Engineer to support research and development efforts involving radio frequency (RF) systems and modeling, software-defined radio platforms, laboratory test environments, automation tools, and mission-focused software applications.

The successful candidate will design, develop, integrate, test, and sustain software used in research, laboratory, and field environments. This role requires a hands-on software engineer who can provide technical leadership to small development teams, support disciplined software quality practices, and translate evolving research needs into reliable software solutions.

This position is ideal for a mid-level software engineer with experience in software architecture, team coordination, requirements management, continuous integration and continuous delivery, and full software development lifecycle execution.

Our team works a 9x80 schedule located in Idaho Falls, Idaho with every other Friday off. 

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

Software Design & Development

Technical Leadership

• Lead or coordinate small software development teams of approximately four to six developers.
• Support task planning, design reviews, code reviews, integration activities, and technical issue resolution.
• Provide technical direction to junior developers and project contributors.
• Coordinate with researchers, system administrators, technicians, cybersecurity staff, and project leadership to deliver integrated software solutions.

Software Quality & Documentation

• Support software quality assurance practices consistent with Capability Maturity Model Integration for Development (CMMI-DEV) principles.
• Develop and maintain software requirements, design documentation, interface documentation, test plans, test reports, release notes, and user documentation.
• Apply disciplined software engineering practices, including requirements traceability, configuration control, peer review, defect tracking, verification, and validation.
• Develop and maintain Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams or similar software design artifacts, as appropriate.
• Participate in software design reviews, code inspections, quality reviews, and release readiness activities.

DevSecOps & Configuration Management
 

• Develop, maintain, and improve continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
•  Support automated builds, automated testing, static analysis, artifact generation, and release packaging.
• Use Git or similar version-control systems to manage source code, configuration files, branches, tags, and release baselines.
• Support build and automation tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, CMake, Maven, Gradle, Make, or similar tools.
• Assist with secure software development practices, dependency management, vulnerability remediation, and cybersecurity review support.

Required:

• Level 3: Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in computer science, software engineering, computer information systems, information technology, or a related field from an accredited institution as well as the following experience requirements:
  • Bachelor's degree: + 5 years of experience
  • Master's degree: + 2 years of experience
  • PhD: + 2 years of experience 
• Level 4: Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in computer science, software engineering, computer information systems, information technology, or a related field from an accredited institution as well as the following experience requirements:
  • Bachelor's degree: + 9 years of experience
  • Master's degree: + 6 years of experience
  • PhD: + 4 years of experience 
• Equivalent combination of education and experience commensurate with a level that provides the required skills, knowledge, and abilities to successfully perform the essential functions of the position.
• Experience supporting software design, development, integration, testing, and sustainment.
• Experience developing software in one or more languages such as C, C++, Java, Python, Bash, or similar languages.
• Experience leading or coordinating small software development teams of approximately four to six developers.
• Experience serving as a software design lead or software architect for small to medium software applications.
• Working knowledge of the full software development lifecycle, including requirements, design, implementation, integration, testing, release, and sustainment.
• Experience with software quality assurance practices, including peer reviews, defect tracking, configuration control, requirements traceability, verification, and validation.
• Experience developing, maintaining, or using CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience using Git or similar version-control systems in a team software development environment.
• Experience with build, automation, and integration tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, CMake, Maven, Gradle, Make, or similar tools.
• Experience capturing, managing, decomposing, or tracing software requirements.
• Working knowledge of UML or similar software modeling methods.
• Experience developing and troubleshooting software in Linux and Windows environments.
• Ability to communicate effectively with software developers, researchers, system administrators, technicians, cybersecurity staff, and project stakeholders.
• Relevant experience using Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) such as Visual Studio or VS Code.
• Obtain and maintain Q-clearance, which requires US Citizenship and SCI access, and willingness to complete a US Government polygraph upon request. Depending on work assignment, applicants may be subject to the requirements of DOE O 142.3B, Unclassified Foreign National Access Program.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Experience developing software for RF systems, software-defined radio applications, laboratory test systems, cellular test environments, instrumentation, data acquisition, or cyber-physical systems.
• Experience working within or supporting a CMMI-DEV software process environment.
• Experience supporting research and development environments where requirements evolve as prototypes mature.
• Experience with DevSecOps practices, secure coding, dependency scanning, static analysis, vulnerability remediation, or software supply chain considerations.
• Experience with Agile, Scrum, Kanban, or hybrid software development methods.
• Experience with issue tracking and project management tools such as Jira, GitLab, GitHub Issues, Azure DevOps, or similar tools.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks, unit testing, integration testing, regression testing, and test coverage analysis.
• Experience with containerization or virtualization technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or VMware.
• Experience with Linux system administration concepts, networking concepts, shell scripting, and deployment in isolated or controlled lab environments.
• Experience with requirements management tools such as DOORS, Jama Connect, Polarion, Jira, or similar tools.
• Bachelor's degree in software engineering, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.

Job Information:

• The pay range for this position is: Level #3 ($95,256 - $195,288) / Level #4 ($114,360 - $234,336). At Idaho National Laboratory compensation decisions are determined using factors such as education, relevant experience, and other credentials.
• Multi-Level: This is a multi-level posting and you will be placed at the appropriate level dependent on depth and breadth of proven experience and skills.
•  TDP: This is a testing designated position; you will be required to submit to a pre-employment drug screen and periodic drug testing throughout the term of your employment.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this classification, the employee may be required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, bend, use hands to handle materials, manipulate tools, keyboard, and type, reach with hands and arms, and operate job-related equipment. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds with assistance. Sufficient visual acuity and hearing capacity to perform the essential functions and interact with the public is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits and Relocation

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) with a 4.2% employer contribution and up to 4.8% match (regular positions) or self-contribute access (postdoctoral positions)
• Paid time off (personal leave)
• Employee Education Program (tuition assistance for eligible positions)
• Comprehensive Relocation Package
• Benefit eligibility subject to multiple factors, including employment status and position classification.

At this time, BEA will not sponsor any H1-B visas obtained outside of the United States of America (U.S.A.), including consular visas.

INL is a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's mission in nuclear energy research, science, and national defense. With more than 6,300 scientists, researchers, and support staff, the laboratory works with national and international governments, universities and industry partners to change the world's energy future and secure our nation's critical infrastructure.

INL Mission:

Our mission is to discover, demonstrate and secure innovative nuclear energy solutions, other clean energy options and critical infrastructure.

INL Vision:

Our vision is to change the world's energy future and secure our nation's critical infrastructure.

Selective Service Requirements:

To be eligible for employment at INL males born after December 31, 1959 must have registered with the Selective Service System (SSS). For more information see www.sss.gov.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of INL to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

Reasonable Accommodation:

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Other Information:

When applying to positions please provide a resume and answer all questions on the following screens. Applicants, who fail to provide a resume or answer the questions, may be deemed ineligible for consideration.