Gen AI Engineer

Company Description

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Are you interested in joining some of the brightest talent in the world to strengthen the United States’ security? Come join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where our employees apply their expertise to create solutions for BIG ideas that make our world a better place.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture that values individuals, talents, partnerships, ideas, experiences, and different perspectives, recognizing their importance to the continued success of the Laboratory’s mission.

Pay Range

$140,700 - $178,392 Annually for the SES.2 level
$168,780 - $214,032 Annually for the SES.3 level

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage.  An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

Job Description

We have an opening for a Gen AI engineer to contribute to the design, development, and support of LLNL’s custom Gen AI chatbot, LivChat.  This position is in the Digital Experience and Search group within the Information Technology Solutions Division within the Computing Directorate in support of the LivIT program.

This position offers a hybrid schedule, blending in-person and virtual presence. You will have the flexibility to work from home one or more days per week.

This position will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level.

You will

• Provide software application engineering and maintenance for all phases of the software development lifecycle, including analysis, design, implementation, automated testing and support. This includes both frontend and backend development for all aspects of the LivChat and Enterprise Search applications.
• Leverage Opensearch, Java, Angular, TypeScript, Node.js, python and other technologies in the support of various facets of the LivChat and Enterprise Search applications.
• Create and update CI/CD pipelines to build and test new features and applications.
• Deploy software following an agile design methodology to be secure, free of vulnerabilities, and componentized for ease of maintenance.
• Provide analysis and innovative methods to enhance and extend the product services to customers.
• Provide knowledge sharing with team members and/or mentoring in application design and business processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional job responsibilities, at the SES.3 level

• Increase RAG effectiveness, and supports accurate, context-aware responses in GenAI applications through the use of auto tagging and enhanced data preparation.
• Leverage advanced prompting techniques to develop, test, and optimize prompts for large language models (LLMs), ensuring high model performance, response quality, and accuracy across the LivChat applications and various use cases.

Qualifications

• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelor’s degree in a computer or engineering related field, or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Broad experience developing software with Opensearch, Java, Angular, TypeScript, Node.js, python or other similar technologies.
• Significant experience with multiple facets of LLM engineering including areas such as prompt design, fine-tuning, scalable model serving, performance monitoring, and lifecycle management including updates to retrieval pipelines in RAG systems.
• Broad experience with OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft CoPilot, or similar technologies.
• Experience with software development lifecycle, version controls and issue tracking tools.  
• Ability to own projects from beginning to end. This covers research, technical design, and working with others to develop needed components. Able to effectively manage concurrent technical tasks with competing priorities, approach difficult problems with enthusiasm and creativity and ability to change focus when necessary.
• Proficient verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment and present and explain technical information and provide advice to management.

Additional qualifications at the SES.3 level

• Significant experience developing and optimizing data processing workflows for chunking, indexing, ingestion, and vectorization for both text and non-text data
• Experience implementing and maintaining auto-tagging systems and data preparation processes for LLMs.
• Significant experience using advanced prompting techniques to develop and optimize prompts for LLM to ensure model performance, responses quality and accuracy of the Gen AI platform.

Qualifications We Desire

• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience developing local hosting solutions for open-source models.

Additional Information

#LI-Hybrid

Position Information

This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Lab employees and external candidates.

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Included in 2025 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Our values - visit https://www.llnl.gov/inclusion/our-values

Security Clearance

This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance.  If you are selected, we will initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. Also, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing.  Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship. 

Pre-Employment Drug Test

External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.

Wireless and Medical Devices

Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the use and/or possession of mobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area where you are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile device in your possession.  This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices.  

If you use a medical device, which pairs with a mobile device, you must still follow the rules concerning the mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas.  Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities require separate approval. Hearing aids without wireless capabilities or wireless that has been disabled are allowed in Limited Areas, Secure Space and Transit/Buffer Space within buildings.

How to identify fake job advertisements

Please be aware of recruitment scams where people or entities are misusing the name of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to post fake job advertisements. LLNL never extends an offer without a personal interview and will never charge a fee for joining our company. All current job openings are displayed on the Career Page under “Find Your Job” of our website. If you have encountered a job posting or have been approached with a job offer that you suspect may be fraudulent, we strongly recommend you do not respond.

To learn more about recruitment scams: https://www.llnl.gov/sites/www/files/2023-05/LLNL-Job-Fraud-Statement-Updated-4.26.23.pdf

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory.  If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request. 

California Privacy Notice

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.