Software Developer & AI Automation Specialist

Position Summary

The Safeguards and Security Solutions Enablement team is part of the Safeguards

and Security Directorate, formed to refine how the organization operates and to

keep the Laboratory secure while enabling mission attainment. The team works

like an internal digital creative agency, built around a single ethos: are we

making it easier to be an employee, a manager, and a professional at INL, with a

focus on continuous improvement. Safeguards and Security Solutions Enablement

consolidates five disciplines: Systems Strategy, Business Analysis, AI &

Automation Engineering, UX Research & Design, and Data Analytics. You're joining

a small group that wears multiple hats, closer to a team of trained operatives

than a five-department org chart. The Power Platform & AI Automation Engineer

role lives inside AI & Automation Engineering, the team's build engine,

translating discovery work into delivered application and automation products.

This is not a heads-down coding role, nor is it a throw-it-over-the-fence one.

You observe teams closely to discover how work actually happens. The nuanced

details of work often remain unknown or misunderstood, yet these details can be

what matters most. You'll document customer needs through wireframes, diagrams,

or user stories, whatever facilitates rapid understanding. From there, you

iterate through tangible drafts and honest feedback, with an eye on the minimum

viable product, working agilely rather than by waterfall and without being

beholden to a completely nailed-down requirements set. The same requirement

elicitor stays present through delivery, checking in throughout the short cycles

instead of disappearing and reappearing at the end. Skip these methods, and we

risk automating a bad process, which is the same bad process, just faster.

Here's your mission: you're not a one-trick automation pony. You understand the

business well enough to know that not every need is an automation. Sometimes the

right fix is a workflow. Sometimes it's recognizing that a new system is the

real answer, and when that's the case, you're all over it, vetting the options,

meeting with internal teams to gather requirements, working directly with

vendors, and staying engaged through implementation so the actual underlying

problem gets solved.

This role owns full-stack solution delivery, with the Microsoft platform as the

default toolset: C#/. NET and ASP.NET MVC. But the platform serves the solution,

not the other way around. When the problem calls for a Python web app in Django

or Flask, a . NET service, or even the discovery of an appropriate third-party

solution, you'll help there too. Layered on top is real AI engineering: Python,

generative AI, prompt engineering, and agentic automation through tools like

Microsoft Copilot Studio, Claude, and other custom platforms as the work

demands.

We're hiring for this role because demand for continual optimization is real and

only growing. And none of this is order-taking: success means the people you

serve end up more efficient, produce higher-quality work, and genuinely enjoy

their jobs more, not just that a ticket got closed.

Essential Job Functions and

Responsibilities

• (Knowledge, skills, and behaviors
• required for this position.)
• Discovery & Business Analysis
• * Meet face-to-face and observe how work actually happens, not just how it gets
• described. What people say they do and what they actually do are often
• different, and the small details left out are frequently the insights that
• matter most.
• * Elicit and document requirements through interviews and working sessions,
• translating what a team asks for into what they actually need. "Documented"
• might mean a wireframe, a diagram, or a user story, whatever is clear enough
• to execute on without relying on tribal knowledge.
• * Wireframe and prototype early and throughout, using tools like Lucid or Figma
• for process maps, wireframes, and data modeling when it helps, so
• stakeholders are reacting to something tangible within days rather than
• approving a written spec weeks before anything visible exists.
• * Catch a bad process before automating it, since automating a bad process
• doesn't solve anything.
• * Stay with the customer through delivery, checking in on working builds at
• short, regular intervals and refining requirements as understanding deepens
• rather than locking them in at kickoff and signing off.
• * Understand full workstreams, not just isolated requests, and proactively
• surface opportunities to streamline them, increasing efficiency, quality, and
• job satisfaction for the people doing the work every day.
• * Vet whether automation or a new system is the right fix, and when it's the
• latter, meet with internal teams to gather requirements, work directly with
• vendors, and stay engaged through implementation so the actual underlying
• problem gets solved.
• * Work with process owners across the organization to plan and sequence
• solutions against real backlogs, not hypothetical requests.
• * Collaborate closely with the team's other disciplines, Systems Strategy, UX
• Research & Design, and Data Analytics, so that nothing you build recreates
• the silos this team exists to remove.
• Build & Engineering
• * Build features and services with C#/.NET (currently .NET 10) and ASP.NET
• MVC.
• * Write integrations with other systems using Python.
• * Craft responsive user interfaces with React, TypeScript, and Bootstrap that
• are accessible, performant, and maintainable.
• * Sign and optimize schemas, queries, and stored procedures for SQL Server,
• focusing on reliability, integrity, and performance.
• * Use AI coding assistants responsibly to accelerate development: write
• effective prompts, review and test AI-suggested code, and follow team
• guardrails for secure, compliant use.
• * Participate in design reviews, backlog refinement, sprint planning, and
• demos, maintaining clear documentation and traceability.
• * Follow Agile practices using the Scrum methodology and participate in all
• ceremonies, stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives. Track work using
• Jira.
• * Write unit, integration, and end-to-end tests; contribute to CI/CD pipelines;
• and uphold secure coding practices consistent with laboratory standards.
• * Support operations by triaging issues, performing root-cause analysis, and
• delivering incremental fixes that minimize risk.
• Education, Credentials, and Work Experience:
• Required
• * Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, engineering,
• or a related field. Equivalent related experience may be considered in lieu
• of degree requirement.
• * Level 3: Bachelor of Science degree in technical field including Computer
• Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity or related field and 5 years
• of relevant experience; or a Master’s in a technical field and 2 years of
• relevant experience; or in lieu of a degree High School diploma or equivalent
• and at least 11 years of direct/professional experience.
• * Level 4: Bachelor's Degree in computer science, software engineering,
• information technology or related field and at least 9 years of direct
• professional experience; or in lieu of a degree High School diploma or
• equivalent and at least 15 years of direct/professional experience.
• * Obtain and maintain a Department of Energy "Q" clearance, which requires US
• Citizenship.

Preferred Qualifications

• * Experience with CI/CD pipelines and Git-based workflows.
• * Experience integrating authentication and authorization (OIDC, Microsoft
• Entra ID, or similar) in web apps.
• * Experience building or integrating features with enterprise LLM services;
• familiarity with responsible AI practices in regulated environments.
• * Exposure to Azure and containerization.
• * Professional experience mentoring others and leading technical tasks.
• * Experience using JIRA or similar tool.
• * Experience with RESTful APIs, GraphQL, and NET WebAPI interfaces.
• * Experience with continuous integration, and deployment using Azure DevOps.
• * Experience with other React JS
• * Experience with Agile, Scrum and Kanban development methodologies.
• * Experience with JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap.
• 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 25
• pounds with assistance. Sufficient visual acuity and hearing capacity to perform
• the essential functions and interact with the public is required. Reasonable
• accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the
• essential functions.
• Work Information:
• * Our team works a 9x80 schedule out of Idaho Falls facility.
• * 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: These are multi-level positions, and you will be placed at the
• appropriate level dependent on depth and breadth of proven experience and
• skills.
• Working Conditions:
• The work environment is an office environment. The noise level is generally low;
• however, may be exposed to loud noises on occasion. Position requires working
• more than 8 hours/day and working alone. Position may be required to work
• irregular hours.
• The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of
• work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not
• intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties
• and skills required of personnel so classified.
• Security and Privacy Language:
• This position includes information security and privacy responsibilities as
• defined by NIST SP 800 53, OMB Circular A 130, and DOE Order 206.1A. Position
• must complete initial and annual role-specific training as required. The
• incumbent must sign and comply with all required access agreements prior to
• being granted access to organizational systems or data. Comply with all
• applicable information security and privacy policies and procedures by following
• established protocols, with an understanding that non-compliance may result in
• sanctions.
• Level Definers
• EX3 – Career:
• * Knowledge: Complete understanding and wide application of principles,
• theories, and concepts in field of specialization. General knowledge of other
• related disciplines. Resolves a wide range of issues in creative ways. This
• level is fully qualified, career oriented.
• * Problem Solving: Works on problems of diverse scope. Demonstrates good
• judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.
• Solutions are imaginative, thorough, practical, and consistent with
• organizational objectives.
• * Discretion and Latitude: Works under only general direction. Normally
• receives little instruction day-to-day. Independently determines and develops
• approach to solutions. Work is reviewed upon completion for adequacy in
• meeting objectives.
• * Impacts: Contributes to completion of specific programs and projects. Failure
• to obtain results or erroneous decisions or recommendations would typically
• result in program delays.
• * Liaison: Frequent internal organizational customer contacts. May have some
• outside contact or represent organization in providing solutions to difficult
• issues associated with specific projects or work.
• * Education/Experience: Bachelor’s and 5 years. Master’s and 2 years. PhD and
• 2 years.
• EX4 – Senior:
• * Knowledge: Technical leader with a high degree of knowledge in the overall
• field and recognized expertise in specific areas. Has wide-ranging
• experience. Uses professional concepts and company objectives to solve
• complex issues in creative and effective ways. Interfaces with and mentors
• junior staff.
• * Problem Solving: Works on complex issues where analysis of situations or data
• requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. Exercises judgment in
• selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
• * Discretion and Latitude: Work is performed without appreciable direction.
• Determines methods and procedures on new assignments and may coordinate
• activities of other personnel (Lead). Exercises considerable latitude in
• determining objectives of assignment.
• * Impacts: Guides the successful completion of major programs and may function
• in a project leadership role. Erroneous decisions or recommendations would
• typically result in failure to achieve organizational objectives.
• * Liaison: Represents organization as prime contact on projects or work.
• Interacts with senior internal personnel on significant matters often
• requiring coordination between organizations. Networks with key contacts
• outside own area or expertise.
• * Education/Experience: Bachelor’s and 9 years. Master’s and 6 years. PhD and
• 4 years.

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.

INL does not accept resumes from third party vendors unsolicited.