Senior Databricks Engineering Lead

at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Augusta, Maine, United States Job Description Overview At PNNL , our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget. Our directorates related to Mission Support & Operations include Office of General Counsel, Business Services, Communications and External Engagement, Operational Systems, Communications and Information Technology, and Performance Management. At PNNL , our Computing and Information Technology organization is redefining how we work and innovate by reimagining the digital workplace. We empower research and streamline operations-making both faster, smarter, and more efficient-so our professionals can tackle some of the world's toughest challenges in science, energy, and national security. Our experts in AI, cybersecurity, design, and engineering work side by side, using real-time insights and human-centered design to break down barriers. Ready to make your mark on tomorrow? Come work with us. In support of PNNL's mission, Digital Platforms collaborates closely with our business and technology partners to build and maintain innovative software solutions and robust data and analytics capabilities. We aim to be a strategic partner in delivering cutting-edge enterprise solutions that drive innovation and improve the way our staff work across the PNNL digital workplace. Our forward-thinking, agile teams leverage cloud technologies, DevSecOps, and AI to modernize existing platforms and assist in the creation of novel solutions. By integrating commercial products, custom-developed and low-code solutions, we ensure our digital platforms are ready for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. Responsibilities We are seeking a forward-thinking Senior Azure Databricks Engineer to lead the design, build, and operation of our data lakehouse that powers analytics and reporting across PNNL Enterprise Systems. This role is central to delivering governed, performant, and reliable data products-especially for ERP and other enterprise -and enabling self-service analytics with Power BI and AI/ML. You will be the technical heartbeat of our lakehouse as part of a data transformation initiative -designing and evolving a Databricks-based architecture that moves data with confidence from source systems to curated gold tables. Using the medallion pattern (Bronze/Silver/Gold) with Delta Lake and Unity Catalog, you'll build robust pipelines that transform raw data into analytics-ready assets for Power BI and AI/ML, balancing pragmatic MVP delivery with a future-focused architecture. You'll lead modernization from legacy data warehouses and ETL tools into Azure Databricks-refactoring brittle jobs into scalable patterns. Your platform engineering mindset will shape CI/CD for Databricks (e.g., DAB , Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions) and standardize deployment practices across environments. You will configure and operate workspaces, clusters, jobs, and workflows; tune for performance and reliability; and embed data quality, monitoring, and observability to keep critical pipelines healthy. Security and governance will be integral to your work. You'll implement role-based access controls, data masking, and fine-grained models with Unity Catalog to enable secure, compliant data sharing and ensure proper classification, lineage, and auditability. As a collaborator and mentor, you'll guide engineers and analysts in adopting lakehouse best practices and modern data engineering standards-coding, testing, version control, and documentation. You'll stay current with Azure and Databricks capabilities, recommending and piloting features like Delta Live Tables and Unity Catalog enhancements to build a secure, reliable, and future-ready data platform that accelerates science and mission delivery.

Qualifications Minimum Qualifications:

+ PhD and 3 years of Software Engineering experience OR + MS/MA and 5 years of Software Engineering experience OR + BS/BA and 7 years of Software Engineering experience OR + AA and 16 years of Software Engineering experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development OR + HS/ GED and 18 years of Software Engineering experience in designing, architecting, programming, deploying, and automating software solutions in support of scientific research or consumer digital product development

Preferred Qualifications:

+ 7+ years of professional data engineering or platform engineering experience, with 3-5+ years focused on cloud data platforms. + 5+ years of experience operating production Azure Databricks, including Delta Lake, SQL , notebooks, Jobs/Workflows, and cluster management. + Production experience (3-5+ years) designing and operating ingestion-to-gold pipelines (medallion architecture) for ERP or other complex transactional sources. + Experience with Azure Data Factory and/or Fabric Data Pipelines for orchestration and integration. + Familiarity with core Azure services: ADLS Gen2, Key Vault, Azure DevOps or GitHub. + Strong proficiency in Python and SQL in a Spark/Databricks environment. + Experience implementing Databricks Asset Bundles ( DAB ) or equivalent for CI/CD and standardizing deployment workflows. + Experience using Gen

AI / LLM

-based tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Azure OpenAI, Databricks Genie, or similar) to accelerate and automate engineering tasks such as code generation, test creation, documentation, and troubleshooting. + Exposure to agentic AI / AI agents (e.g., orchestrating multi-step AI workflows for data quality checks, pipeline monitoring, or support automation) is a plus. Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment Not Applicable Additional Information Requires U.S. Citizen, or Person who is currently in the U.S. or U.S. Territory with residency for the preceding 3 continuous years. "Referral Eligible" Testing Designated Position This is not a Testing Designated Position ( TDP ). About PNNL Pacific Northwest National Laboratory ( PNNL ) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them! At PNNL , you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State-the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab's campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs. Commitment to Excellence and Equal Employment Opportunity Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory ( PNNL ) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistanc To view full details and how to apply, please login or create a Job Seeker account