Demo

Classified HPC Systems Engineer

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, TN Full Time
POSTED ON 6/2/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 7/3/2026
Requisition Id 16429

Overview:

We are hiring a HPC Systems Engineer to design, operate and maintain clusters, servers, and workstations supporting services where science happens at ORNL! This position resides in the Emerging Technologies & Computing team in the Research Computing group in the Information Technology Services Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

The Emerging Technology Computational Group facilitates ORNL goals through HPC systems engineering, integration, and support for the research community at ORNL. By providing design, deployment, optimization, monitoring, and tooling support across multiple clustered infrastructures, we facilitate Lab-wide R&D projects. Our HPC clusters range in scope from just a handful of nodes to over fifty-thousand cores.

We partner with ORNL research organizations to enable research excellence and delivery. We work with other clustered computing and HPC groups to help research programs identify the best solutions for their needs. When we build our customer's environments, our team collaborates to design, implement, and maintain the systems from inception to retirement.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:
  • Advocate and promote HPC and clustered computing services to researchers who process large data sets and/or develop code as a part of their project.
  • Ensure the availability, performance, scalability, and security of production systems.
  • Leverage automation and monitoring solutions that minimize our day-to-day maintenance and scout opportunities to optimize system management practices or system performance.
  • Collaborate with technical POCs for the programs that we support to install and help tune the performance of various scientific toolsets.
  • Deliver ORNL's mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace - in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.

Basic Qualifications:
  • A BS degree in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, information systems, science, engineering, business, or a related discipline and a minimum of 5-7 years of aligned professional experience is required for consideration. An overall combination of equivalent education and experience may be considered.
  • 2 or more years with managing UNIX/Linux Systems.
  • 2 or more years of proven experience with configuration management and automation tools such as Git, Ansible, or Puppet.
  • Moderate proficiency in at least one scripting language such as Bash, Python, or others.
  • Experience performing advanced troubleshooting and system administration with Linux Servers.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Active DOE Q, active DOD Top Secret, or active DOD TS/SCI clearance is heavily preferred for consideration.
  • Solid understanding of multiple operating systems and cluster technologies.
  • Experience performing advanced troubleshooting and system administration with Linux Servers.
  • A strong desire to innovate and identify new technologies and opportunities and be able to communicate the potential benefits of those choices to others within the team and our research partners.
  • A collaborative and upbeat approach to thrive on the opportunity to build trust and credibility and ultimately become a trusted advisor to our research teams.
  • Experience with Rocky/Centos/RHEL, Ubuntu, VMware.
  • Understanding of HPC platforms to support users with SLURM job submissions and troubleshooting.
  • Experience building and running containerized applications in an HPC environment.
  • Experience with multiple deployment mechanisms like Diskless, Warewulf, and traditional deployment (cobbler, PXEboot, and/or Bright).
  • Experience managing systems utilizing GPU (NVIDIA and AMD) clusters for AI/ML and/or image processing.
  • Knowledge of networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, traffic analysis, common protocols, and network diagnostics.
  • Experience with Infiniband networks and diagnostics.
  • Experience with performance and diagnostic tools for benchmarking, analysis and tuning of systems, networking, and storage.
  • Experience with Grafana, CheckMK, Nagios, Zabbix, SolarWinds, Ganglia, or other network and device monitoring systems.
  • Previous experience working in a government, scientific or other highly technical environment.
  • Good documentation skills, including ability to prepare simple documentation web pages.

Special Requirements:
  • Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
  • This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a clearance from the Department of Energy. As such, this position is a Workplace Substance Abuse (WSAP) testing designated position. WSAP positions require passing a pre-placement drug test and participation in an ongoing random drug testing program.

About ORNL:

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation's most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviors. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well-being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email:

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.

Salary.com Estimation for Classified HPC Systems Engineer in Oak Ridge, TN
$113,540 to $135,463
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Classified HPC Systems Engineer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Classified HPC Systems Engineer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$83,502 - $107,152
Income Estimation: 
$104,896 - $133,785
Income Estimation: 
$123,198 - $153,566
Income Estimation: 
$150,358 - $188,456
Income Estimation: 
$197,066 - $250,309
Income Estimation: 
$117,033 - $148,289
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN
  • Requisition Id 16433 Overview: The Controls Integration Group at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is seeking a Control System Software Engineer who will... more
  • Just Posted

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN
  • Requisition Id 16521 Overview: The High-Performance Computing Systems Section within the National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) is seeking an HP... more
  • Just Posted

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN
  • Requisition Id 16074 Overview: We are currently seeking qualified applicants with Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) experience to support the Fie... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN
  • Requisition Id 16484 Overview: The High-Performance Computing Systems Section within the National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) is seeking an IA... more
  • 1 Day Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Classified HPC Systems Engineer jobs in the Oak Ridge, TN area that may be a better fit.

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN
  • Requisition Id 16521 Overview: The High-Performance Computing Systems Section within the National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) is seeking an HP... more
  • Just Posted

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN
  • Requisition Id 16407 Overview: The National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) operates the fastest High Perf... more
  • 3 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!