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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Post Bachelors Research Associate – User Experience & Product Design

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, United States, 99352

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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 Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The AI and Data Analytics Division, part of the National Security Directorate, combines profound domain expertise and creative integration of advanced hardware and software to deliver computational solutions that address complex data and analytic challenges. Working in multidisciplinary teams, we connect foundational research to engineering to operations, providing the tools to innovate quickly and field results faster. Our strengths are integrated across the data analytics lifecycle, from data acquisition and management to analysis and decision support.

Responsibilities

Collaborate and provide designs and concepts for multi-disciplinary teams to define user interaction and workflow models for research and product features

Identify mission challenges and formulate design solutions methodically

Apply good design and innovative problem-solving skills to solve challenging technical problems

Initiate personal direction and goals

Demonstrate outstanding verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work in a collaborative environment

Be passionate and self‑motivated with good time management skills

Ability to work well with software developers and project managers and possibly the users of the software applications

Critical Technologies

Visual Design – Figma, Adobe Creative Suite

Processes – Human Centered Design & Design Thinking

Development – Design Systems, Component Libraries, Figma Make Prototyping, First Draft & Sites

AI – MCP & Agentic Design/Development techniques

National Interest Project Examples

Detect and prevent smuggling of drugs and contraband at ports of entry

Develop at‑scale data pipelines to thwart funding for terrorists, nuclear proliferators, drug cartels, and rogue leaders

Applying data solutions to national security problems

Detect and respond to advanced cyber threats with at‑edge computing

Develop capabilities for scalable geospatial analytics

Use remotely sensed imagery to identify and monitor the progression of wildfires

Apply automation technologies to secure infrastructure and facilities for national security interests

Qualifications

Minimum: Candidates must have received a Bachelor’s degree within the past 24 months or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

Preferred: Experience with visual, media, and graphic design

Experience with designing user driven applications (web applications, etc.)

Experience with creating wireframes, visual mockups, and component libraries

Experience using design software, including Figma

Experience with creating prototypes

Ability to provide an online portfolio or samples at the time of interview

Experience with HTML, JavaScript, CSS a plus

Experience with Agentic AI and AI supported development a plus

Ability to get and maintain a security clearance

Security Clearance Requirement This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.

Background Investigation and Drug Testing Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B. All Security Clearance positions are subject to pre‑employment drug testing, and post‑employment random drug testing. Applicants must be able to demonstrate non‑use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions.

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. PNNL is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, 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 employment.

Minimum Salary USD $26.92/Hr.

Maximum Salary USD $35.00/Hr.

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