Platform Engineering Group Lead at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Berkeley, California, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

15 Apr, 26

Salary

248736.0

Posted On

15 Jan, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Platform Architecture, Lifecycle Management, Technical Leadership, Project Management, Service Availability, Reliability Engineering, Continuous Improvement, Enterprise IT Systems, Cloud Environments, CI/CD Toolchains, Container Orchestration, Database Services, Software Development, Vendor Management, Team Building, Communication

Industry

Research Services

Description

The Platform Engineering Group Lead reports to the Systems and Software Department Head and owns the technical direction and operational excellence of the platforms that underpin ESnet’s Software Engineering and Operations functions. This role is accountable for platform architecture and lifecycle management, including standards definition, solution design, implementation, service availability, reliability engineering, and continuous improvement. The Group Lead also manages the platform engineering team responsible for operating and evolving core IT services, evaluating emerging technologies, performing product and vendor assessments, and developing roadmap plans for future platform capabilities. The role requires demonstrated experience designing, deploying, and supporting enterprise-scale platform services across computing and systems infrastructure, container orchestration, CI/CD toolchains, cloud environments, source code management, project and work management systems, collaboration and knowledge platforms, certificate and secrets management, enterprise software, and database services. Success in this position depends on advanced technical program and project management skills, including the ability to execute across multiple concurrent initiatives with shifting priorities while maintaining strong delivery discipline. The Group Lead must be able to translate complex technical tradeoffs into clear, actionable guidance for scientific and business stakeholders and Laboratory management, supported by strong written and verbal communication. You will: Work at a high level and provide engineering leadership for ESnet’s platform engineering capabilities across the full-service lifecycle: architecture, design, implementation, deployment, and sustained operations. Own portfolio planning and execution for platform initiatives that enable Software Engineering and Operations, including requirements definition, prioritization, delivery planning, implementation oversight, and technical documentation. Establishes the direction and manages the efforts of a team of technical professionals; manage operational resources and budgets to meet availability, reliability, and service objectives. Under conceptual guidance, define and drive the strategic direction for ESnet’s enterprise information systems portfolio, serving as the primary technical lead for mission-critical operations and collaboration platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira, Slack, Google Workspace integrations) and related enterprise services. Recruit, onboard, mentor, and develop team members; establish role expectations, growth plans, and effective operating practices. Partner with a diverse customer base to capture current and future requirements, and communicate technical decisions, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Participate as a member of the Division Leadership Team, collaborating with Department Heads, Group Leads, and CS Area and SND Division leadership to align platform strategy with organizational objectives. Produce clear technical communications, including internal/external presentations and written materials on platform strategy, architecture, operations, and service support. Foster an inclusive, compliant, and high-performing work environment that supports innovation, continuous improvement, and adherence to DOE and Laboratory policies. We are looking for: Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience. Minimum of three (3) years of experience in an IT leadership capacity, including responsibility for planning and leading enterprise IT systems implementations. Demonstrated expertise in enterprise-scale systems analysis, large systems development, and information management, with the ability to apply this knowledge to platform architecture, implementation, and sustained operations. Proven ability to establish and enforce technical standards, operational practices, and lifecycle management for mission-critical computing services. Competence to coordinate and lead unit activities end-to-end, including balancing competing user demands and resolving resource conflicts while meeting service objectives. Ability to develop project schedules and budget estimates, and consistently deliver against schedules and operational commitments. Operates with conceptual guidance and is evaluated primarily on outcomes; exercises broad latitude in planning, prioritizing, and scheduling work within managerial and policy constraints. Demonstrated ability to define a clear strategic vision grounded in data-driven analysis (e.g., service health, operational risk, capacity trends, delivery metrics), and translate that vision into executable, staged implementation plans that maintain stability of existing services. Experience contributing to, and potentially shaping, organization-wide hardware and software planning to support evolving enterprise requirements. Ability to deploy staff, tooling, and operational processes to achieve availability, reliability, performance, and recovery targets across production, development, and QA environments. Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts, tradeoffs, and risk in clear terms to technical staff, peer leaders, non-technical stakeholders, and senior management. Demonstrated skill in consensus building, team building, and negotiation across diverse stakeholder groups and customer communities. Experience working with vendors and external oversight organizations (as applicable) in the acquisition, installation, integration, and validation of major platforms and applications. Ability to represent the department in cross-organizational interactions, including making operational commitments and coordinating staffing and funding decisions in support of defined goals. Demonstrated leadership experience supervising teams of technical professionals, including recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and performance management. Experience leading professional, technical, production, and administrative staff to meet organizational objectives, including project management, resource allocation, and operational planning. Direct experience managing budgets and resources to support both ongoing operations and planned improvement initiatives. Ability to manage through subordinate leaders (e.g., supervisors, group leaders, project managers) where applicable, ensuring consistent delivery of platform services and customer support across a broad user base. Capability to represent leadership continuity and serve in an acting capacity for the Department Head when required. Significant experience as a hands-on technical implementer responsible for mission-critical infrastructure and services, including high availability, reliability engineering, performance, operational recovery, and support for production, development, and QA systems. Demonstrated experience in two or more operational engineering disciplines such as: Performance tuning and service optimization Capacity planning and forecasting Availability monitoring, metrics, and operational reporting Configuration management and change control Process automation and operational tooling Experience managing technologies relevant to modern platform engineering, including CI/CD systems, container orchestration platforms, cybersecurity technologies, and private/public cloud infrastructure. Demonstrated software development experience using programming languages such as Java or Python, sufficient to guide automation, tooling, integrations, or platform-adjacent application development. Ability to independently formulate, organize, document, and present proposals, including clear articulation of cost/benefit tradeoffs, implementation risk, and operational impact for multiple audiences. We’re here for the same mission, to bring science solutions to the world. Join our team and YOU will play a supporting role in our goal to address global challenges! Have a high level of impact and work for an organization associated with 17 Nobel Prizes! Why join Berkeley Lab? We invest in our employees by offering a total rewards package you can count on: Exceptional health and retirement benefits, including pension or 401K-style plans Opportunities to grow in your career - check out our Tuition Assistance Program A culture where you’ll belong - we are invested in our teams! In addition to accruing vacation and sick time, we also have a Winter Holiday Shutdown every year. Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers) Pet insurance Additional information: Applications will be accepted until the job posting is removed. Appointment type: This is a full-time, career appointment, exempt (monthly paid) from overtime pay. Salary range: The expected salary for this position is $203,496 - $248,736, which fits into the full salary of $180,876 - $305,268 depending upon the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and abilities. This includes education, certifications, and years of experience. Background check: This position is subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment. Work modality: Work may be performed on-site, hybrid, full-time telework. The primary location for this role is Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA. Work must be performed within the United States. A REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification is required to access Berkeley Lab sites (for more information click here). Want to learn more about working at Berkeley Lab? Please visit: careers.lbl.gov Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: The foundation of Berkeley Lab is our Stewardship Values: Team Science, Service, Trust, Innovation, and Respect; and we strive to build community with these shared values and commitments. Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We heartily welcome applications from all who could contribute to the Lab's mission of leading scientific discovery, excellence, and professionalism. In support of our rich global community, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories under State and Federal law. Berkeley Lab is a University of California employer. It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor. Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

Responsibilities

The Platform Engineering Group Lead is responsible for the technical direction and operational excellence of platforms supporting Software Engineering and Operations. This includes managing the platform engineering team and overseeing platform architecture, lifecycle management, and service reliability.