Job Description
We are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic, highly motivated Senior Programmer to work at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) located at the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK. The EMBL-EBI is part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and it is a world-leading bioinformatics centre providing biological data to the scientific community with expertise in data storage, analysis and representation. EMBL-EBI provides freely available data from life science experiments, performs basic research in computational biology and offers an extensive user training programme, supporting researchers in the academic and industrial sectors.
You will be working with 11 highly skilled professionals in Web Production Team led by Rodrigo Lopez, across a number of activities aimed at improving access to core services such as scientific text search, biological sequence analysis, improving access to collaboration platforms and web server provisioning for internal as well as external users and collaborators. You will be experienced with modern software development technologies and best practices and ideally be familiar with bioinformatics data and tools. You will be highly visible and participate regularly in internal and external events such as seminars, workshops and conferences at the international level. A proactive individual who learns new things quickly would be ideal for this role.The successful applicant will work in the development and management of the EBI Search, a highly successful full text search system that encompasses all the data resources EMBL-EBI manages. EBI Search has been developed using the Apache Lucene Core library and stands side-by-side with developments such as Solr and Elasticsearch. Emphasis has been placed in scientific search, covering many different disciplines; e.g. DNA and protein sequence annotations, cheminformatics, literature, bioinformatics ontologies, biomolecular structures, etc. At EMBL-EBI, we help scientists realise the potential of ‘big data’ in biology by enabling them to exploit complex information to make discoveries that benefit mankind. Working for EMBL-EBI gives you an opportunity to apply your skills and energy for the greater good. As part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), we are a non-profit, intergovernmental organisation funded by 23 member states and two associate member states and proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK, and our 600 staff are engineers, technicians, scientists and other professionals from all over the world.
Qualifications and Experience
You will have a Master’s or higher degree in computer science, software development or have equivalent experience and demonstrated experience in full-stack web applications development (i.e. back-end and front-end tiers, including web-based clients, programmatic access APIs (e.g. REST), and data access layers). Java technologies and frameworks (e.g. Spring) are widely used within the organization, so experience is required, together with modern component-based front-end technologies (e.g. Angular). Knowledge of scripting language such as Perl/Python is also desirable.
Prior work experience should include two or more years' software development in a team environment and supporting production systems in an academic or commercial setting. The ability to work within a team is critical to this position and excellent communication skills, verbal and written, are essential. The Senior Programmer will be required to communicate technical documents as well as provide user orientated communication with external and internal users of the system. An ability to work to tight deadlines and the ability to work with minimal direction when making technical decisions is essential.
Desirable:
- Previous experience evaluating open-source software and its subsequent integration to a production system
- Familiarity with agile development practices and the full software development lifecycle in a team environment
- Familiarity with Elastic search/Solr/Lucene and when to use them
- You will have experience using high performance computing frameworks such as Hadoop, Apache Spark or IBM/LSF.
- Experience with VM and/or container deployment in public or private cloud environment
Benefits
EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme and health insurance, educational and other family related benefits where applicable, as well as financial support for relocation and installation.
We have an informal culture, international working environment and excellent professional development opportunities but one of the really amazing things about us is the concentration of technical and scientific expertise – something you probably won’t find anywhere else.
If you’ve ever visited the campus you’ll have experienced first-hand our friendly, collegial and supportive atmosphere, set in the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. Our staff also enjoy excellent sports facilities including a gym, a free shuttle bus, an on-site nursery, cafés and restaurant and a library.
Application Instructions
To apply please submit a covering letter and CV, with two referees, through our online system.
Additional Information
Applications are welcome from all nationalities - visa information will be discussed in more depth with applicants selected for interview.
EMBL-EBI is committed to achieving gender balance and strongly encourages applications from women, who are currently under-represented at all levels. Appointment will be based on merit alone.
The initial contract is for a period of three years with the possibility of a fixed-term extension.
Applications will close at 23:00 GMT on the date listed above.