Software Developer at European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) (Hinxton, UK)
We are looking for a talented full stack software developer to work on cutting edge tools for genome annotation as part of the Ensembl project (www.ensembl.org).
Apollo (https://github.com/GMOD/Apollo) is a web-based platform used by researchers worldwide to annotate genome sequences with genes and other features important for their biological interpretation. The project has recently expanded and is now a collaboration between the University of Berkley, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and the Ensembl group at EMBL-EBI. As part of the Ensembl Applications team, you will work closely with developers and stakeholders at all three sites to produce the exciting next generation of Apollo.
Your role
You will be working closely with Annotators in the Section to connect the Apollo annotation tool to Ensembl databases, thus creating a tool which they can use in their day-to-day work.
You will help develop the next generation of the Apollo platform and will enable the embedding the tool into a rich ecosystem of genome annotation activities at EMBL-EBI.
Specific projects on the development roadmap you will contribute to include: (a) developing seamless connectivity with Ensembl databases and APIs; (c) adding enriched functionality and support for the deep annotation of complex genomes such as human; (c) implementing new features for comparative genome annotation.
You will be expected to work with a reasonable degree of autonomy and regularly present your work back to collaborators and stakeholders to gather feedback. There will also be the opportunity to be involved in planning the direction of the development with teams from the collaborating Institutes.
You have
- MSc in Computer Science (or a related field), equivalent qualifications or experience.
- Experience with collaborative development tools such as GitHub, Jira and Confluence
- Experience of developing software in a Linux environment
- Significant programming experience – especially Java and/or JavaScript
- Practical experience of RDBMSs (such as MySQL or PostGres)
- Familiarity and experience of methodologies such as Scrum, XP and ‘Agile’
- Experience of containerisation and cloud-oriented software deployment
- A desire to write quality, maintainable code
- Ability to transform requests from non-technical users into working features
- Excellent communication skills
You might also have
- Experience with large biological datasets
- Experience with ‘NoSQL’ database systems (e.g. graph databases, document stores)
- Experience of developing with Groovy or Grails
- Experience of creating and managing CI / CD pipelines
- Experience of deploying applications using Kubernetes
- Experience of working on large scale collaborative projects
Why join us
EMBL-EBI is a worldwide leader in bioinformatics. We encourage personal and professional development and are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their potential at work.
Surrounded by beautiful South Cambridgeshire countryside, our state-of-the-art Campus provides employees with a relaxed atmosphere where the pursuit of scientific discovery and meaningful work, underpin every role. In addition, our employees have access to a wide range of benefits including:
- 30 days annual leave per year plus 8 bank holidays
- Flexible work arrangements
- Unique pension scheme including 17% employer contribution
- Annual salary review
- Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
- Death benefit, long-term care, accident at work and unemployment insurances
- Relocation package including installation grant (if required)
- On-site library and subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria
- Casual dress code
- Free shuttle bus to and from Campus
- Extensive sports and social club activities (run on campus and remotely)
- Family benefits: Onsite nursery, child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances
- Benefits for non-UK residents:Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance
What else you need to know
To apply please submit a covering letter and CV through our online system.
This is a project based contract which will end in August 2023.
At EMBL-EBI, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ and individuals from all nationalities. Visa exemptions will be offered to international candidates and details will be discussed during interview. We believe in science without borders and this continues after Brexit.
This role is based in Hinxton, UK and you will be required to relocate once it is safe to do so if you are currently based abroad. More info on how we are recruiting in this period is available on our page: Recruitment and Onboarding during Covid19.
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