Software Developer in Heidelberg bei European Molecular Biology Laboratory

EMBO is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. We fund talented researchers at all career stages, facilitate scientific exchanges through high-quality academic publishing, conferences, and lectures, and foster a research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.

Our diverse international team of approximately 60 members hails from various countries, personal backgrounds, and professional fields, collaborating closely to further our mission. EMBO is located on the international EMBL life sciences research campus in Heidelberg, Germany.

We are seeking a skilled Software Developer to join the Information Support & Resources (ISR) team. ISR plays a crucial role in supporting EMBO’s operations by developing and maintaining central data storage and workflow management tools, as well as providing IT support. Our current focus is on innovating new solutions to enhance application and grants management.

We invite applications from experienced developers at various levels, including mid- and senior-level professionals. We also welcome candidates with a scientific background who have gained software development experience through their professional work. This position is ideal for someone who excels at understanding and integrating the needs of a diverse user base, and who can deploy effective development solutions to ensure a seamless user experience for both internal and external stakeholders. Your people skills will be as important as your technical skills in this role.

You will play a critical role in building our future online applications portal (codename my.embo.org) using modern web technologies, development tools and workflows. Additionally, you will extend, maintain and improve our portfolio of in-house developed solutions.

You will have opportunities to collaborate with experienced colleagues, participate in professional development courses, and technical training or conferences.

You will work closely with your colleagues on the ISR team, which includes a Web Developer and an IT Administrator, as well as users across EMBO, and report to Alejandro Riera Mainar, the Head of ISR. You will drive your own tasks and projects within an environment where mutual assistance and teamwork are highly valued. You will have freedom to make decisions and influence strategies, delivering high-quality software tools that significantly enhance our colleagues' work.

Your main tasks will include:

• Developing, releasing and maintaining the new version of our online applications portal my.embo.org, currently being developed with Django, Vue.js and PostgreSQL;
• Supporting and maintaining our portfolio of in-house developed software solutions, including various web applications and databases. You will be working mainly with Django, Vue.js and PostgreSQL using Docker containers, although we also host a few PHP-based websites;
• Providing a first line of support to internal and external users of those applications/databases;
• Contributing to the maintenance of our server infrastructure;
• Deputizing for any of your teammates, providing a minimum service in their absence;
• Communicating with the EMBL campus IT team to agree on hardware and infrastructure needs;
• Working with our established FileMaker Pro database to advise internal users and improve workflows.

Occasional work outside normal hours, including weekends, is required.

Contract duration: 5 years

Grading: 5 or 6 (Monthly salary starting from 3.7k - 4.3K EUR after tax and other paid benefits)

Reference number: EMBO00159

• At least 3 years of demonstrable work experience in the field;
• Experience programming in at least one of the main programming languages currently used at EMBO (Python, PHP, JavaScript) or a comparable alternative;
• Knowledge of established good practices in the industry such as test-driven development, design patterns, object-oriented programming or functional programming, CI/CD;
• Familiarity working with the standard web development ecosystem in a collaborative environment, for example, using version control systems (we use git), command line tools in Linux-like environments, package managers (npm, pip, composer), and a basic understanding of networking;
• The ability to work co-operatively within a group and across EMBO to achieve goals
• A problem-solving, service-oriented and customer-focused mindset. You have the ability to understand your customers and identify their needs