Scientific Developer or Full Stack Developer

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a world leader in scientific research and at the forefront in the development of cutting-edge technologies. EMBL core facilities and scientists generate terabytes of data every day from all fields of modern biology (sequencing, imaging, metabolomics, proteomics, etc.).  Secure, traceable, robust, efficient and user-friendly data management solutions are needed to store, share and analyse this data efficiently. The MODIS team is part of the EMBL Data Science Centre, we offer solutions and support for FAIR data management, integration, and publication across the different EMBL sites. In particular, MODIS develops Lab Integrated Data, or LabID for short, a complete open-source solution offering both a modern Electronic Lab Notebook and an advanced dataset management platform for omics and imaging data (see documentation for more details). LabID is internally used at EMBL by hundreds of users monthly, and has been deployed at different research institutes since its open source release.

To strengthen its development capacity and offerings around our LabID ecosystem, MODIS is looking for a Scientific Developer or a Full Stack Developer (your exact role in the team will adapt to your profile, skills and career development interests).

Your role 

You will join the LabID development team at MODIS. The LabID web platform is built around a python Django back-end (exposing a Django-based administration UI and a REST API), a modern user facing interface developed in and a command line interface (CLI) for our advanced users and automated procedures. 

You will play a key role in the team and be responsible to:

• specify and implement features on the server, UI and CLI sides. 

• write unit, integration, and e2e tests, 

• While Full Stack Developers are expected to perform in all these aspects, Scientific Developers may not bring all these skills and instead come with workflow development (like Nextflow, Galaxy) and data analysis experience.

• maintain the CI/CD architecture (internal GitLab server), 

• document and version your code, 

• write user and admin documentation, 

• maintain our development and production environments (VM, k8s), 

• support users on a daily basis,

• participate in training  

You have 

Applicants with a Full Stack Developer profile are expected to:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or in a related technical field

• Have 3+ years of professional experience developing applications with the Python Django framework

• Have 3+ years of professional experience developing web applications using or another modern JS framework (e.g. Angular, React)

• Have 3+ years of professional experience working with projects released and maintained in a production environment

• Be proficient  with Git and continuous integration tools (GitHub or GitLab)

• Have strong experience in Unix/Linux server administration, including proficiency in shell scripting

Applicants with a Scientific Developer profile  are expected to:

• Hold a master or a PhD in computational biology, bioinformatics or physics 

• Have 3+ years of professional experience with the Python Django framework or experience developing web applications using

• Have 3+ years professional experience working with projects released and maintained in a production environment.

• Be experienced with Git and continuous integration tools (GitHub or GitLab) 

• Have expertise in Unix server administration

• Have expertise in shell/python scripting

• Be responsible to maintain our Galaxy server, support Galaxy users and maintain the Galaxy integration with LabID (API-based communication). 

• Experience in maintaining a Jupyter server, writing workflows and data analysis are a plus. 

The successful candidate should be able to work independently, while being an excellent team player, be user/community oriented, open-minded and creative. Fluency in English is mandatory.

• Show experience with database administration for systems like PostgreSQL or MySQL.

• Have hands-on experience with cloud deployment and services.

You may also have

• Experience with omics and imaging "big" data management, expertise with containerization and deployment of apps in the cloud infrastructure (Kubernetes, OpenStack) are desirable. Experience with working in open-source projects, turning user wish lists into concrete specifications, writing efficient user documentation are definite advantages.

​Salary: Grade 5 , monthly salary from EUR 4,031 plus allowances based on family circumstances (excl. pension and insurance contributions)

Contract length: 3 years renewable to a maximum of 9 years. We are open to receiving applications that include a request for a reduced FTE, down to 80%.

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (select sites), on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers: 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.

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ & individuals from all nationalities. 

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date