Senior Software Engineer

Who We Are IgniteData is a thriving, cutting-edge technology business shaping the future of clinical trials in collaboration with some of the largest global pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations. Clinical trials are complex data collection projects, with ~50% of the data requiring manual copying from patient Electronic Health Records (EHRs) into the systems used by researchers to run studies, typically EDC systems. Archer, IgniteData’s EHR2EDC platform, eliminates this inefficiency by automating the transfer of clinical data directly from hospital systems into trial databases. IgniteData is already recognised by top pharma as leaders in this rapidly evolving EHR2EDC market and is rapidly expanding across the UK, Europe, and the US. Who You Are / Your Next Challenge We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to design and deliver secure, scalable services that power Archer and its integrations. Our core stack is Python/FastAPI, and we welcome engineers with strong backend fundamentals who can ramp up quickly in our stack. You will work closely with Engineering, Product, QA, and DevOps to ship reliable API-driven features, improve platform performance, and uphold strong engineering and security standards. Experience in healthcare, medtech, or clinical research environments is helpful but not required. Experience Hands-on experience building and shipping production REST APIs in at least one modern backend language/framework (Python/FastAPI preferred). Proven experience designing and maintaining relational databases in PostgreSQL. Experience writing and maintaining automated tests (unit, integration, and API) in CI workflows. Experience integrating backend services with external/third-party APIs in production. Experience building and operating containerized services with Docker. Experience collaborating in cross-functional Agile teams with Product, Frontend, QA, and DevOps. Experience in healthcare, medtech, or clinical/pharma domains is a plus. Technical Knowledge Working knowledge of API framework patterns and OpenAPI-based design (FastAPI/Pydantic experience is a strong plus). Solid understanding of ORM patterns and migration tooling (e.g., SQLAlchemy/Alembic concepts). Strong grasp of API/data security fundamentals: authentication, authorization, encryption in transit/at rest, and secrets management. Working knowledge of cloud infrastructure, preferably Azure. Good understanding of CI/CD and modern DevOps practices for backend services. Knowledge of dependency/package management and maintainable service architecture (Python ecosystem experience preferred). Familiarity with observability fundamentals (logging, metrics, tracing). Job Responsibilities Own backend services through design, implementation, release, and continuous improvement. Deliver secure, reliable, and scalable APIs that support product workflows. Translate product requirements into production-ready backend solutions with clear technical tradeoffs (including ticket writing and feature specification). Partner with DevOps to support deployment readiness, runtime stability, and operational resilience. Improve system quality through code reviews, testing discipline, and engineering standards. Optimize data access patterns and service performance to meet scale and reliability needs. Produce and maintain clear API and operational documentation. Proactively identify and deliver improvements that reduce complexity and increase delivery speed. What you get in return Competitive salary (dependent on experience), comprehensive benefits package, and the opportunity to shape a modern, scalable backend platform powering clinical trial innovation. Diversity & Inclusion IgniteData is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristics. We celebrate diversity and hire on the basis of competence, performance, and business needs.