About the team

We are looking for a Software engineer with a strong record in software development and interested in the production of one of the most internationally used data resources in biological science, UniProt. Our team is very dynamic and interdisciplinary comprising talented and enthusiastic software engineers and bioinformaticians working closely together with biologists and scientists.

The UniProt resource is one of the most internationally used protein databases serving a large and diverse research community in genomics, proteins and proteomics.

Your role

You will be responsible for desgining and developing robust software modules and scalable workflows for efficient data release and management of the ever-growing volume of scientific information. Scalability will be an important feature of your clear, concise, well tested and documented code. You will also be interested in applying analytic engines and technical approaches to distributed processing of big data. The ability to work towards tight deadlines is essential. You will be working in collaboration with the Ensembl team in data imports between these resources.

Duties and responsibilities

Design, development, test, document and maintenance of software for the import production pipeline. Liaise with the Ensembl team in Reference selection and data imports
Assist with the data analysis and data processing algorithms
Support and maintain the resource production and service release
Engage and coordinate work with different teams in the organization
Assist with innovative programming and big data technologies
Assist with programming standards to promote best practices

You have

A degree in Computer Science or related discipline
Software Engineer with at least 3 years of professional experience in software development in a production environment
Experience in Agile processes
Good communication skills
Experience in Java and/or Python development
Experience in git and basic Unix Commands

You may also have

You may also have experience with large data processing technologies (Apache Spark)

Contract length: 3 years grant based contract

Salary: Grade 5 Monthly salary starting at £3,452 after tax, plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on individual circumstances. Excluding 12.99% personal pension and insurance contributions.

Why join us

Do something meaningful
At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.

Join a culture of innovation
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential. Watch this video to see how EMBL-EBI makes an impact.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

Financial incentives: 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 - including hybrid working patterns
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 public holidays
Relocation package including installation grant (if required)
Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of 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.

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. Please take a look at our International Applicants page for further information.
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 believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.
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

31/10/2026

Make a difference

Whether you're a scientist, IT specialist, accountant or administrator, you'll help us tackle the challenges of improving human health & biodiversity in the face of climate change on a global scale.

Generous employee benefits

Please visit this page to find out more about the benefits at EMBL.

Need a visa?

No problem. Our special status enables us to hire talented individuals from across the globe. So far we have 76 nationalities. We would love to make it 77!

Find out how we support international applicants.

Click here

What to expect from our recruitment process

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Software Engineer