Software Engineer, BDH

Software Engineer, BDH

Project Overview:

Biomedical Data Hub (BDH) is a national platform that tackles the challenges of data management, accessibility, and interoperability in biomedical research. We provide a unified system for structured and unstructured data, enabling researchers to perform relational querying and manage large-scale datasets. A key feature is the standardisation of metadata (for instance, with DCAT and OMOP CDMs), which allows for consistent and intuitive data exploration. This breaks down silos between diverse datasets and facilitates cross-dataset ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes for advanced analysis. All functionalities are exposed via API endpoints to ensure seamless integration with existing research workflows and tools.

Role Summary:

We are seeking a talented and motivated Software Engineer to join our dynamic team and play a pivotal role in the design, development, and deployment of the BDH digital platform. You will be responsible for building a scalable and robust system that will be used by biomedical researchers, data analysts, and IT teams to accelerate data-driven discoveries.

Why Join Us?

• Impact: The opportunity to work on a mission-driven project that has a direct and lasting impact on biomedical research and patient outcomes.
• Greenfield Project: A chance to build a cutting-edge platform from the ground up, with significant influence on its technical direction and architecture.
• Tech Stack: Work with a modern, best-in-class tech stack.
• Growth: A collaborative environment with opportunities for professional growth, mentorship, and learning at the intersection of software engineering and bioinformatics.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, test and maintain high-performance, containerised microservices using Python (FastAPI) for the BDH digital platform.
• Build and manage data ingestion pipelines for both structured and unstructured biomedical data.
• Develop and integrate tools for metadata standardisation (e.g. DCAT, including data dictionary generation and OMOP CDM mapping).
• Create and maintain RESTful APIs for data upload, query, and ETL processes.
• Collaborate with bioinformaticians and researchers to understand their needs and translate them into technical requirements.
• Contribute to the development of a secure, scalable, and reliable infrastructure for the BDH digital platform.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to a high standard of software engineering best practices, including comprehensive automated testing, CI/CD via GitHub actions, and thorough documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum bachelor's degree or diploma in the field of computer science, computer engineering, or other web programming intensive course.
• Expertise in at least one of the following areas: creating, maintaining, implementing RESTful APIs, front-end development, microservices architecture.
• 2+ years of experience in software development, with a strong proficiency in Python (and/or Node.js) and its data processing ecosystem (e.g. Pandas, SQLAlchemy)
• Experience with relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL) and object storage (e.g. Amazon S3)
• Solid understand of software engineering principles, including data structures, algorithms, and design patterns.
• Excellent problem-solving, interpersonal, and communication skills (proficiency in spoken/written English).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with DCAT, the OMOP common data model or other healthcare data standards.
• Familiarity with containerisation and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience with API frameworks like FastAPI or Node.js frameworks like Express.
• Knowledge of front-end technologies such as React.
• Experience working in a collaborative, agile development environment.
• Experience working in a regulated environment (e.g. healthcare compliance, data privacy).
• Knowledge of security best practices, including OAuth 2.0, JWT, and data encryption standards.