Senior Software Engineer - FTC

The position is anticipated to be short-term, and not expected to exceed April 30, 2028. Please note that there is no guaranteed duration of the position, and your employment will be for no fixed duration. 

*This position is fully remote/home based. Applications will be accepted from candidates based in the UK and the following US states: FL, IL, MA, MD, NY, PA, TX, VA

In the US, this is a union represented position as part of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, Local 39521 of the NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America.

Role Summary

PLOS is a nonprofit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. The Senior Software Engineer draws on a diversity of experience in software engineering, architecture, and lifecycle management to collaboratively design, build, and maintain modern cloud-native solutions to power the ongoing revolution in open science. A high level of motivation, independence and willingness to constantly learn and improve are necessary to be successful.

This role sits within the Digital team and is part of a team of engineers within the software engineering function.

Responsibilities

• As part of a cross-functional product team, contribute designs, code, tests, code reviews, and excellent judgment towards the development and continuous improvement of our digital platforms.
• Participate in agile ceremonies and evolving development practices of the team.
• Contribute to the overall platform architecture.
• Ensure new work is delivered in alignment with said architecture.
• Establish and support development processes.
• Provide stewardship of the long-term sustainability of our platform and actively manage platform health and technical debt.

Knowledge and Skills

• Significant professional software engineering experience gained in a full stack environment, ideally with experience using Google Cloud, Python, React, Kubernetes, BigQuery, or similar modern technologies.
• Hands-on experience developing, shipping, operating, and/or maintain consumer and/or enterprise we applications.
• Demonstrated passion for delivering testable, instrumented, and reliable code.
• Strong track-record of using and improving agile software development and related design practices.
• Deep understanding and experience of at least one server-side language.
• Expertise in cloud native architectures.
• Expertise in data pipelines and event-driven architectures preferred.
• Expertise in machine learning and machine learning pipelines preferred.
• Solid foundation in secure coding practices.
• Solid understanding of client-side technology (CSS/HTML/JS)
• Experience with continuous delivery methods and technologies.
• Experience with using data to inform development decisions.
• Ability to collaborate with a variety of functions, personalities and cultures.
• Ability to actively listen, ask the right questions and see the underlying meaning in what’s being said and not said.
• Flexible and open minded. Energy and enthusiasm for learning.
• Problem solving in multiple domains. Resilient, proactive and creative.
• Ability to pick up new techniques and technologies quickly.
• Pragmatic while maintain an attention to detail.
• Self-directed and capable of working under minimal supervision.

 Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or related academic degrees and/or equivalent experience preferred alongside a strong background in software engineering.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

• Prolonged periods stationary at a desk and working on a computer.
• Some national and international travel may be required.
• Some flexibility to work across time zones.
• Rare but occasional after hours (evening or weekend) work.

The base salary range we’ve established for these positions is (US): $130,000 - $142,000 or (UK) £65,000- £73,000.  PLOS also offers a comprehensive benefits package summarized below. 

BENEFITS:  

US:

• 401k with employer match
• Employee sponsored health, dental and vision insurance (Dental and Vision 100% employer paid)
• Paid Vacation, 11 public holidays and sick leave
• Parental leave
• Birthday and three winter holidays days off
• Short term and long term disability insurance
• 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year
• Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office 

UK:  

• Private medical insurance 
• Life assurance 
• Income protection  
• Personal accident insurance 
• Pension with up to 10% employer match 
• 25 days holidays, market competitive Maternity and Paternity leave 
• Birthday and three winter holidays days off 
• 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year 
• Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office

About PLOS 

Building on a strong legacy of pioneering innovation, PLOS continues to be a catalyst in open science, reimagining models to meet open science principles, removing barriers and promoting inclusion in knowledge creation and sharing, and publishing research outputs that enable everyone to learn from, reuse and build upon scientific knowledge.

Our work is supported by a highly skilled global in-house team, partnerships with local scholarly organizations, and the valued contributions of a diverse, international community of scientific researchers.

We’re committed to equal opportunity

We’re working to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding. Removing barriers to inclusion and facilitating broad participation of voices is core to our success, inside and out. 

Beyond accepting distinct perspectives, we seek and support divergent backgrounds among our staff because we know differences strengthen our teams, our work, and our communities. We strongly encourage applicants of all identities to join us as we work towards a future where science is open to all, for all. 

Visit plos.org/careers  to learn more.

To learn more about how PLOS protects your privacy, see our Employee Privacy Notice.