Research Software Engineer

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Software Engineer to join the Informatics Platform at the John Innes Centre.  

About the John Innes Centre:

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial sciences. We nurture a creative, curiosity-led approach to answering fundamental questions in bioscience, and translate that knowledge into societal benefits. Our strategic vision, Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet, sets out our ambitious long-term goals for the game changing impact of our science globally. 

Our employees enjoy access to state-of-the-art technology and a diverse range of specialist training opportunities, including support for leadership and management. Click here to find out more about working at the John Innes Centre.

About the JIC Informatics Platform:

The JIC Informatics Platform provides support in bioinformatics and scientific computing. We lead and collaborate on projects with major bioinformatics components, assist groups lacking expertise, and offer targeted help to research staff.

Beyond project support, we tackle novel challenges at the forefront of bioinformatics and computing, monitor advances, and introduce new technologies at JIC. We also run a bioinformatics training program for scientists at all levels, raising standards in data management and helping groups become self-sufficient.

The role:

Our bioinformatics team works with researchers using cutting-edge technologies, including a 2500+ core/30TB RAM HPC cluster, 6+PB storage, and NVIDIA A100 Tensor core GPU nodes. These resources enable large-scale experiments, such as analysing terabytes of DNA data to uncover key biological processes in plants, crops, and microbes.

The successful candidate will join a skilled, motivated team at the interface of science and computing. They will support the informatics platform by delivering software tools, web services, training, and data management for the institute and wider community. Responsibilities include managing services, maintaining applications, developing software solutions, handling data, documentation, and training.

The ideal candidate:

You will hold a degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, with broad expertise in managing Linux systems and services. Strong command-line skills, proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python/Perl/C++), and database management experience are required.

You should also have experience with web development stacks (e.g., LAMP) and administering web servers such as Apache or Nginx.

Excellent communication and teamwork skills are essential. Experience providing bioinformatics training is desirable but not essential.

Additional information:

This role does not meet UKVI’s full salary requirements to allow for visa sponsorship, but some individuals may still qualify depending on personal circumstances.  If you require visa sponsorship, please check your eligibility before applying. Please note, the occupation code for this role is 2134, which is not on the immigration salary list.

For further information and details of how to apply, please click the 'Apply' button above or contact the Human Resources team (01603 450814) quoting reference 1004941.

We celebrate diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident organisation, we guarantee interviews for disabled applicants meeting essential criteria. With a Gold Athena SWAN award and membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions, we foster an inclusive, supportive, and family-friendly workplace.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852) grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

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