Software Engineer (Data Acquisition Core)

About Us
Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. By accelerating electrons to near light-speed, Diamond generates brilliant beams of light from infra-red to X-rays which are used for academic and industry research and development across a range of scientific disciplines including structural biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, earth and environmental sciences.

Software helps to enable the world-leading science performed at Diamond. Our software systems facilitate operations at all levels, including the low-level control of synchrotron and beamline hardware, the planning, execution and monitor of experiments, data archiving and retrieval, data processing and visualisation, the application for beamtime, and capture of remote experiment plans and samples. Our software engineers work alongside our scientists to develop innovative and robust solutions to keep Diamond at the forefront of scientific research.

About the Role
We now have an opportunity to recruit two Software Engineers in the Data Acquisition Core Team, working at the heart of the redevelopment of the Scientific Software Stack used to run experiments on all Diamond’s beamlines and instruments. Working collaboratively with other software and support teams as well as beamline scientists, this role is fundamental to the development of the updated Software Platform that will be used to manage and carry out Scientific Experiments at Diamond in future. Involving gathering requirements, designing, implementing and deploying software solutions as part of the overall Diamond II software architecture, this role will have a key impact on Science at Diamond going forward.

This role offers the opportunity to make significant contributions to the software architecture which Diamond will use to run experiments for many years to come. As a modernisation project, it embraces current industry approaches with an emphasis on leveraging now-standard technologies to provide capabilities previously unavailable to scientists in a managed streamlined environment supporting best practice deployment and Devops methods. Making use of modern asynchronous coding approaches in Python, as well as Rust and Typescript and web interface technologies such as REST and GraphQL, it aims to develop the foundational components on which higher level Data Analysis and Visualisation elements can rely to provide the tools Scientists need to conduct their experiments and derive the data they need.

Responsibilities include:

• Working on projects to develop, test, maintain and support software solutions across beamlines in collaboration with SSCC members and beamline scientists.
• Following industry standard software engineering practices to ensure sustainability of software solutions.
• Bringing a problem-solving mindset to the software lifecycle to identify problems early and avoid pitfalls before they become significant.
• Code modernisation activities with reliability, robustness, performance, and portability in mind to meet the needs of the user community.
• Ensuring code is developed in a well-tested way with high coverage and an emphasis on streamlining and automating development processes to support and promote CI/CD approaches.

About You
You will hold a First degree in relevant field, or equivalent, as well as significant experience in the following areas:

• Professional software design and development, ideally in a service based technical software environment.
• Proficiency in modern Python (3.10+) including async methods and familiarity with least one other higher level programming language (e.g. Rust, Typescript, Java etc.).
• Cloud-native technologies and container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes, ArgoCD, Helm).
• Developing in a CI/CD driven environment where testing and coverage are significant aspects of development practice.
• Exposure to working with hardware controlling software e.g. EPICS, ideally via the NSLS-II Bluesky/Ophyd library.
• Knowledge/experience of Oauth2 based Authentication flows and rules-based Authorisation approaches such as OPA/OpenFGA.
• Developing software systems in a collaborative environment requiring coordination with other teams across a range of disciplines to ensure good communication and progress.
• Working as part of agile teams in sprints, to ensure best practice and deliver features.
• You will also have a technical/theoretical understanding of methods, systems and approaches relating to technical software engineering.

Benefits
Diamond offers an exceptional benefits package to support staff in achieving a positive work/life balance. This includes 26 days annual leave plus Christmas closure, public holidays, 2 annual volunteering days and flexible working hours. We also offer an excellent defined benefit pension scheme. Staff also have access to a range of amenities on site including a nursery, cafes, a restaurant and sports and leisure facilities. A relocation allowance may also be available where applicable.

As standard this role offers a hybrid working arrangement with a minimum of 3 days working onsite per week.

To Apply
Please use the online application process to apply and tell us why you believe you are suitable for this role.

The closing date for applications is 23rd November; however, we encourage early applications as some candidates may be interviewed before this date.