Senior Professional Specialist in Technical Innovation and Development

The Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University is a large, multinational community of researchers, professional services staff and students from a diverse range of backgrounds. 

We tackle the big diseases and health concerns of our time by forming partnerships with researchers and building lasting relationships with the public. Find out more about the Centre and working with us here.

You will work as a Senior Software Developer within the Centre for Trials Research (CTR), designing, developing, and maintaining clinical trial information systems using modern PHP-based web frameworks. You will contribute across the full development lifecycle, ensuring applications are secure, reliable, and suitable for use in validated clinical research environments.

You will have strong experience building web applications using PHP, HTML, JavaScript, and relational databases, working in Linux server environments and using Git. The role involves contributing to system architecture, developing reusable components, supporting releases across development, test, and production environments, and resolving complex technical issues across multiple platforms.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams to translate study requirements into technical solutions. You will provide specialist guidance on application design, data management, security, authentication and access control, and system integration, and will lead small-scale development initiatives where required.

This position suits a self-motivated and detail-oriented individual who can manage priorities, communicate effectively with technical and non-technical colleagues, and take ownership of delivered work. You will bring a pragmatic and professional approach to software development, balancing technical quality with reliable delivery.

With a culture of continuous professional and career development the Centre has an excellent track record of helping people develop in their areas of interest, with many progressing within the Centre itself, the wider University or further afield.

For informal discussions, please contact the recruiter Nigel Kirby (Head of Data and Technology/Research Fellow) by email KirbyN@cardiff.ac.uk or by phone (0)29 20687517.

This position is full-time (35 hours per week), available from 1st May 2026 and fixed-term until 30 April 2027.

This role is eligible to be offered on a blended working basis, meaning that as well as spending time working on campus, you can also choose to spend some time working from another location, e.g. your home. The University is committed to offering this flexibility, wherever the role and business need allows, supporting work-life balance.

Salary: £41,064 - £46,049 per annum (Grade 6). Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days annual leave (incl. bank holidays), local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments within the pay scale, and more. It's an exciting and vibrant place to work with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter. Business needs will require some degree of office-based working but the balance of time can be spent in the office or remotely (subject to agreement with the line manager).

Closing date: Sunday, 3 May 2026

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

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