Full Stack Software Developer

About the team

We are seeking a Full Stack Software Developer to join the BioSamples team at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI).

BioSamples is a core biological metadata repository that stores, validates, and serves sample metadata for life-science research. It underpins major public archives such as ENA, ArrayExpress, and Human Cell Atlas, enabling FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data submissions at scale.The resource manages millions of samples and integrates with multiple submission pipelines and archive systems, providing programmatic APIs used globally by researchers, data brokers and data repositories.

You will join a collaborative and multidisciplinary team of software developers and bioinformaticians working together to support open science and improve the interoperability of biological data across the life science data ecosystem. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to critical scientific infrastructure that enables large scale reuse of biological sample metadata across genomics, functional genomics, biodiversity and biomedical research.

Your role

As a Senior Full-Stack Software Developer within the BioSamples team, you will contribute to the design, development and maintenance of the software systems that support BioSamples data submission, validation and retrieval services.

You will work across the full technology stack, contributing to backend services, APIs and large-scale metadata processing pipelines, as well as user-facing web applications that support the submission and exploration of biological sample metadata. Your work will support the continued development of BioSamples submission and validation services, ensuring that researchers can submit high-quality metadata describing biological samples linked to sequencing, genomics and other life science datasets.

In this role you will work closely with other developers, bioinformaticians, data curators and product owners within EMBL-EBI, as well as collaborators across international life science data infrastructures. You will contribute to building reliable, scalable and maintainable software systems that support the long-term management and accessibility of biological sample metadata.

You will also contribute to system architecture, technical direction and long-term platform evolution alongside senior engineers and product owners, helping shape the future of BioSamples as part of the wider EMBL-EBI ecosystem.

You will have

• A university degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience

• 5+ years of hands-on experience developing full stack software applications

• Strong programming experience with Java (preferably 17+) and the Spring framework

• Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs and backend services

• Experience developing frontend applications using Angular, React or similar modern web frameworks

• Experience working with relational and/or NoSQL databases (e.g. MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch)

• Experience designing systems that ensure performance, reliability and scalability of services handling millions of biological sample records and high-volume metadata submissions

• Experience working with containerisation technologies such as Docker and orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes

• Experience working in Unix/Linux environments, including use of Git and command line tools

• Experience using AI-assisted development tools and modern software engineering workflows

• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative team

• Excellent communication, interpersonal and English language skills

You might also have

• Experience with authentication and authorisation technologies such as OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect

• Experience working with JSON schema validation or metadata-driven system

• Experience with monitoring and observability tools such as Grafana, Kibana or similar

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g. GitLab CI)

• Experience with event-driven architectures or messaging systems such as Kafka or RabbitMQ

• Knowledge of FAIR data principles and open scientific data standards

• Experience working with large scientific datasets or bioinformatics data resources

• Experience contributing to open-source or international scientific infrastructure projects

Contract Length: 18-month fixed-term, project-based Staff Member contract.

Salary: Grade 6.0 - Monthly salary starting at £3,695 per month after tax but excluding pension and insurance contributions. Plus, generous benefits.

Next steps: 

 This vacancy is open from Tuesday, 12th May with a  scheduled closing date of Sunday, 24th May 2026. 

Please submit an up- to-date CV and supporting cover letter outlining your motivations for applying and highlighting relevant transferable skills and experiences. 

*** We will review applications on a rolling basis and so encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible. ***

Where can I find out more?

Read about the team, here: https://www.ebi.ac.uk/about/teams/data-coordination-and-archiving/

Why join us

Do something meaningful
At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.
 

Join a culture of innovation
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential.  Watch this video to see how EMBL-EBI makes an impact.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements - including hybrid working patterns 

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if required)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances

• Benefits for non-UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here. 

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Please take a look at our International Applicants page for further information.  

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date