About this role
Oxford BioDynamics - Software Developer (DevOps Focus)
Join our dynamic team as a Software Developer (DevOps Focus) at our UK premises in Oxford and contribute to our mission of "innovation saving lives."
This is an exceptional opportunity to work at the intersection of software engineering, data science and cutting-edge life sciences technology. You'll help develop and enhance innovative software solutions supporting our proprietary EpiSwitch® platform, working alongside scientists and data specialists to turn complex biological data into meaningful insights. It's an opportunity to apply your technical skills to technology with the potential to make a real difference in healthcare and scientific innovation.
Company Overview:
We are an international biotechnology company, advancing personalized healthcare through precision clinical diagnostic tests and EpiSwitch Orion, a cloud-based 3D genomics platform that transforms existing datasets into actionable insights for pharma and biotech partners.
The EpiSwitch platform is uniquely capable of reproducibly translating 3D genome regulation for clinical application. This platform opens the doors to a portfolio of clinical smart tests based on EpiSwitch® technology aiming to help people face the most challenging health decisions with confidence, and tackle the rising costs of healthcare.
The Group’s US operations and clinical laboratory are in Frederick, Maryland. Our headquarters and UK laboratories are in Oxford, UK, and we have a reference laboratory in Penang, Malaysia.
Role Overview:
The Software Developer (DevOps Focus) works in the Data Science team to build, test, deploy and maintain software supporting Oxford Biodynamics’ products, operations and the EpiSwitch® platform. Python and R are core languages; Django and Flask support web applications and APIs.
Alongside application development, the role focuses on reliable cloud deployments, CI/CD, monitoring and production support. Working with scientists, data scientists and operational teams, the developer will deliver secure solutions using Google Cloud Platform and/or AWS.
Key Responsibilities
(not an exhaustive list, activities may change in line with business need) :
Product & Application Development
- Build and maintain Python web applications and REST APIs using Django and/or Flask (including Django REST Framework).
- Deliver Data Science product features from prototype to reliable production release.
- Build clear HTML, JavaScript and Vue.js interfaces for users of EpiSwitch® and other data.
- Integrate applications, databases and third-party tools, including laboratory and robotic systems.
- Use Git and code review to deliver tested, maintainable, deployable software.
Data Pipelines, ETL & Analytical Software
- Design, build and operate ETL/ELT pipelines that extract, transform, validate and load data into internal databases, with scheduling, logging and safe re-runs.
- Develop and operate Python and R analysis pipelines with validation and error handling.
- Support analytical packages and ML pipelines for scientific users.
- Automate import of CSV, Excel, third-party and public data into internal databases.
- Build repeatable processing and customised report-generation scripts.
Software Architecture & Database Design
- Work with users to define functional and operational requirements and document decisions.
- Contribute to application design and MySQL/PostgreSQL data models, including EpiSwitch® knowledge databases.
- Identify dependencies, deployment requirements and technical risks with the wider team.
Cloud Infrastructure, DevOps & Deployment
- Deploy and support applications and data pipelines on Google Cloud Platform and/or AWS.
- Develop CI/CD pipelines for automated builds, tests and controlled releases.
- Package applications with Docker and manage consistent runtime configurations.
- Set up monitoring, logs and alerts; investigate incidents and improve recovery.
- Apply access controls, secrets handling, security updates, data protection and cost management.
Software Testing, Security & Quality
- Maintain unit, functional and regression tests within CI/CD processes.
- Run manual and automated pre- and post-release checks, including smoke tests.
- Document code, test evidence and releases in line with company quality procedures.
Maintenance, Support & Team Obligations
- Maintain services and applications, fixing bugs, updating dependencies and addressing vulnerabilities.
- Write technical runbooks, user guides and work instructions; support demos and training.
- Resolve issues with users and project managers, collecting feedback and prioritising improvements.
- Support Data Science projects and share operational knowledge with colleagues.
Qualifications and Experience:
- BSc or MSc in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Bioinformatics or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Typically 3–5 years’ professional software development experience, including Python with Django and/or Flask.
- Experience with cloud deployments, release automation or production support across the software development life cycle.
- Life sciences, biotech or bioinformatics experience is advantageous, but not essential.
Skills:
Essential:
- Strong Python skills plus working knowledge of R or R-based analysis pipelines.
- Python web development and REST APIs with Django and/or Flask.
- Hands-on Google Cloud Platform and/or AWS application deployment or support.
- Git, Linux/UNIX, Docker and CI/CD workflows.
- MySQL/PostgreSQL, SQL and common formats such as JSON and XML.
- Building and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines in Python and SQL, including data validation, scheduling and data quality checks.
- Application troubleshooting using logs, monitoring and structured debugging.
- Automated testing, secure configuration, access controls and good data practices.
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Agile teamwork (Kanban/Scrum, e.g., Jira).
- Sound problem-solving, attention to detail and focus on service reliability.
- Clear communication with technical and non-technical colleagues.
- Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams, escalating risks.
Desirable:
- Infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform) and repeatable cloud provisioning.
- Cloud monitoring, backup/recovery and cost optimisation.
- Container orchestration (e.g., Docker Swarm) and shell scripting.
- js/TypeScript and biological or bioinformatics domain knowledge.
- ML pipelines, statistical analysis or large scientific datasets.
- Workflow orchestration (e.g., Airflow, Cloud Composer, Prefect) and cloud data services (e.g., BigQuery, Cloud Storage, AWS S3/Glue).