Data Services Engineer/Architect

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a world leader in scientific research and provision of biomolecular data resources. Across six European sites, EMBL provides a broad range of data services to the scientific community, from internal data management support to globally used resources like UniProt or Ensembl. The EMBL Data Science Centre is looking for a Data Services Engineer/Architect working at EMBL Heidelberg to optimise the management of its data services; your exact role in the team will adapt to your profile, skills and career development interests.

Your role

You will develop and implement strategies to efficiently catalog, harmonise and promote EMBL data services across its six European sites, making them optimally accessible for interactive, computational, and agentic/AI use. You will also contribute to implementation of service life cycle management strategies, from exploration to sunsetting stage. 

As part of the EMBL Data Science Centre, you will be based at EMBL Heidelberg with a strong component of pan-EMBL collaboration, in particular with EMBL-EBI in Cambridge, UK, but also including additional EMBL sites. 

You will 

• Intensively interact with data service providers across EMBL sites;
• Develop strategies to efficiently harmonise, extend and maintain existing service catalogs across EMBL sites; 
• Expose available services efficiently to the EMBL-internal and external scientific community through EMBL web sites, APIs, and agentic/AI interfaces and strategies like MCP servers;
• Contribute to the development of service impact monitoring strategies, in collaboration with the EMBL scientific community;
• Contribute to the data service life cycle management across long time scales from conception to sunsetting as well as shorter time scales like interface change management and availability monitoring;
• Provide internal and external training for service providers and users;
• Contribute to projects like Bio.tools.

You have

• A Master’s degree or higher in Computer Science or in a related technical field;
• Strong understanding of software engineering best practices: code quality, testing (automated), continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD), performance optimisation, maintainability;
• Experience developing web applications using frameworks such as Vue.js or Angular;
• Professional experience developing web services/interfaces/APIs for external users in a production environment;
• Good knowledge of API documentation frameworks like OpenAPI or Swagger;
• Hands-on experience with cloud deployment and services;
• Strong communication skills, as expected for a pan-EMBL role.

You might also have

• a PhD in computational biology, bioinformatics or a related field;
• Experience in the development and implementation of community standards for computational services;
• Experience in the life cycle management of software products or computational services;
• Experience in working in open-source projects;
• Experience in training and writing efficient user documentation.

The successful candidate should be able to work independently, while being an excellent team player, be user/community oriented, open-minded and creative. Fluency in English and willingness to travel regularly are mandatory. 

Other helpful information

Contract length: 3 years (renewable up to 9 years max)

Salary: Grade 5 (monthly salary starting from 4.031,02 EUR after tax, excluding EMBL pension and insurance contributions of 12,99%, plus generous benefits)

Application instructions
Please submit your structured CV along with a cover letter that reflects your own voice and motivation. We are genuinely interested in understanding why you see this as the right next step in your career and whether you are prepared to relocate to Heidelberg.

Why join our team

You believe in open-source software and Open Science; you want to work in a renowned scientific, international and academic environment; you are creative and like innovative solutions; you want to make a difference.  This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a team at the cutting edge of technology and work at a world-leading institute. EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation with a very collegial and family friendly working environment. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme, medical, educational and other social benefits. We encourage personal and professional development and are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their potential at work.

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, 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

• 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 to public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)

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

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers: 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. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

• 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