The University of Birmingham is hiring a Senior Research Software Engineer (Automation and DevOps) for its Advanced Research Computing (ARC) department. This central, highly technical role involves designing, delivering, and supporting the services ARC manages, with a focus on systems and integrations for headline HPC services like the Baskerville NCR system.
What You'll Do
- Develop, maintain, and support Python-based middleware libraries that integrate and control aspects of our headline HPC services.
- Design, develop, maintain, and support the web applications that support ARC’s Baskerville NCR and BEAR computing services.
- Report to BEAR Applications team management and line manage a DevOps Engineer.
- Deploy and support web applications running on BEAR Cloud virtual machines, including the use of containerisation technologies.
- Develop workflow automation with systems internal-to-ARC (e.g., GitLab) and within the wider IT Services context (e.g., ServiceNow).
- Lead the continual improvement of our testing, automation, and continuous integration (CI) pipelines.
- Collaborate with colleagues to prioritise and plan project development, allocate tasks, and enable good communication.
- Review code written by other team members to improve quality and timeliness of delivery.
- Respond to user tickets, troubleshoot incidents, and collaborate with researchers and infrastructure colleagues.
- Maintain associated user and technical documentation.
- Undertake personal and professional development to keep skills and knowledge up to date.
- Actively manage equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Support the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
- Perform any other duties commensurate with the grade.
What We're Looking For
- Educated to degree level or equivalent in a subject with a strong software engineering component, plus substantial relevant work experience. Equivalent extensive and substantial work experience will also be considered.
- Broad and deep knowledge of Python, including working with medium or large codebases.
- Experience developing software on Linux.
- Significant experience supporting live services running on Linux.
- Experience integrating different systems together using APIs.
- Knowledge and experience of up-to-date good practice for developing and maintaining Django applications.
- Broad experience using Git for version control in Python projects.
- Experience developing continuous integration pipelines.
- Experience doing detailed code reviews.
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems.
- Proven ability to work as part of a team.
Nice to Have
- A higher degree.
- Experience line managing a small team.
- Experience with version control in Git using GitHub or GitLab.
- Experience producing accessible technical documentation.
Technical Stack
- Python
- Linux
- Django
- Git
- GitLab
- ServiceNow
- Containerisation technologies
Team & Environment
You will be part of the BEAR Applications team (Research Software Group) and work closely with the Architecture, Infrastructure and Systems Group, reporting to BEAR Applications team management.
Benefits & Compensation
- Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606.
- 40 days paid holiday a year.
- One paid day a year for volunteering.
- Occupational sick pay.
- Pension scheme.
- Three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
- Access to sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme for development.
- Support for flexible working arrangements.
- On-campus state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Work Mode
This is an onsite role at the University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK.
We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
