Software Developer - MLC 1869

View Vacancy -- Software Developer - MLC 1869
Open Date
23/06/2022, 13:46
Close Date
24/07/2022, 23:55
Research Institute  
MRC Mary Lyon Centre
Research Institute / Unit Information  

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) https://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/ is located in an expanding science innovation park in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research. As the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, the specialist facilities and capabilities of the MLC supports a package of distinctive research clusters spread across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human disease.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or in the support functions.  The MRC encourages the integration of clinical and discovery research to elucidate both disease processes and potential new therapies. The Mary Lyon Centre focuses on supporting pre-clinical research using mouse models, which supports clinical research and therapy discovery.

The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training and development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.

UK Research and Innovation is a new entity that brings together nine partners to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, more information can be found at www.ukri.org
Band  
MRC - 4
Location  
Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire
Salary  
£32,005 – £35,143 per annum (depending on experience)
Allowances  
£6,500 Bioinformatics allowance per annum
Contract Type  
Permanent
Job Type  
Technical & Scientific Professionals
Full Time / Part Time  
Full Time
Job Description  

Overall purpose:

We are seeking an enthusiastic software developer to join MLC at MRC Harwell’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) Development Team.  The successful applicant will be responsible for developing and supporting web-based data capture and visualization solutions across a range of interesting projects. 

The ideal candidate will be an experienced Java developer, with a computing degree or relevant experience, and a proven track record in delivering professional software solutions.

First-hand experience in all software-development lifecycle phases, and use of the Agile software-development methodology would be beneficial. 

Working within an established and dynamic Agile software-development team within a large informatics department, you will collaborate closely with other informatics staff and stakeholders. 

The successful candidate will be involved in all aspects of the software-development lifecycle, from requirements gathering, design and implementation, through to testing and support of the live system. 

Our principle technologies are; Java (JSE & JEE), Javascript, Spring framework, GWT, JSF, web services, HTML and SQL.

The team employs Agile/Scrum project management and familiarity with this would be advantageous.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a large, collaborative informatics department, which has excellent infrastructural IT support.

 

Main duties / key responsibilities: 

• The design, development and support of robust production-level software tools that meet the requirements of stakeholders in supporting their research activities
• Participate in collaborative development within a well-established Scrum team, including contributing to choices of appropriate technologies, code peer-reviewing and team process improvement
• Meet regularly with stakeholders to elicit requirements and report upon sprint progress
• Provide support to users, efficiently tracing and fixing technical faults and fielding user queries

 

Working relationships: 

• Collaborate with other LIMS team members in designing, developing and supporting innovative and high-quality software solutions
• Work closely with various stakeholders to agree system requirements and support their use of the software tools developed
• Collaborate with other informatics teams where necessary on joint projects to implement shared solutions
• Collaborate with the LIMS team in developing ideas for continual process improvement
• Report progress to the Head of Infrastructural IT

Role benefits:  

30 days annual leave plus public holidays

A defined-benefit pension scheme

The bioinformatics allowance of £6,500 per annum paid monthly as part of your salary

Employee Assistance and Wellbeing Programmes

Opportunities for remote, hybrid and flexible working

Funding available for professional training courses and certification

Cycle to work scheme

Annual flu vaccinations

Free on-site parking and subsidised canteen

 

Informatics at MRC Harwell: 

The Informatics Department is currently composed of four teams - the LIMS team (5 people) which the post holder would be joining; the Data-Management team (3 people) responsible for our scientific data; the Data-Coordination-Centre team (5 people) responsible for managing all International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium project systems and data; and the IT Infrastructure team (6 people) responsible for all IT hardware on site.

Equality & Diversity:

The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all.  Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities.  The MRC is committed to the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages excellence in scientific research through good equality and diversity leadership and management. 

Corporate/Local responsibilities & requirements:

The post holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRC’s: 

• Code of Conduct
• Equality and Diversity policy
• Health and Safety policy
• Data Protection and Security policy 

Job descriptions should be reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal.  Any changes should be made and agreed between the postholder and their manager. 

The above lists are not exhaustive, and the post holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post.  All employees are required to act professionally, co-operatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC. 

Person Specification  

Education / Qualifications / Training required:

Essential:

• A strong computer science and/or software-development training and background up to BSc/MSc level, or with significant relevant experience 

Desirable:

• A background in a scientific, mathematical or engineering field

Previous work experience required:

Essential:

• Experience of developing production-quality software applications using Java technologies
• Experience of working within a collaborative, project-focused development team 

Desirable:

• Experience of interpreting client requirements and translating them into software solutions
• Experience of all phases of the software-development lifecycle (requirements gathering, design, implementation testing and release).

 

Knowledge and experience:

Essential:

• High level of competency in Java and relational-database-driven programming
• Competency in web-client technologies (Javascript, HTML, CSS)
• Strong object-oriented software-development skills

 Desirable:

• Experience in all software-development lifecycle phases
• Experience of Spring framework, JSF, GWT, web services, Junit
• Relational database design and development
• Agile with Scrum software-development methodology

Personal skills / behaviours / qualities:

Essential:

• Strong communication and organisation skills
• A proactive, self-motivating attitude to project delivery
• An ability to work both collaboratively and independently
• An ability to create concise and effective documentation 

Desirable:

• Ability to contribute ideas as part of our continual improvement process
• Good presentation skills

Further Information  

In 2018 the Medical Research Council (MRC) was incorporated into UK Research and Innovation (https://www.ukri.org/ ), which brought together 7 research councils, plus Research England and Innovate UK, to form a large independent organisation leading research and innovation within the UK.

MLC specialises in using the mouse as a model organism for studying gene function and the causes of human disease. It offers a range of core services that support the scientific community, including the generation of new mouse models, the characterisation of these models, biobanking and worldwide distribution. Our success is underpinned by the highest animal welfare standard and a commitment to the development and implementation of cutting-edge technologies.

 In addition, to our core scientific services the MLC is home to the Advance Training Centre https://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/training/ , which offers practical and theoretical training courses across a wide spectrum of career paths. We are also proud supporters of the Technician Commitment https://sciencecouncil.org/employers/technician-commitment/ .

The MRC is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or the support functions.The MRC is a unique working environment where our researchers are rewarded by world class innovation and collaboration opportunities that the MRC name brings. The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.
Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UKRI) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.
We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.