At Sage Bionetworks, we believe in the power of open science and interdisciplinary collaboration to create a new vision of human health. We strive for actionable biomedical insights through the responsible sharing and reuse of data, all guided by our deep scientific expertise and diligent governance controls.
We're a dynamic, adaptable team, and at Sage, we highly value individuals who can flexibly navigate various roles and functions. Diversity in experiences, backgrounds, and identities is essential for our rich culture of learning and collaboration. Our partnerships, both within Sage and with external communities, are founded on principles of trust, transparency, and a commitment to growth. Together, we are leaving a lasting imprint on the fields of science and medicine.
We are hiring a Backend Software Engineer to join our technology team at Sage Bionetworks. Our engineers build the secure, scalable, and high-performance services that power open and collaborative science. From Synapse.org to our research portals and other applications in the Sage ecosystem, the tools you create will enable researchers and communities worldwide to share data, generate insights, and accelerate biomedical discoveries.
Job Summary:
As a Principal Backend Research Software Engineer, you will leverage your expertise to lead the design, prototyping, and development of core infrastructure and user-facing features across Sage Bionetworks’ platforms. Working with full autonomy, you’ll drive architectural decisions that ensure our systems are secure, scalable, and extensible, while directly influencing product functionality and user experience. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore emerging technologies in cloud services, data science, and AI/ML, shaping the future of our platforms in support of open science and accelerating biomedical discovery.
Key Responsibilities:
- Software Development: Lead the development of cutting-edge applications using programming languages and tools to create functional and efficient software.
- Requirement Analysis: Analyze user requirements to develop robust and efficient software solutions.
- Testing and Debugging: Lead and oversee unit, integration, and debugging tests to ensure software quality.
- Collaboration: Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and QA teams to ensure software meets user requirements.
- Maintenance: Oversee the updating and maintenance of existing software to enhance functionality and fix issues.
- Documentation: Document the software development process, including code and technical specifications.
- Tool Development: Lead and innovate the development of tools for data tracking, scalability, and reproducibility in scientific collaborations.
- Product Improvement: Collaborate with scientists and developers to drive improvements in products like Synapse and other integrations.
- Technical Documentation: Provide comprehensive technical documentation to support users and developers.
- Community Engagement: Participate and lead in external groups and communities to stay informed on best practices.
- Code Reviews: Conduct and lead code reviews, providing strategic feedback to improve code quality.
- Tool Reliability: Use advanced packages and frameworks to build reliable tools for biomedical data interaction.
- Lifecycle Participation: Participate in and lead the software development life cycle, including requirements analysis and design.
- Mentorship: Mentor and develop junior developers by performing code reviews and setting coding standards.
- Technology Trends: Stay aware of technological trends and advancements, recommending strategic product enhancements.
We’d Love to Hear from You If You:
- A BS or MS in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent training.
- 8+ years of professional software development experience.
- Strong Java programming skills, plus experience with another modern backend language (e.g., Python, TypeScript/Node.js) and a willingness to learn.
- Experience building, deploying, and supporting software in production environments.
- Expertise with collaborative development and version control systems (e.g., Git).
- Practical experience with software development lifecycles and agile methodologies.
- Familiarity with software development tools such as IDEs (Eclipse), Jira, Maven, GitHub, etc.
- Commitment to test-driven development, continuous integration (CI), continuous deployment (CD), and rapid, automated release cycles.
- Strong verbal, written, and organizational skills, with the ability to multitask and thrive in a dynamic environment.
- Curiosity to explore new tools and frameworks and contribute ideas that advance our technology.
- Interest in AI/ML-driven applications, data science workflows, or large-scale data platforms.
- Passion for open science and building technology that supports global research communities.
- Working knowledge of SQL and relational databases.
- Comfortable working in cloud-based IT or HPC/cluster environments.
- Experience working with biomedical data (genomic, imaging, or clinical).
- Expert experience with containerization technologies (Docker, Singularity).
Bonus points if you have:
- Experience with cloud-native development and orchestration tools such as Kubernetes.
- Familiarity with modern backend frameworks like Spring Boot, FastAPI, or Node.js/Express.
- Knowledge of infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, AWS CDK, CloudFormation).
- Experience building scientific, data-driven, or scholarly products.
- Comfort applying agile/iterative practices to research-driven projects.
Job Functions and Physical Requirements
The following cognitive and physical activities outline the essential functions required for successful job performance. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to fulfill these functions.
Physical Demands
- Extended periods of sitting at a desk and using a computer.
- Repeated wrist, hand, and finger movements.
- Requires clear vision for tasks like data analysis, transcribing, computer use, and reading.
- Occasionally lifting or moving objects weighing up to 10 pounds.
Cognitive Demands
- Able to work effectively under deadlines.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Attention to detail and accuracy.
- Flexibility to adapt to changing environments, priorities and multitask.
Additional Requirements
- Travel is required a minimum of two times per year for on-site events in Seattle, WA.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills.
- Works well in a team and maintains professionalism.
- Follows company policies, procedures, and relevant laws and regulations.
Note: This list is not exhaustive and may be subject to modification as job duties evolve.
About Us
Sage Bionetworks is a nonprofit biomedical research organization that was founded in Seattle in 2009. We focus on advancing human health through open science practices and radical collaboration, with a view to breaking down existing silos in science and technology. Through our work, we guide responsible data sharing and reuse, benchmark scientific methods and results, and empower participants to be active partners in research. We are a bold team of scientists, engineers, product developers, governance specialists and business experts, working to bring data and communities together in unique ways that accelerate medical progress. As a growing organization, Sage is supported through a dynamic portfolio of competitive research grants, commercial partnerships, and philanthropic contributions.
Sage Bionetworks is pleased to offer a comprehensive benefit package, competitive to both commercial and not-for-profit life science organizations. The plan includes: health, dental, vision, life, AD&D and long term disability benefits; paid time off; a retirement plan; flexible spending accounts; a shared incentives plan, voluntary long term care insurance, and other voluntary products. Additional information can found here: Benefits – Sage Bionetworks
At Sage Bionetworks, we implement equitable workplace strategies to guarantee fair compensation. Actual compensation is determined based on current market data, experience, and internal pay parity. This position is classified as a Sage Principal, Advisory level position, with a hiring salary range of $124,900 to $169,230. New hires typically receive an offer between the minimum and midpoint of the range, although higher offers may be considered based on experience and market conditions.
We have a distributed workforce and support remote and/or on-site hybrid work arrangements within the United States. All interviews will be conducted virtually unless otherwise communicated.
At Sage Bionetworks, we uphold equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants without bias to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status. We strictly prohibit discrimination and harassment based on these protected categories, in compliance with federal and state equal employment opportunity laws.