The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics is an internationally recognized non-profit organization, dedicated to biological and biomedical data science. Its data scientists are passionate about creating knowledge and solving complex questions in many fields, from biodiversity and evolution to medicine. They provide essential databases and software platforms as well as bioinformatics expertise and services to academic, clinical, and industry groups. SIB federates the Swiss bioinformatics community of some 900 scientists, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing. The Institute contributes to keeping Switzerland at the forefront of innovation by fostering progress in biological research and enhancing health.

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To reinforce our team in Lausanne, Switzerland, we are seeking a

Software Developer

Employer

SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics

Work Location

Geneva, Switzerland

Employment fraction

80% - 100%

Type of contract

permanent

Job tasks

The Software Developer will be part of our IT team and will serve as the primary developer for Cellosaurus, SIB's internationally used cell line knowledge resource, as well as performing a range of IT development work including back-end services and applications across SIB's portfolio.

The person will develop, operate, and maintain software systems with a strong emphasis on research data quality, semantic interoperability, and long-term maintainability. They will contribute to software architecture decisions and act as the primary technical contact for Cellosaurus stakeholders.

The successful candidate will play a key role in exchanging knowledge with the IT team and scientific groups to share best practices.

The Software Developer's mission will be:

Serve as the technical reference point for Cellosaurus, coordinating with Team lead, curators, and wider IT team
Development and maintenance of website, REST APIs, semantic web services, and other online tools
Creation of data management tools and data validation
Actively remain up to date on web development tools and methods
Ensure tools maintenance and end-user support as needed
Write or participate in the writing of documentation (user documentation, software documentation)

Work location: Geneva with regular presence in Lausanne (2 days per month)

Profile requirements

Minimum 5 years of experience in software development projects

Essential

Strong experience with Python for back-end services and data processing (FastAPI, Django, or Flask)
Knowledge of relational databases (MySQL / MariaDB) and SQL
Practical experience with Git
Proficient working on Linux with web servers (Nginx, Apache)

Strong asset

SPARQL, RDF, and semantic web technologies (triple stores, ontologies, OWL)
Experience with PHP stack: Laravel, Drupal
Frontend web development tooling: JavaScript / CSS (Tailwind CSS), npm and Vite.js
Docker and containerized deployment; CI/CD pipelines
Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools (e.g. Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) and ability to integrate them effectively into a software development workflow
Knowledge of JVM languages (Java, Scala)
Full-text search engines (Solr or Meilisearch)
Experience in a scientific or research data context, ideally life sciences or bioinformatics

Soft skills

Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
Problem-solving and analytical thinking
Ability to work independently and take initiative
Attention to detail and commitment to quality
Fluent in English and French
Good written and verbal communication skills

How to apply

SIB is committed to ensuring and fostering diversity and equal opportunities in the workplace as well as in the scientific ecosystem. If you are interested in this challenging and highly interesting position, please submit your application including CV and letter of motivation through our online portal by clicking the "Apply" button.

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