Group Leader Research Software Engineering

DIGITAL SERVICES DIVISION RATONGA MATIHIKO
INFORMATION SYSTEMS TE POUTOKO TUKUTUKU

About our team Mō te tīma

The University of Otago NewZealands oldest university is seeking a Group Leader Research Software Engineering to join the eResearch Support team in the Digital Division.

You will provide leadership to a team of specialist Research Software Engineers and scientific programmers who deliver advanced high impact software solutions that underpin the Universitys research mission. Working within a collaborative values driven environment you will help shape and grow Otagos research software capability supporting world class research across a wide range of disciplines.

The team plays a critical role in ensuring that research software and solutions are robust secure sustainable and aligned with modern best practice and institutional strategy.

The role Te mahi

As Group Leader Research Software Engineering you will provide both strategic and hands on technical leadership to a multidisciplinary team delivering complex research focused software solutions. The role spans software engineering scientific computing data science and numerical modelling and requires close engagement with academic researchers research infrastructure providers and Digital Division colleagues.

You will lead the design development and optimisation of research software systems while also setting direction standards and ways of working that promote high quality sustainable and reproducible research software. Leadership and expertise in research data management (RDM) to ensure that research software and computational workflows support high quality sustainable and compliant research data practices across the University is a significant focus.

You will be key to translating research challenges into effective computational solutions and ensuring the team adopts modern tools methods and secure development practices.

This position combines people leadership technical authority and stakeholder engagement and plays a central role in the Universitys digital research ecosystem.

Key tasks of the role include:
Providing strategic technical and people leadership to a team of Research Software Engineers and scientific programmers including performance management capability development and workforce planning.
Leading and overseeing the design development and delivery of complex research software applications models and computational workflows.
Working closely with academic researchers to translate research requirements into robust scalable and sustainable software solutions.
Establishing and promoting best practice in software design development methodologies version control testing documentation and security.
Acting as a senior technical authority and providing specialist advice across research software engineering scientific modelling numerical analysis and data science.
Guiding the adoption of modern tools frameworks and platforms including high performance and large scale computing environments.
Managing technical risk resolving complex problems and driving continuous improvement in software quality and delivery.
Providing leadership and specialist advice on research data management practices ensuring that research software workflows and computational platforms support secure sustainable and compliant handling of research data across the research lifecycle
Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal stakeholders research partners and external collaborators including national eResearch and HPC providers.

Your skills and experience Kā pūkeka me kā wheako

You will be a credible technical leader with a strong background in research focused software development and a passion for enabling high quality research through software. You will be comfortable operating at both a strategic and hands on level able to guide complex technical work while supporting and developing others.

You will bring a collaborative consultative approach and be able to communicate effectively with researchers technical specialists and senior stakeholders.

Successful candidates will also have:
A postgraduate qualification (Masters or PhD) in a relevant discipline with a significant computational component or equivalent experience.
Significant experience in software development within research academic or scientific computing environments.
Proven leadership experience managing and developing technical teams.
Strong expertise in modern programming languages commonly used in research software (e.g. Python R C/C Fortran Julia).
Experience applying scientific computing numerical methods data science or computational modelling techniques to real world research problems.
A strong understanding of software engineering principles development methodologies and version control systems.
Experience working with high performance or large scale computing environments and research infrastructure.
Excellent stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to provide authoritative specialist advice.
Experience with reproducible research practices FAIR and CARE data principles open source software and secure research software environments will be highly regarded.

Further details Pūroko

This is a permanent full-time (37.5 hours week) position based in Ōtepoti Dunedin.

The salary range for this position is $116406 to $126703. Top of range $134425.

The University of Otago is a workplace that values and utilises diverse and inclusive thinking people and behaviours. This means that the contributions of staff with diverse backgrounds experiences skills and perspectives are valued and respected.

For further information or to discuss the role in confidence please contact Dave Robertson via the contact details below.

Application Tono

To submit your application (including CV and cover letter) please click the apply button.

Applications quoting reference numberwill close on Sunday 10 May 2026.

Additional Information

Contact: Dave RobertsonTel:

Position details: Job Description

Further Information: Department Website

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Location: About Dunedin