Senior Software Engineer Translational Genomics

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Location:Cambridge MA (hybrid in-office at least one to two days per week)

Position:Senior Software Engineer Full Stack

About the Role

The Translational Genomics Group builds open-source software that accelerates rare disease this role you will become a key contributor to seqr a platform used internationally by many research groups and consortia to search large genomic datasets and identify disease-causing variants to empower families and discover novel biology. seqr has helped provide genetic diagnoses to more than 5000 rare disease families.

You will work across the full stack cloud deployments data pipelines backend APIs databases and user interfaces. Youll start with well-scoped tasks guided by our lead software engineer and progressively take on larger more complex tasks and ownership of areas of the system as your capabilities grow.

What Were Looking For

We value technical aptitude and willingness to learn just as highly as pre-existing domain knowledge. You should be able to work independently and solve engineering problems with minimal mentoring on the technical side. The genomic and clinical domain is complex and constantly changing were prepared to invest in a longer learning curve there. You dont need to arrive knowing genomics. You do need to arrive ready to build software independently and take ownership of your work.

Responsibilities

• Develop features across the full platform: data pipelines (Python/Hail) backend services (Python/Django) databases (PostgreSQL ClickHouse) and frontend interfaces (React Redux).
• Assist with deployment related troubleshooting and maintenance
• Work independently on assigned tasks growing in scope and complexity over time.
• Collaborate with the lead software engineer on design and architecture progressively taking on more scoping and design work as you gain experience.
• Maintain and extend data pipelines that ingest genomic data annotate variants and load them into analytical databases.
• Build and improve user interfaces that help researchers find disease-causing variants.
• Understand the deployed environment well enough to assist with maintenance and troubleshooting when needed.
• Write tests participate in code review and contribute to CI/CD workflows.
• Collaborate with computational biologists clinicians and researchers to translate requirements into well-engineered solutions.

Relevant Technologies

• Python/Django
• JavaScript/ Cloud Platform (Dataproc GCS Cloud Build)
• Hail(genomic data processing framework)
• Docker/Terraform/Helm
• Bash/Unix/Linux environments
• Git

Experience with all technologies is not required. AI-assisted coding tools can be used where appropriate.

Requirements

• Requires 5 years of related experience with a Bachelors degree in related discipline; or 3 years and a Masters degree. Candidates with a PhD in a related field will also be considered.
• Full-stack experience comfortable across backend database and frontend layers.
• Strong Python and Javascript skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage your own time effectively.
• Openness to AI-assisted development tools with good judgment about responsible use around sensitive data.
• Strong communication skills and comfort working with non-technical collaborators.
• Curiosity and adaptability willingness to learn new domains and technologies on the job.
• Availability to be in the office at least twice per week.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Redux or similar frontend frameworks.
• Experience with PostgreSQL ClickHouse or related databases.
• Experience with data pipelines ETL or data-intensive applications.
• Familiarity with Google Cloud Platform Docker Terraform and Helm.
• Experience with genomics bioinformatics or clinical data environments (HIPAA PHI).
• Experience with Hail or workflow orchestration tools.

Growth and Development

This role is designed to grow with you. Youll start with well-defined tasks with guidance readily available progressively take on larger areas of the system and have a voice in where you focus while maintaining breadth across the platform. The goal is for you to move toward a collaborative relationship with the lead engineer influencing architecture and helping scope work over time.

Team Environment

The seqr team is small and highly productive. You will work closely with a lead software engineer and product owner who provides direction and design guidance with the explicit goal of needing to do less of that over time. The team operates with clear technical leadership and shared accountability.

The broader group works at the frontiers of genomic medicine. We value intellectual curiosity creativity and collaboration across disciplines. We expect our engineers to be open to adopting new tools and technologies - including AI-assisted coding - as they prove useful. The work is fast moving and loosely structured we need teammates who are engaged in the mission committed to quality engineering and comfortable learning new domains.

We are committed to building a diverse team. We know many excellent candidates choose not to apply despite their capabilities if you are a software engineer eager to grow professionally and participate in high-impact open science we encourage you to apply.