Software Developer (Backend)

About the Role

• Develop reliable, maintainable software using Python-based technologies and modern web frameworks.
• Support deployment, testing, security, monitoring, and ongoing system maintenance.
• Contribute to the design of cloud-ready architectures ensuring COSMIC platforms remain secure, scalable, and resilient.
• Co-design and implement high quality, readable and clean APIs and web services using Python, Django.
• Assume responsibility for deployment, testing, security, monitoring, and maintenance of COSMIC products.
• Create and deliver designs for cloud-ready and cloud-agnostic, sustainable, enterprise-level business system architectures.
• Design frameworks facilitating globally resilient, portable, scalable, flexible, and secure multi-site website presence.
• Develop user authentication tools accommodating commercial purchases and free access accounts.
• Support novel and existing products and dependent infrastructure.
• Participate in new product development life cycle and Agile delivery.
• Interact with a multi-talented team working on an enterprise grade website with a large user base and high traffic volume.

About You

• Skilled and passionate Software Developer (Backend) caring about writing clean, high quality, readable and maintainable code.
• Good communicator able to understand goals of the collaborative COSMIC team and its global customers.
• Collaborate with Software Development Leads and Product Management.
• Help co-design a new suite of bespoke enterprise-level systems and maintain existing legacy systems.
• Technical experience with GCP or AWS and Docker.
• Understand importance of automation, CICD pipelines and infrastructure as code.
• Technical experience on Web frameworks - Django, Django-Rest-Framework, FastAPI and/or NodeJS.

Essential Technical Skills

• Expertise in Python with familiarity of JavaScript.
• Experience in web frameworks - Django, Django-Rest-Framework, FastAPI and/or NodeJS.
• Experience in writing unit tests, integration tests and applying TDD.
• Understanding clean code principles and thoughtful use of design patterns.
• Experience using containers (Docker), working in a Cloud environment.
• Knowledge of writing and consuming RESTful APIs.
• Knowledge of building web services that depend on complex Database relationships.

Essential Competencies and Behaviours

• Demonstrable, enthusiastic, can-do, learn, proactive attitude.
• Enthusiasm, commitment and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritise activities and manage own workload independently.
• Ability to explain technical issues effectively to non-technical users.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to understand scientific and technical challenges.
• Excellent, broad-based and self-reliant problem-solving skills.
• Shows curiosity and willingness to learn new technologies, tools, and ways of working.
• Adjusts to changing requirements, priorities, or technical approaches.
• Welcomes feedback from peers and seniors.
• Collaborates effectively with team members and contributes to shared goals.

About Us

• COSMIC is the key information source in global human cancer research, growing rapidly in content, scope, and value.
• Role supports evolution and expansion of web services and products.
• Opportunity to apply best practices in software development, writing clean code and test-driven development.
• COSMIC data gathered from various sources into databases.
• Position helps provide new websites and generate interactive visualisations of curation data.

Other Information

• Salary per annum: £38,219 - £45,000
• Role Profile: Software Developer job family: Grade 3
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Recruitment Process: Shortlisting w/c 4th May, Screening interview w/c 11th May, Campus Interviews w/c 25th May or w/c 1st June
• Closing date: 3rd May 2026

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger

• Hybrid working offers improved work-life balance and focused time.
• Hybrid arrangement varies for different roles and teams.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool.
• Supportive culture with staff networks: LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity.
• Commitment to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits

• Awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme.
• Commitment to reduce work-related stress.
• Signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative since March 2018.