(ID: 2024-5760)

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Axle is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) located in Rockville, MD.

Benefits We Offer:

100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
401K match up to 5%
Educational Benefits for Career Growth
Employee Referral Bonus
Flexible Spending Accounts:
- Healthcare (FSA)
- Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
- Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
- Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)

We are looking for a skilled and motivated senior software engineer with expertise in algorithm development, distributed systems, software design, and scientific workflow automation. You will be involved with developing scientific workflow software supporting our open-source molecular modeling, image analysis, and scientific data platform. The software will facilitate high throughput screening, drug discovery, and other molecular modeling efforts across the NIH.

You will work with synthetic chemists, assay biologists, and other domain experts to translate their needs into requirements for the platform. You will participate in software design and documentation; stay current with technical literature; and stay informed about new approaches and technologies. You will also be involved in performing detailed code review and mentoring junior developers.

You should have experience in developing Python and JavaScript applications using best practices such as type annotations, unit testing, etc. Experience with Typescript and REST APIs is required. Ideally you will have some experience dealing with distributed systems and issues such as synchronization & atomicity, network timeouts & polling loops, schedulers, retry mechanisms, message brokers, etc.

Responsibilities:

Co-lead the development and maintenance of a Common Workflow Language (CWL) based Domain-Specific Language compiler

Co-lead the design and creation of tools and interfaces which enable the automation and execution of large-scale drug discovery workflows on our integrated computational platform

Implement backend code generation targeting different compute environments (HPC cluster, AWS cluster)

Develop driver libraries that interact with various job schedulers (Slurm, Argo, Airflow, etc...)

Collaborate with biologists, computational chemists, clinicians, and core facility members to understand their experimental and technical goals and translate those goals into software design specifications

Write clear, generalizable, organized code that is unit tested with proper documentation.

Stay up to date with latest development in CWL standard and ecosystem

Act as an expert technical resource for software development staff in all phases of the development and implementation process

Qualifications:

All candidates should have:

Strong experience with Python and Javascript ecosystem and data models

Familiarity with at least one of the following workflow platforms: CWL, WDL, Nextflow, SnakeMake, Galaxy, Seven Bridges (now Velsera), etc...

Solid understanding of compiler design principles, including lexical analysis, parsing, semantic analysis, and code generation

Strong knowledge of algorithms, data structures, and their application in compiler development

Ability to tackle complex problems, debug issues effectively, and implement efficient solutions

Experience with version control and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD)

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, and record keeping skills

Curiosity and the ability to learn new things. We understand everyone can’t know everything, but you should be curious and able to apply new ideas when presented to you.

The ideal candidate will have:

A bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, computer engineering, bioengineering, statistics, chemical engineering, life sciences, or related STEM fields

Previous experience in designing and implementing domain-specific languages

Experience of developing complex workflows using CWL

Minimum two years practical experience or relevant education experience (e.g. MS, PhD, Post-Doc can serve in lieu of professional experience)

Good understanding of various distributed computing paradigms

Experience of using job schedulers (Slurm, Argo, etc...)

Familiarity with cloud computing services (AWS EC2, GCP, or Azure)

Experience creating Docker images, including best practices

Experience with package managers (conda/mamba, pip, apt, etc...)

Experience with CI/CD scripts (Github Actions, etc) is preferred

Experience with software development best practices

Demonstrated ability to write high-quality, production-ready code (readable, well-tested, with well-designed APIs)

Experience with large data sets

Experience implementing systems and supporting non-technical scientific staff

A strong work ethic, and the ability to design projects within diverse research areas and datasets

Disclaimer: The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed.

The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.

Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: careers@axleinfo.com

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