Position Title: Software Engineer

Requisition ID: 1275

Department: Faculty of Health Sciences

City: Cape Town

Software Engineer (Bioinformatics)

(3-year contract; Payclass 10)

Computational Biology Division

Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences

Faculty of Health Sciences

The Computational Biology Division, which is in the Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences and the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, leads the Bioinformatics activities at the University of Cape Town. The group also currently leads the African Bioinformatics Institute (ABI) and is a member of the TREvolution project. We are seeking a Software Engineer to work on the technical implementation and support of Trusted Research Environments (TREs) for several projects that include TREvolution and TRE development and implementation for the African Population Cohorts Consortium (APCC) through the ABI. He/she will also work with data experts and will contribute to development and implementation of GA4GH standards and APIs for federated analysis. Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for this 3-year, fixed term contract position of a Software Engineer, for appointment as soon as possible. The position will be situated in the Computational Biology Division at the University of Cape Town.

Requirements:

Honours degree in a discipline such as Computer Science, Engineering or Information Systems with 4-5 years’ experience in software engineering or
Masters degree (or equivalent) in computer science, information technology or engineering with 3 years’ experience in software engineering
Expertise in Python, with experience in the Django Framework
Proficiency in at least one other programming language such as C#, NodeJS, Java or PHP
Experience in developing RESTful APIs
Experience in CI/CD
Proficiency in working with common structured data formats, including JSON and XML
Experience in writing unit tests with good code coverage
Experience with Linux shell and working within a Unix environment
Experience with configuration management (e.g. Ansible, chef)
Proficient understanding of code versioning with Git
Excellent English written and oral communication skills
Evidence of organizational skills

Advantageous:

Experience in/knowledge of biological data and tools
Experienced with writing reusable workflows in Nextflow, Snakemake, Workflow Description Language (WDL), or Common Workflow Language (CWL)
Experience in deploying virtual environments and applications on public cloud providers, such as OpenStack, AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
Knowledge of Kubernetes and building/deploying containerized applications
An understanding of the Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC)
Able to work well with individuals from diverse fields and backgrounds
Federated analysis

Responsibilities:

Gather use cases and specifications
Assess TRE implementation frameworks
Work with stakeholders, design, maintain and manage business-critical systems and infrastructure service components
Develop/implement TRE infrastructure and services for specific use cases,
Integrate data and tool registries, develop containerized workflows as required
Implement and contribute to GA4GH standards and APIs for federated analysis
Roll out federated TREs with central hub
Create and maintain technical documentation for user support
Provide highly specialized support for developed systems and infrastructure service components
Work with existing TRE projects globally

For detailed information on this post, please view the job description, see link: (view)

The annual remuneration package for 2026, including benefits, is between is between R661 967 and R778 783.

To apply, click the "apply" buttion to create a profile and submit your application.

Please complete/attach the following to your profile before submitting your application:

Motivational letter that speaks to the requirements of the position
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Three referee names which must include their title and name, position details, relationship to you, their e-mail address and telephone number
Highest qualification
ID/Passport

An application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to undergo competency and pre-placement-medical assessments. References may be requested by UCT at any stage of the selection process.

Any enquiries around the application process to be addressed to Ms Tracy Moore at tracy.moore@uct.ac.za or 021 650 5405.

Closing date: 25 March 2026

Website: cbio.uct.ac.za

Reference number: ID1275

UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at https://uct.ac.za/media/9482.

When you apply for a position at UCT, we collect your personal information to assess your application, communicate with you, and coordinate interview logistics. Information such as race, gender, nationality, and disability status is used to support our Employment Equity obligations. We also verify your references, qualifications, conduct criminal and, for certain roles, credit checks. For more information about how the University of Cape Town uses personal information and your rights, please email popia@uct.ac.za.

The University reserves the right to extend the closing date for applications if deemed necessary and reserves the right to make no appointment.