Research Software Engineer

Your main responsibility is to develop high-quality code to support product specifications and requirements in collaboration with research leads and the wider RSE team. You will have advanced expertise in at least one programming language and proficiency in others, along with a keen interest in software development. Your role involves producing research solutions, from data analysis pipelines to web applications, in a variety of domains. You may have specialised skills in areas such as machine learning/AI, data visualisation, creative technologies, or DevOps, alongside a core competency in web development. You will have the ability to work independently and collaborate effectively as part of small to large research projects. A crucial aspect of the role is contributing to e-Research capability within the Lab and Faculty, as well as across the University. Awareness of best practices in software development, digital research methods, and data management is essential. As a Senior Research Software Engineer, you will have advanced expertise and take a leading role in planning and decision-making related to the research solutions KDL produces. Within this role, you will have opportunities to expand your skills working with new and emerging technologies across multiple disciplines and sectors. In addition to your core design and development responsibilities, you will be encouraged to develop a personal research agenda and explore opportunities for external funding and collaboration with academic colleagues. Our projects typically span several years, with periods of high and low activity. This means you will be engaged with multiple projects at any given time, across a range of disciplines, supporting academic partners to explore their research questions. Combined with an Agile approach to project management, this offers variety - both in the projects themselves and in the approaches and tools you use. Success metrics are related to the research question the project is seeking to answer. Most of our work is funded by public research councils; while this means complying with regulatory reporting requirements (e.g. tracking time for charging purposes), it also means you will have opportunities for significant intellectual engagement. You will work with partners to determine the best approaches to meet their requirements, adapting as the project develops. Interest in and/or skills related to one or more of KDL’s research themes would be desirable. Collaborative engagement is central to our work, and we believe that diversity strengthens our team and the research we support. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and career paths, and encourage candidates to think broadly about their transferable skills, including those gained outside traditional academic or technical routes. We particularly welcome applications from women and gender-minoritised candidates, candidates from minoritised ethnic backgrounds, and disabled candidates, as they are underrepresented within King’s in this type of role. We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process. Alongside our established hybrid working and flexible hours, we are open to conversations, within the scope of the role, about less traditional working arrangements to support individual needs. Additional references: https://github.com/kingsdigitallab/sdlc-for-rse/wiki/RS-engineer This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience: Essential criteria * Expertise with modern web development stacks (e.g. JavaScript/TypeScript/Python, HTML/CSS, Node.js/Django, containerisation, CI/CD pipelines) including the ability to write and advocate for maintainable and well-tested code following best practices.

• Advanced proficiency in making well-reasoned, complex technical decisions, using appropriate technologies and methodologies. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills enabling responsibility for the technical direction within a project or service.
• Excellent collaboration, leadership and communication skills, with flexibility to thrive in a fast-paced teamworking environment with changing requirements. An inclusive approach, supporting a positive and open team culture, including the ability to guide/mentor others.
• Skills in data modelling for database design for research applications, ensuring flexible, extensible data schemas.
• Motivation for learning and integrating new technologies and digital humanities research methodologies, alongside the ability to contribute a strategic perspective on emerging technologies.
• Demonstrable understanding of accessibility, security, privacy and ethical concerns for research apps.

Desirable criteria * Understanding of agile software methodologies and experience leading or participating in sprints/timeboxes.

• Experience contributing to training, workshops, or knowledge-sharing activities related to software engineering practices, advanced research methods, technical tools, design approaches or accessibility.
• Knowledge of/experience working in digital humanities, social sciences, or research within higher education or cultural heritage contexts.
• Experience with composable architectures (e.g. Jamstack), static web development, progressive enhancement and/or minimal computing.
• Knowledge of/experience with tools and practices related to KDL’s research themes (machine learning and AI, data visualisation, digital creativity, indigenous digital humanities) or other relevant specialist areas.

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university. The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension. We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination. When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance. We ask all candidates to submit: A copy of your CV; A supporting statement, detailing examples of how you meet each of the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these, where possible; A sample of code (in any relevant language) that demonstrates work relevant to this role, together with a short explanation describing the context, a key design decision, your specific contribution to the code (if there is more than one author), and describing any AI coding assistance used. Maximum word count for explanation: 150 words. The code sample may be submitted as a URL (web link) or as a document (PDF). Acceptable formats are non-prescriptive but could be a link to a public repository, a code sample from previous work (with permission if required), a Jupyter notebook from a past analysis, a published paper technical appendix, or similar. We understand that some candidates may not be able to share closed-source code. If this is the case, please contact us before submission to discuss. We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day. We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application. To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages. The selection process will include an interview and presentation. Depending on the outcome of the first stage, a small number of candidates may be invited to a second, final interview.

King’s Digital Lab (KDL - https://kdl.kcl.ac.uk/) is a Research Software Engineering (RSE) team embedded within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at King’s College London. We design and implement systems, infrastructure, tools and processes needed to produce a diverse range of high-quality digital scholarship. We have an open, collaborative culture, both within the Lab and with our research partners. We are deeply committed to co-research, working together through discovery, design, building and maintaining research outputs. KDL is constantly evolving as we explore new tools and methods.

We are a small team that emphasises inclusivity and trust in our staff. We embrace flexible working, including flexible hours and extensive hybrid working - 80% remote and 20% on campus is typical. In-person work is based in a small open-plan office on King’s busy Strand campus, operating on a hot-desking basis in line with our hybrid approach. Whether remote or in-person, we support our staff to ensure they have the right equipment to work safely and effectively.

This flexibility requires mutual trust. Our team members do much of their work independently and we rely on each other to work collaboratively at a distance, checking in and coordinating according to project and team needs.

We encourage applicants to read our blogs to understand more about the culture and working environment.