Research Software Engineer I

University of Florida • Gainesville, FL

7d • Onsite

About The Position

This is a time-limited, grant-funded position for a Research Software Engineer I. The role involves developing, implementing, and maintaining web-based applications on AgroClimate.org, with a specific focus on adding new features to the Climate Indicators tool, including a module for evaluating weather extremes probabilities. The position also requires maintaining and improving cloud-hosted applications, particularly upgrading database connections for disease alert systems to work with both point data and gridded weather products. Additionally, the role includes building and maintaining APIs and databases, ensuring the NASS-DSS Application Programming Interface (API) tool is operational 24/7, and developing new APIs as needed.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s Degree in computer or physical science, statistics, bioinformatics, analytics, or similar field and two years of experience; OR a Master’s Degree in computer or physical science, statistics, bioinformatics, analytics, or similar field.

Nice To Haves

• A bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related area and two years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated full stack web development experience, including modern JavaScript front-end frameworks such as Angular and Vue.js
• Experience designing and developing RESTful APIs and back-end services in Node.js and Python
• Proficiency with relational databases (PostgreSQL), including schema design, query writing, and data modeling.
• Experience with non-relational/document databases (MongoDB).
• Experience developing and deploying applications on cloud environments (AWS, GCP).
• Proficiency with source-code management, issue tracking, and collaborative development workflows (Git, code review, CI/CD).
• Ability to translate user needs into technical requirements, prepare specifications, and produce and maintain technical documentation.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to report progress to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment, contributing to project planning, prioritization, and organization.
• Experience with applications that consume geospatial, weather, or climate data (e.g., raster/vector data, time series, gridded climate products, remote sensing imagery)
• Experience with serverless architectures and workflow orchestration (AWS Step Functions) and infrastructure-as-code (CloudFormation)
• Familiarity with agricultural, environmental, or natural resources domains
• Experience building responsive, accessible interfaces that meet web accessibility standards
• Experience with containerization (Docker), automated testing, and CI/CD pipelines

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain web-based applications on AgroClimate.org, including developing algorithms and interface modifications for new features in the Climate Indicators tool.
• Incorporate a new module for evaluation of weather extremes probabilities into the Climate Indicators tool.
• Ensure software meets design principles for stability, security, and maintainability.
• Maintain and improve cloud-hosted applications, focusing on upgrading database connections for existing disease alert systems.
• Build and maintain APIs and databases, ensuring the NASS-DSS Application Programming Interface (API) tool is operational 24/7.
• Develop new APIs if necessary.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level