Software Developer, Office of the Vice President for Research

University of Texas at Austin•Austin, TX

4d•$70,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The mission of the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors (OVPR) is to foster the expansion of the scale, quality, and impact of scholarly endeavors at UT Austin. We are committed to building capacity, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and lowering the barriers and burden involved in scientific and creative inquiry through the development of an investigator-focused infrastructure that supports the needs of UT Austin's research enterprise. The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is seeking a Software Developer to join the Research IT (RIT) team. We are a small, collaborative team that supports the IT and Research Enterprise needs of the OVPR and university stakeholders, and we actively seek customer-oriented and intellectually curious colleagues from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. As a Software Developer, you will design, maintain, and improve secure, reliable, and user focused applications that support research administration activities. This position serves as a critical bridge between technical infrastructure and research operations, ensuring that databases, integrations, web-based applications, and reporting tools are efficient, accurate, and aligned with project and organizational needs.

Requirements

At least one year of experience in systems design, analysis and programming.
Demonstrated ability to analyze, test, and debug complex code.
Proven track record of successful project delivery in prioritized time frames.
Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.
Demonstrated initiative to learn new skills, programming languages, and systems.
Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
Demonstrated experience in the following programming languages: PHP, Python, JavaScript.
Demonstrated experience with relational databases, specifically Microsoft SQL Server (writing SQL queries, working with database schemas, and data manipulation).
Experience with Version Control Systems (Git) and core web technologies (HTML/CSS).
Experience with command-line interfaces (CLI) and shell environments (such as Bash or PowerShell) for routine development, file manipulation, and script execution.
Experience with AI-assisted (e.g. Copilot, Claude Code, ChatGPT Codex) development tools
Experience with Web Frameworks (such as Laravel, CodeIgniter, or Spring Boot).
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
More than three years of experience in systems design, analysis, and programming in a university environment.
Demonstrated experience with MySQL or PostgreSQL.
Exposure to or familiarity with enterprise relational database management systems (RDBMS) such as Oracle, or institutional research/higher-education enterprise data sources (e.g., Kuali Research or Huron Research Suite).
Experience writing automated scripts or data pipelines for backend data processing and system maintenance.
Experience writing technical documentation.

Responsibilities

Research, analyze, design, develop, and test software solutions using appropriate technologies, ensuring functionality, performance, and adherence to established best practices. Write custom code, configure software packages, and analyze and debug moderate to complex logic in Java, Python, Microsoft, and AI-assisted (e.g. Copilot, Claude Code, ChatGPT Codex) development tools.
Provides daily operational integrity, updating and troubleshooting for production services in a timely fashion. Consistently define and refine scope of operations and ensure integrity and reliability of applications.
Evaluate and configure software tools, including emerging AI/automation solutions, to support and integrate research administration processes. Provide technical consulting and respond to error reports, problems, or questions. Write and maintain functional and technical specifications.
Work with the team to determine business requirements and system objectives; investigate available software configurations and capabilities; accurately scope projects and tasks; collaborate with business analysts to identify opportunities to improve business processes through automation, AI- assisted solutions, application enhancements, and system integrations.