At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the organisation.

The CERN Scientific Information Service Group is seeking a Software Engineer to work on a joint project between the Tools & Services section at CERN and arXiv.org. arXiv.org is the world's largest preprint repository and as such a prime service for researchers to deposit their work. The project is expected to be founded by the European Research Council (ERC).

You will:

• Collaborate, as part of an agile team, with arXiv software engineers to develop the new data model, create a crosswalk between legacy and new data model, backfill of arXiv records and extend the current search API;
• Work closely with other projects in the CERN Scientific Information Service Group to design, develop, and deploy new features in-line with best practices in the open science and research movement;
• Review code developed by other developers, coach junior developers and provide feedback to ensure best practices (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency);
• Participate in design reviews with peers and stakeholders to decide amongst available technologies.

There are many challenges and opportunities that are bound to match some of your computing interests and strengths!

Eligibility criteria

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State;
• You have a Masters degree and at least 4 years experience, or a PhD, in Computer Science, Engineering, or in a similar field, with a maximum limit of 10 years’ experience after obtaining your Master's degree.

Essential skills and experience

• Professional experience with Python, minimum 3 years;
• Experience building and evolving robust software components and tools;
• Knowledge of Python frameworks (e.g., Django, Flask);
• Experience using relational and document-based databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, ElasticSearch);
• You value learning and sharing knowledge with colleagues, following collaborative practices and egoless programming;
• Passionate about software development and building and evolving robust software components and tools.

Desired skills and experience

• Experience with container technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes or OpenShift);
• Knowledge of JavaScript, CSS, and web technologies.

Please note that CERN Staff members are not eligible to apply for a Fellowship.

CERN would very much like to benefit from your expertise, commitment and passion. 

In return, CERN will provide you with:

• An employment contract for between 6 months (minimum) up to 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months.
• A stipend ranging from 5,321 to 6,606 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax).
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Depending on your individual circumstances: an installation grant, family, child and infant allowances as well as travel expenses to and from Geneva.
• 2.5 days of paid leave per month.

Your Life @CERN

Get a glimpse of what it’s like to work at CERN: https://careers.cern/benefits and https://careers.cern/our-people

How to Apply:

You will need the following documents to complete your application:

• A CV
• A scanned PDF of your most recent relevant qualification

Optionally, we recommend that you add two recent letters of recommendation, giving an overview of your academic and/or professional achievements. You can upload these letters at the time of application if you have them to hand. You will also be provided with a link as soon as you have submitted your application to forward to your referees to upload their letters confidentially. Please note this must be done before the closing date.

All applications should reach us no later than 1 August 2022.