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About the Role
The Senior Software Engineer will support the MULTIPOD research project - "Multilingual and multicultural spaces for political deliberation"- granted by European Commission. The project involves the development of online deliberation technologies, data processing/analysis and integration with consortium technologies/codebases The role holder will be required to be self-motivated in learning new skills as and when required, with support given from lead colleagues and the team manager.
The role holder will be required to work on and manage software development activities for the MULTIPOD project. They will be required to create, test, deliver and maintain software components and demonstrators under the guidance of the team manager. Occasionally they will be required to direct other team members assigned to assist them with specific software deliverables.
They will be required to engage with collaborators outside the immediate team on research and innovation projects. These collaborators can be inside the department, across the university or external to the university. The role holder will need to listen actively, communicate clearly and maintain positive relationships with any collaborative partners they are required to liaise with.
The Senior Software Engineer reports to Prof Anna De Liddo of the IDEA team in KMi.
Key Responsibilities
The role holder will work as part of a team of researchers and developers creating innovative software solutions for the MULTIPOD project within KMi at The Open University.
The main responsibilities of the role are:
- To create, test, integrate and maintain research software.
- To plan, organise and deliver a range of software from discrete software components through to whole software systems.
- To develop and integrate software for the MULTIPOD project, including online deliberation technologies, data processing and analysis, and integration with consortium technologies and codebases.
- To engage with collaborators inside and outside the University, including academic and industry partners within the MULTIPOD consortium.
- To create reports and documentation to support software they, or their team, have produced.
- To participate actively in team meetings, contributing their knowledge and expertise to assist in decision-making when planning software projects.
- To undertake any required research around new software trends or components that may assist the team in delivering innovative research software outputs.
- To develop new software skills to support the creation of innovative software solutions.
- To periodically attend conferences and/or workshops to liaise with potential collaborators and promote the work of their team and department.
- Apply “secure by design” principles in all aspects of technical work, maintaining awareness of cyber security risks and ensuring compliance with University policies and guidance issued by the Information Security team.
About You
- Degree level education in an IT subject or equivalent experience.
- Experience with full-stack software development using technologies such as Node.js, TypeScript and Python, along with JavaScript/HTML5, CSS and front-end frameworks such as Angular.
- Experience with SQL and/or NoSQL databases and database technologies such as Firebase.
- Experience of planning, creating, testing and delivering software for a variety of situations and needs.
- Ability to draft technical reports and contributing to teamwork.
- Experience of and willingness to learn new skills and capabilities in short timeframes.
- An ability to quickly demonstrate understanding of a project’s aims and specific tasks.
- An ability to document code and write supporting user documentation.
- An ability to work to challenging targets and deadlines.
- A proven ability to develop potential solutions to problems that a project can encounter.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to disseminate information effectively to a wide range of audiences.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team, ensuring objectives and deadlines are met within resource constraints.
- A strong commitment to excellence in working with a diverse student population.
Desirable:
- Experience of developing accessible software such as the WCAG standard.
- Experience of giving presentations.
- Experience of mentoring or training others.
Support with your application
If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk quoting the advert reference number.
What's in it for you?
At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).
Flexible working
We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.
Work Location
It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be approximately twice per month.
Next steps in the Recruitment process
It is anticipated that interviews will take place in early December.
Early closing date notification
While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.
If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.
How to apply
To apply for this role, please submit the following as separate documents;
- CV
- Supporting statement, up to 1,250 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.
You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.
