Software Developer positions for building Resilience Hub for Plant Genomics

Join the CropXR Data Engineering Team to Build Resilient, Sustainable, Climate-Adapted Crops

Help build the Resilience Hub for Plant Genomics in an exciting collaboration between biologists, computational scientists, and software engineers.

CropXR is an interdisciplinary Dutch research initiative that combines cutting-edge biology, data science, and AI to accelerate the development of climate-resilient crops. We bring together academic researchers, plant breeders, and technology experts to build the Resilience Hub, a digital platform that integrates genomic, phenotypic, and environmental data to model and predict crop performance under stress conditions.

To strengthen our software and data infrastructure, we are expanding our technical team with several new engineering roles. As part of this team, you will collaborate closely with biologists, computational scientists, and software engineers to build the tools and services that make CropXR’s vision a reality.

We are hiring five software developers to collectively cover the areas below; candidates may contribute to one or more roles, fully or in part. Roles are not fixed boxes but may evolve or switch over time depending on individual strengths and interests.

Job Descriptions

Front-End (Web) Software Developer

You will play a key role in shaping the user experience of ResilienceHub-Web, the public and partner-facing platform of CropXR.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the ResilienceHub-Web application.
• Standardize front-end components for a consistent UX.
• Integrate existing visualization tools (e.g. genome browsers, data explorers).
• Design new components such as landing pages and workflow navigation.
• Collaborate with backend and data teams to ensure performance and functionality.

Ideal profile

• Strong experience with modern web frameworks (React, TypeScript).
• Familiarity with visualization libraries (e.g. D3.js, Plotly) and APIs.
• Affinity with data-driven science or bioinformatics platforms is a plus.

Back-End Software Developer

You will connect the systems and services powering the CropXR infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain integration software linking databases, APIs, backend and web components.
• Build the ResilienceHub-CLI for advanced platform access.
• Design efficient data models and interfaces for large-scale biological data.
• Work with pipeline and DevOps teams on scalable services.

Ideal profile

• Experience with Python, FastAPI, or similar frameworks.
• Knowledge of REST/GraphQL APIs, Docker, and relational/non-relational databases.
• Comfortable in interdisciplinary, open-source environments.

Pipeline / Data Engineer

You will build robust, reproducible pipelines supporting CropXR’s analytics.

Responsibilities

• Design and standardize pipelines for genomic, phenotypic, and environmental data.
• Implement automated ingestion, validation, and metadata workflows.
• Integrate pipelines into the ResilienceHub ecosystem.
• Translate research needs into scalable data processes.

Ideal profile

• Proficiency with workflow engines (Nextflow, Snakemake, CWL).
• Experience with data modeling, FAIR principles, and version control.
• Background in plant genomics or scientific computing is a plus.

DevOps / QA Engineer

You will safeguard the reliability, security, and quality of CropXR’s software.

Responsibilities

• Manage infrastructure, deployments, monitoring, and backups.
• Develop CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.
• Maintain software quality and documentation standards.
• Promote best practices across teams.

Ideal profile

• Experience with Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD tools.
• Knowledge of QA methodologies and observability tools.
• Proactive approach to automation and reliability.

Job Requirements

• Proven software engineering experience.
• Proficiency or familiarity in Python and relevant libraries.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Proficient in English.
• A proactive, collaborative mindset.
• A completed university degree in a relevant field.
• Due to Dutch regulations, only candidates from EU countries or those with a valid Dutch work permit are eligible for this position.
• Experience with plant biology, genomics, or field phenotyping data is a plus—but not required. We value diverse backgrounds and perspectives and invite you to reflect on how your skills and experiences can contribute to the project and one or multiple roles. Most importantly, you are eager to apply your skills to impactful, interdisciplinary challenges in a collaborative academic setting.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements and a collegial, mission-driven atmosphere.
• Work at the intersection of AI, biology, and sustainable agriculture.
• Collaborate with top researchers and engineers across Dutch universities and institutes.
• Contribute to open, impactful science that supports climate-resilient food systems.

Conditions of Employment

• Duration of contract is 2 years (Temporary).
• A salary based on Scale 10 of the CAO for Dutch Universities with a salary between €3546 - €5538 gross per month based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave.
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.

This position is with the Delft Bioinformatics Lab, part of the Computer Science department of the Delft University of Technology under supervision of Prof. Marcel Reinders (m.j.t.reinders@tudelft.nl) and Thomas Abeel (t.abeel@tudelft.nl). In addition, this position is embedded in the DataXR part of the CropXR national program, for which Auke Damstra (a.j.damstra@uu.nl) is the CTO.

Due to Dutch regulations, only candidates from EU countries or those with a valid Dutch work permit are eligible for this position.