Senior Platform & Web Application Engineer

Description

This job posting has been extended to July 10, 2026

Position Overview

The Senior Platform & Web Application Engineer will play a key role in advancing the technical evolution of RAMS as part of the FAIR Station initiative. Working in close partnership with the UC3 Technical Lead, Product Manager, and UC Nature collaborators, this role will focus on expanding RAMS into a modular, API-forward, containerized platform designed for interoperability and reuse.

This position emphasizes thoughtful modernization of an existing production Rails application and support for open infrastructure integrations, all while maintaining continuity of service for current users. The role blends strong web application development with platform thinking and sustainable architecture design.  

With the planned retirement of the current Technical Lead later this year, this position is expected to assume increasing technical ownership and stewardship of the platform over time. The successful candidate will work closely with the current Technical Lead during a period of knowledge transfer and will have the opportunity to help shape the long-term technical direction of RAMS and the FAIR Station initiative.

Responsibilities

The Senior Platform & Web Application Engineer contributes to the technical evolution of the FAIR Station platform. Technical direction and architectural priorities are guided by UC3’s platform stewardship and project governance, while day-to-day implementation, integration work, and iterative delivery are carried out collaboratively within the engineering team.

API & Open Infrastructure Integration

• Design and implement RESTful APIs to support integrations with external research infrastructure systems (e.g., persistent identifier providers, repositories, research workflow tools)
• Establish clear versioning, authentication, and documentation practices for public-facing APIs
• Ensure integration patterns are maintainable, well-documented, and aligned with open infrastructure best practices

Containerization & Deployment

• Support and implement transition to containerized (Docker-based) deployment environments
• Improve CI/CD workflows, observability, and operational reliability
• Contribute to deployment models that support both hosted and self-managed implementations

Collaboration & Delivery

• Partner closely with the Product Manager on roadmap sequencing and iterative delivery
• Collaborate with the Technical Lead and UCNRS domain experts to ensure technical decisions align with user workflows and long-term sustainability
• Address feature requests, usability improvements, and bug fixes in coordination with stakeholders
• Contribute to documentation and implementation guidance for future adopters

Open Source & Sustainability

• Contribute to maintaining RAMS as a public, open-source platform
• Support documentation and development practices that encourage sustainability and reuse
• Help ensure the platform remains lightweight, maintainable, and aligned with public-interest infrastructure principles

Platform Evolution & Technical Stewardship

• Contribute to the ongoing architectural evolution of the RAMS application toward modular, reusable design patterns
• Implement enhancements that support configurability and adoption beyond the UC system
• Maintain system stability while incrementally modernizing components
• Participate in architectural decision-making and documentation
• Provide technical leadership through design discussions, documentation, and mentorship

Qualifications & Skills:

Required

• Experience building and maintaining production web applications (e.g., Ruby on Rails or similar MVC frameworks)
• Strong backend and API design experience (RESTful services, versioning strategies, authentication/authorization patterns)
• Experience evolving and modernizing mature applications without disrupting existing users
• Experience containerizing applications (Docker) and deploying to cloud environments (e.g., AWS or comparable platforms)
• Strong documentation and communication skills; ability to collaborate effectively in a cross-functional, distributed team

Preferred

• Experience working in Ruby on Rails applications
• Experience designing software intended for reuse across institutions or organizations
• Experience integrating with external APIs or ecosystem platforms
• Familiarity with research infrastructure, scholarly communication systems, or open science ecosystems
• Passion for building awesome open source tools for the research community
• Experience working in grant-funded or public-interest technology environments

Success in this role

Within the first year, successful candidates will:

• Develop a deep understanding of the RAMS platform and field station workflows
• Contribute to modernization efforts across APIs, deployment, and operational practices
• Build strong working relationships with UC Nature, UC3, and community partners
• Take ownership of significant technical areas of the platform
• Help shape the long-term evolution of FAIR Station as open research infrastructure

Code for Science & Society Values & Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)Statement

Code for Science & Society is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

How to apply

To apply, please submit a letter of interest and resume detailing how your experience and qualifications align with the responsibilities of this role to marisa@codeforsociety.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and closes July 10, 2026. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. If you require reasonable accommodations at any stage of the application or hiring process, please contact us at marisa@codeforsociety.org. For additional information on the organization, please visit CSS’s website atwww.codeforsociety.org.