Lead Software Engineer

at  Iota Sciences Ltd

iotaSciences, a University of Oxford spin-out, is an innovative and fast-growing biotechnology company that emerged from the University’s engineering and biology departments. We offer unique solutions to cell line development. These solutions accelerate and advance biomedicine across a wide range of applications including gene editing, disease modelling and drug discovery; with current customers from universities, hospitals and industry. Our employees are motivated to deliver the most innovative next generation technologies in biomedicine that will ultimately translate ideas to clinics faster.

REQUIREMENTS (ESSENTIAL)

• Undergraduate 2:1 degree in a technical subject.
• Strong experience in Visual Basic for Windows application development.
• Solid understanding of version control (ideally Git) and experience managing CI/CD pipelines (preferably with GitLab).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

REQUIREMENTS (DESIRABLE)

• Experience in C/C++ for embedded firmware development.
• Experience working with microcontrollers and/or Arduino.
• Experience with Python and/or scripting languages.
• Experience with motion control software and/or GCode.
• Experience providing technical support and troubleshooting software issues.
  Please submit your application and include a cover letter detailing your suitability for the role if this position is of interest to you. We look forward to hearing from you.
  Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Company pension
• Private medical insurance
• Sick pay
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Flexitime
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In perso

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are a small team of engineers working on the full product life cycle from initial design and prototyping, through to manufacture and customer support. We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced software engineer to join us and lead the design and development of our software in current and future products, while supporting the software in our existing products and our current users.
The role reports to the Head of Technical Operations and involves creating and managing Windows applications that integrate with our cell-handling robots. You will work closely with stakeholders to understand their needs and challenges, designing innovative software solutions and user interfaces to address them alongside other members of staff working on software development.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Overseeing software release management and documentation
• Handling version control and CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines.
• Providing technical support to customers
• Providing software-based support to an external consultant, who handles the products’ electronic design and ensures that they meet electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards.

Our products run on C++ powered microcontrollers. As you grow with the role, you will be expected to develop this skillset and join in with the maintenance of this codebase. Due to the varied nature of the work that we do, our ideal candidate is highly driven and motivated, can work independently and has great attention to detail. They are happy to work on different tasks as and when they come up, enjoy problem solving and learning new things. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved with the full product life cycle and gain new skills.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leading the design, development and testing of Windows app development for our products using Visual Basic.
• Managing software versioning using Git and CI/CD pipelines in GitLab.
• Managing software releases and compatibility of software versions between different systems.
• User interface/experience (UI/UX) design in Figma
• Working with biologists and field applications scientists to understand their requirements to feed into software developments.
• Liaising with an external consultant on electronics and software requirements and design.
• Assisting with technical support for users (both external customers and internal users) with software issues.
• Working on the design and development of software in new products.
• Managing software documentation, such as internal documentation, release notes, user manuals, software licence documentation.
• Mentoring junior staff working on software developments.