REDCap Software and Solutions Engineer

at  University of California San Francisco

Work as a Software Engineer on a tight-knit solutioning team to develop, operate, and maintain data pipelines, APIs, web application software, and integrations for basic science and health research at a world-class research institution.
REDCap is a multitenant electronic data capture platform used by thousands of institutions worldwide. UCSF researchers and their internal or external collaborators utilize this application for secure data capture, workflow management, and incoming/outgoing data feeds. The ARS team operates this platform in a secure, compliant platform deployment across three product tiers to meet the community’s diverse research needs. For over 6000 UCSF research projects, the platform serves as a key component of the research effort, in many cases using integrations to electronic medical record systems, mobile apps, analytics platforms, and biospecimen repositories.
A key duty of this position will be to develop, maintain, and enhance the REDCap platform, which is built on a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack. The role involves working extensively with PHP and JavaScript for core application development, as well as utilizing Python for building integrations and data feeds. The software engineer will be responsible for reviewing and updating code in both the REDCap core codebase and existing external modules, as well as creating new external modules to support customer solutioning needs. We anticipate that this role will start to engage in review, development, and implementation of nascent GenAI features in REDCap, either by using core features that leverage LLM tooling or potentially developing novel AI features to support specific researcher use cases.
This position requires expertise in modern software development methodologies, with a focus on the REDCap ecosystem. The engineer will work with Github for version control and leverage Github Actions for CI/CD processes. They will also collaborate with our internal orchestrator to set up and manage automation workflows, enhancing the overall efficiency of the development pipeline.
A significant aspect of the role involves conducting thorough institutional security risk assessments, identifying potential vulnerabilities within the REDCap platform, and implementing appropriate safeguards to protect sensitive data and systems. The engineer will be expected to maintain high-quality software engineering practices throughout the development lifecycle, optimizing code performance and ensuring scalability of the platform.
While API development and management will be part of the responsibilities, the primary focus will be on enhancing the overall architecture and security posture of the REDCap platform. This includes refactoring existing codebases, implementing new features, engaging with customers in the research community, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to align software development efforts with organizational goals and security requirements.
The ideal candidate is passionate about creating well-documented standards and design patterns relied on by other data engineers. Additional responsibilities of the position may include assisting clients via complex REDCap support requests and consults, API troubleshooting, communicating with users via one-on-one training, documentation, requirements gathering, and other duties as assigned.
The final salary and offer components are subject to additional approvals based on UC policy.
Your placement within the salary range is dependent on a number of factors including your work experience and internal equity within this position classification at UCSF. For positions that are represented by a labor union, placement within the salary range will be guided by the rules in the collective bargaining agreement.
The salary range for this position is $100,000 - $156,900 (Annual Rate).
To learn more about the benefits of working at UCSF, including total compensation, please visit: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

Academic Research Services (ARS) serves the needs of the UCSF research community by providing an integrated repository of HIPAA compliant clinical and life sciences data and a centralized, secure, professionally managed infrastructure for the storage and management of research data. ARS empowers medical scientific investigations by offering secure computing environments, data capture, management and analysis tools, and support services that meet researcher’s needs.
This position is part of the solutioning team within the ARS Research Tools group, which has a storied history of successfully deploying technology to enable cutting-edge work by researchers across many domains by providing quality solutions that leverage . Our team members have opportunities to provide direct impact for real-world efforts across the basic sciences, socio-behavioral studies, epidemiology, and public and global health initiatives.
Our team is distributed across the United States, and strives to protect a workplace with a strong focus on work/life balance. We work hard to appreciate the diverse backgrounds and life experiences of each of our team members. Our team culture includes an understanding that there can be many pathways for all of our journeys; in support of this we encourage applications from folks with a rich and varied background, including those re-entering the workforce.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, or a related/quantitative area, or equivalent combination of experience / training.
• CITI human subjects research protection (can be completed after hire)
• In-depth knowledge of informatics methods, applications programming, web development and data structures.
• 3+ years of relevant progressive experience
• 2 or more years experience releasing code through CI/CD pipelines
• Demonstrated knowledge of and at least 4 years of professional experience using modern data science and data engineering orientated high level programming languages, including SQL and at least one of Python, Julia, PHP, and/or Node.js.
• Advanced understanding of relational databases, web interfaces and operating systems.
• Advanced interpersonal skills in order to work with both technical and non-technical personnel at all levels in the organization, including senior project leadership.
• Ability to communicate technical information in a clear and concise manner.
• Advanced ability to interface with management on a regular basis.
• Ability to meet deadlines and demonstrate advanced problem solving skills.
• Demonstrated experience working in a Linux-based environment, including at least one role involving a production-grade application
• In-depth knowledge of web, application and data security concepts and methods.
• Broadly encompassing or highly in-depth knowledge of 1-2 areas of focus in data science/engineering specialty areas demonstrated by at least 3 years of professional experience focused in those areas.
• Four years or more of related work experience in system support, data management, analysis, and problem resolution.
• Demonstrated experience with web-based database systems, such as purchasing, time tracking, research data management, and project management tools.
• Demonstrated ability to handle large-scale data in and among multitenant electronic data capture platforms gained through at least 5 years of combined educational and/or professional experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage data flows between disparate APIs and between APIs and monolithic applications using modern technologies.
• Experience managing code versioning and development workflows with a modern source control system such as Github; working knowledge of production system change control processes.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with end users and diverse stakeholders in appropriately technical and non-technical terms

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 2 or more years experience using application vulnerability scanning as part of a CI/CD pipeline
• Experience managing documentation with Wikis
• Advanced project management skills.
• Demonstrated experience developing software in an environment subject to compliance controls.At least 2 years experience working with REDCap in a platform administrator role.
• Application security monitoring and issue resolution
• Demonstrated prior experience building and releasing REDCap external modules

Please refer the Job description for details