Senior Software Engineer- Python Zymergen, Inc.
Emeryville, CA

Job Description

Understanding and reading the DNA sequence of microbes is fundamental to designing and engineering new strains at Zymergen. The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Software team is tasked with building the computational infrastructure to track, analyze, and evaluate the massive amount of raw sequence data generated at Zymergen and make that data useful for scientists across the company.

As a software engineer on our NGS Software team, you will work with a diverse and motivated group of engineers, lab scientists, bioinformatics experts, and data scientists. You will apply your engineering expertise to develop resilient and mission critical distributed systems and data analysis pipelines for NGS data.

Responsibilities:

* Design and scope engineering solutions to complex and sometimes ambiguous data and compute challenges
* Build REST-ful web services backed by flexible data models and ensure these systems are scalable, robust, and maintainable
* Work with DevOps and site-reliability engineers to productionize and operate NGS related tools and services using AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes
* Lead and mentor bioinformatics experts in developing robust bioinformatics pipelines using modern software engineering best practices and design patterns
* Plan, communicate, and deliver work incrementally in an Agile environment

Qualifications / Experience:

* Degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics or related field
* BS + 5 years of professional experience
* MS/PhD + 3 years of professional experience
* Demonstrated success in building and operating large distributed systems
* Python expertise in developing applications and REST services (e.g. Flask, Django)
* Database development and ORM experience (e.g. MySQL, Postgres, SQLAlchemy)
* Mastery of software engineering principles and experience with git, JIRA, CI/CD
* Some experience with AWS, other cloud providers, or HPC clusters
* Some experience with Docker and the Docker ecosystem of tools

Bonus if you have:

* Worked with NGS data or on other bioinformatics or life science applications
* Experience with document, key-value, and/or graph databases (e.g. MongoDB)
* Familiarity working with modern JavaScript tools for UI or data visualization development (e.g. Node, Angular, React, D3)
* Experience with workflow or batch execution tools (e.g. Airflow, Common Workflow Language)

Working at Zymergen offers you exposure to a field that makes a difference in the lives of millions of people: low-cost, scalable chemical manufacturing touches everything from how airplanes are built to the frontiers of life-saving medicines. In addition to working at a fast-growing startup, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you are building a future that was the realm of science fiction just ten years ago.

Previous experience in a Life Sciences company or setting is not essential

Interest in working at one, and learning about genetics and bioinformatics, is.

Individuals seeking employment at Zymergen are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Founded in 2013 and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Zymergen is a technology company unlocking the power of biology. We deliver better economics for products made from biology that are used across industries, bring new products to market faster, and develop novel products. Our proprietary platform uses robots and machine learning to engineer microbes faster, more predictably, and to a level of performance previously unattainable. These microbes, and the products they produce, have broad applications across industries such as chemicals and materials, agriculture, and healthcare. For more information visit www.zymergen.com.