Software Research & Development Engineer / Software Research & Development Engineeress

Software Research & Development Engineer

80%-100%, Zurich, fixed-term

The Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC) serves as a national research infrastructure in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) within the ETH domain, established through a partnership between EPFL and ETH Zurich. Our mission is to support academic labs, hospitals, industry stakeholders, and public sector entities through their entire data science journey—from data collection and management to machine learning, AI, and industrialization. With a vast multidisciplinary team across three locations (Lausanne, Zurich, Villigen), we provide expertise and services in diverse fields, including health and biomedical sciences, energy and sustainability, climate and environment, and large-scale scientific infrastructures.

Project Background

The SDSC is seeking a Software Research & Development Engineer to join its project-based engineering team in Zürich. This team aims to transform research outcomes into production-ready data science infrastructure, operating in a complementary role to platform teams by exploring, building, and validating solutions before they are adopted as sustainable services.

In this role, you will work at the intersection of research and engineering, taking early ideas, prototypes, and emerging solutions, and converting them into reusable systems suitable for real-world deployment. This entails aligning with FAIR principles while enhancing usability, scalability, and sustainability.

Projects originate from concrete needs across various domains, such as health and biomedical sciences, climate and environment, energy and sustainability, digital society, and large-scale data ecosystems.

Job Description

• You will contribute to projects that evolve through two complementary modes.
• In early phases, engage in focused exploration and prototyping, shaping solution spaces, testing approaches, and making technical choices.
• As projects mature, contribute to Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development, building operational, reusable components able to transition into production environments.
• Collaborate with engineers across the stack to create end-to-end solutions, primarily focusing on backend, data, and infrastructure components while also supporting lightweight user-facing elements as needed.
• A crucial aspect of the role involves ensuring continuity beyond the project lifecycle. Work closely with internal platform teams and partner IT units to transition successful MVPs into production, ensuring they are maintainable, transferable, and ready for operational use.
• Co-design solutions with users and domain experts, participate in collaborative workshops, and iteratively refine requirements into robust implementations.
• Adhere to established engineering and data best practices, prioritizing reproducibility, maintainability, interoperability, and production readiness.

Profile

• We welcome candidates with varying levels of experience—whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, your approach to problem-solving and collaboration is what matters most.
• Enjoy building practical systems, navigating ambiguity, engaging with stakeholders, and iterating toward effective solutions.
• Valuing quality, clarity, and long-term usability, care about designing secure systems that align with best practices.
• Possess a background in software engineering, data engineering, or a related field, along with a strong interest in data-intensive systems.
• Bring a solid foundation in software or data engineering, typically developed through a Master’s degree or higher (e.g., PhD) in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience. Experience in relevant application domains is advantageous but not mandatory.
• Comfortable working at the interface between teams, helping bridge research, engineering, and operations to ensure successful adoption and sustainability of built systems.
• May have experience with modern software and data engineering practices such as version control, testing, APIs, data pipelines, containerization, and reproducible workflows (e.g., Docker, CI/CD, Nix), with programming experience in languages like Python, Go, or Rust.
• Exposure to data modeling or semantic interoperability (e.g., ontologies, common data models) is a plus.
• While we do not expect familiarity with every technology we employ, we value your attitude, curiosity, and drive to learn; technical skills can be developed on the job.

Workplace

Our workspace fosters a stimulating, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary environment situated in a world-class research institution. We prioritize flexibility in workplace arrangements and provide exciting challenges, varied projects, and substantial opportunities for personal and professional growth. Here, you can pursue your passion while making a meaningful impact on research communities and society.

We Value Diversity and Sustainability

True to our values, ETH Zurich is committed to fostering an inclusive culture. We champion equality of opportunity, value diversity, and cultivate a working and learning environment that respects the rights and dignity of all our staff and students. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to learn how we ensure a fair and open environment that encourages personal growth. Sustainability is a core value, and we constantly strive toward a climate-neutral future.

Curious? So Are We.

Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

For inquiries about the position, please contact Oksana Riba Grognuz at oksana.riba@epfl.ch.

About ETH Zürich

ETH Zurich is recognized as one of the world’s leading universities specializing in science and technology. We are distinguished for our exceptional education, innovative fundamental research, and effective transfer of new knowledge into society. With over 30,000 individuals from more than 120 countries, our university promotes independent thinking and creates an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe while fostering global connections, we collaborate to develop solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.