Position Overview
We are searching for a software engineer to help us document the diversity of life on Earth. The ideal candidate values meaningful work contributing to a global mission that builds on 350 years of Earth exploration and biological inventory to identify and describe the world's plant and animal species. The person enjoys solving problems, innovating software solutions, learning new technologies, and sharing insight and expertise. Fuel your passion on your career path, help us document the natural world, and enjoy a collegial and welcoming work environment. You will be a valued colleague on our enthusiastic, competent, and collaborative team.
Biological specimens of plants and animals document the distribution of life on the planet and geological specimens document its environment. Our group supports scientists in research centers around the world with software that manages and publishes information about the specimens of preserved plants, animals, rocks, minerals, fossils, and meteorites in their collections. Our open-source Specify platform is used by 135 museum institutions in 25 countries.
Specify 7 is a mature, open-source web application built on Python, Django, TypeScript, and React. As a senior developer, take responsibility for significant features and technical improvements, and help guide the platform's technical direction. You will work across the codebase, making design decisions that support the varied needs of museum collections while keeping the software reliable, maintainable, and scalable. This includes developing data models, sophisticated user interfaces, application performance, and scalability improvements. You will also support other developers through code review, technical guidance, and mentoring. Your work will directly benefit scientific institutions worldwide.
The Specify Collections Consortium, (https://www.specifysoftware.org), is a global, non-profit, biological and geological museum organization, legally organized under the University of Kansas Center for Research. The Consortium is headquartered in the Biodiversity Institute on the campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. Our development team is intentionally small and operates with a collaborative, relatively flat structure. Rather than emphasizing management hierarchies, we encourage developers to take ownership of their work, contribute across the codebase, and continuously deepen their technical expertise. You will be a full-time university employee with generous benefits including comprehensive health insurance, retirement plan, 22 paid vacation days per year and several paid holidays.
This position is a hybrid position, with days required in-office in Lawrence, Kansas, with a flexible 40-hour workweek.
This position is not eligible for H-1B sponsorship. Candidates must be eligible to work in the US.
Technologies We Use:
- Front-end: TypeScript, React, JavaScript, Tailwind CSS, Node.js/npm
- Back-end: Python, Django, SQLAlchemy, Celery, REST/OpenAPI
- Data and services: MariaDB/MySQL, Redis
- Build and deployment: Docker, Linux, Webpack, GitHub Actions, Nginx, Gunicorn
- Testing and development: Pytest, Jest, automated CI/CD, code review
Job Description
70%:
- Take a significant role in creating, extending, and maintaining the Specify 7 web platform by applying strong software engineering practices in design, implementation, documentation, automated testing, and code review. Take ownership of substantial areas of work and deliver reliable, maintainable software with immediate global impact.
20%:
- Lead the investigation and development of technical solutions to complex problems. Work from requirements, existing code, documentation, and input from team members and users to evaluate alternatives and make sound technical decisions. Design solutions with consideration for generality, flexibility, maintainability, extensibility, scalability, and long-term sustainability, and take responsibility for the quality of the resulting implementation.
- Contribute substantially to platform architecture and technical direction, including decisions related to software design, security, standards, dependencies, and implementation strategies. Identify opportunities to improve the Specify platform, development tools, workflows, testing practices, and DevOps processes, and take initiative in implementing improvements that increase the quality, reliability, and efficiency of software development and delivery.
- Communicate technical decisions and their tradeoffs to developers, stakeholders, and users, and document them when appropriate.
10%:
- Provide technical guidance and constructive feedback to other developers through code reviews, technical discussions, and collaborative problem-solving. Share knowledge and help establish and maintain high standards for software quality, architecture, testing, and development practices across the team.
- Mentor student and junior developers through code review, pairing, and technical discussions, helping them build sound engineering practices and confidence working in the Specify codebase.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Biology, or related field with at least 3 years of professional software development experience OR a Master's degree in a related field with at least 1 year of professional software development experience.
- Previous experience with best-practices for software architecture, design principles, engineering, and implementation as evidenced by application materials.
- Experience working with Agile development practices and Docker and virtual machines as deployment tools in structured software release process in a collaborative development environment, as evidenced by application materials.
- Previous experience that required proficiency in Python and JavaScript or TypeScript as evidenced by application materials.
- Professional experience with relational database systems, as evidenced by application materials.
- Demonstrated understanding of the principles of the web and how web applications function, and demonstrated experience with troubleshooting practices, as evidenced by application materials.
- Demonstrated experience communicating technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical colleagues and collaborating effectively, as evidenced by application materials.
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills as evidenced by application materials and previous work.
This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Proficiency in the use of the Typescript + React framework as evidenced by application materials and previous experience.
- Professional experience with front-end/UI development for end-user applications.
- Competency with a variety of object-oriented and functional programming languages as evidenced by application materials and previous experience.
- Experience deploying, maintaining, or optimizing applications on AWS, including experience with services such as EC2, S3, and RDS, and practices such as infrastructure as code, monitoring, and cost optimization.
- Experience investigating and improving the performance or scalability of web applications, including database queries, application profiling, and identification of performance bottlenecks.
- Experience designing and maintaining automated test suites, including unit, integration, and end-to-end testing, for complex software applications.
- Demonstrated knowledge of, or experience with domains including biodiversity, bioinformatics, museum studies, or environmental sciences.
Additional Candidate Instructions
A complete application consists of:
- Resume including a link to a portfolio demonstrating software development skills. Examples may include a software portfolio, open-source contributions, technical documentation, descriptions of significant professional projects, or other materials demonstrating the applicant's individual contributions, technical skills, and engineering decision-making. Applicants should clearly explain their role in the work presented. A GitHub profile without context or explanation is insufficient.
- Cover letter addressing how you meet the required qualifications and describing at least one technically challenging software development project, including your individual contributions, technical decisions, and resulting outcomes.
- Three professional or supervisory references.
Incomplete applications cannot be considered.
Application review begins Monday, November 9, 2026, and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified.
Contact Information to Applicants
Aimee Stewart, aimee.stewart@ku.edu
Advertised Salary Range
$85,000 - $90,000, commensurate with experience
Application Review Begins
Monday November 9, 2026
Anticipated Start Date
Monday January 4, 2027
|
University of Kansas
paid holidays, retirement plan
Oct 30, 2026