Senior Scientific Lead

DECTRIS Ltd.; Baden; Vor Ort; CHF 130.000 - 190.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Flexible working

Home office

Training programs

Meals & snacks

Team events

Zusammenfassung

DECTRIS Ltd. is seeking an experienced scientist to maintain, develop, and advance XDS and related crystallographic software.

The role includes serving as the scientific contact for the international community and partners, defining the software roadmap across multiple diffraction techniques, and translating scientific methods into robust, production-grade tools. You will collaborate with engineers and external partners, engage beamline scientists, and represent DECTRIS' software capabilities

Qualifikationen

• PhD in crystallography or related field with deep diffraction data processing experience.
• Established standing in the crystallography community beyond early career.
• Ability to translate scientific methods into software and work with developers.
• Excellent English communication and willingness to travel internationally up to 30%.

Aufgaben

• Maintain, develop, and advance XDS and related data-processing software.
• Define and drive the roadmap for crystallographic software across techniques.
• Serve as scientific point of contact for the community and partners.
• Build and manage scientific partnerships to strengthen software.
• Collaborate with software engineers and external partners to deliver production-grade tools.
• Engage beamline scientists and facilities to ground software in real requirements.
• Represent DECTRIS' software and scientific capabilities internally and to the community.

Kenntnisse

PhD in crystallography

Data processing expert

Software liaison

English communication

Travel readiness

Ausbildung

PhD in crystallography or related field

Tools

XDS tools

Crystallography software

Jobbeschreibung

DECTRIS now stewards XDS - one of the most widely used tools in macromolecular crystallography - under an exclusive license with Max Planck Innovation. We are looking for an experienced scientist to maintain, develop, and advance XDS and related crystallographic software, and to serve as our scientific point of contact for the community and our partners.

The scope spans the full breadth of diffraction-based structure determination - macromolecular crystallography, electron diffraction, serial crystallography, small-molecule crystallography, and adjacent techniques - reflecting the range of science our detectors enable. You will ensure these tools remain robust, performant, and trusted by researchers today, and you will help shape how they evolve for the next generation of detectors and computing. This is the first dedicated software-science role of its kind at DECTRIS: a founding position with real ownership over tools the field depends on.

Your Tasks

• Maintain, develop, and advance XDS and related data-processing software across macromolecular crystallography, electron diffraction, serial crystallography, small-molecule crystallography, and adjacent techniques, ensuring it remains robust, performant, and trusted by the community
• Define and drive the roadmap for DECTRIS' crystallographic software across these techniques, evolving it for modern detectors and computing environments
• Act as DECTRIS' scientific point of contact for the global crystallography and structural-biology community, supporting users and gathering their needs
• Build and manage scientific and technology partnerships that strengthen DECTRIS' software and extend its scientific reach
• Work closely with a professional software engineer and with external partners to translate scientific methods into reliable, production-grade tools
• Engage with beamline scientists, facilities, and key users across the major diffraction techniques to ground software development in real experimental requirements
• Represent DECTRIS' software and scientific capabilities, internally and within the community

Your Skills

• PhD in crystallography, structural biology, physics, or a related discipline, with deep expertise in diffraction data processing (5-10 years) and openness to work across techniques - macromolecular and small-molecule crystallography, electron diffraction, and serial crystallography
• Recognised standing in the crystallographic or structural-biology community, with an established track record beyond the early-career stage
• Experience translating scientific methods into software, whether hands-on or by working closely with developers, and comfort collaborating with professional software engineers
• Excellent communication skills in English
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 30% of the time

Bonus - we'd love it if you also bring:

• A forward-looking outlook on how crystallographic software and scientific computing are evolving, and the openness to help drive that change
• Strong partnership and stakeholder management skills, high emotional intelligence, and a collaborative, non-hierarchical working style
• Hands-on familiarity with crystallographic data-reduction software (e.g. XDS-class tools: spot finding, indexing, integration, scaling)

We don't expect anyone to arrive with every item on this list. If you're strong on the essentials and excited by the mission, we'd genuinely like to hear from you - even if your path doesn't match the description exactly.

We Offer

• A successful and growing high tech company in an international, scientific environment
• To join the global leader in HPC X-ray detectors for science and industry. Our Developers design cutting-edge detectors to support the state of the art science and technology
• An international work environment formed by more than 170 experienced engineers, scientists and other professionals. The company languages are German and English
• Excellent, flexible working arrangements to enable professional development and personal life balance
• An attractive working environment: modern infrastructure with wheelchair-accessible rooms, small fitness room, underground car park, subsidised meals, free snacks and drinks, various company events, internal and external training, home office options, after-work beers and other joint leisure activities