Principal Engineer - x2 roles, 12 month FTC (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds or London)

Genomics England; Leeds; On-site; GBP 103,000 - 119,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading genomic organization is seeking two Principal Engineers in Leeds, UK. Candidates will be responsible for modernizing bioinformatics workflows and supporting a new genomics programme. The role requires strong software engineering skills, experience in public cloud environments, and the ability to mentor junior colleagues. Enjoy a culture of collaboration that supports diversity and innovation while making an impact in the field of genomic healthcare.

Benefits

30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Blended working arrangements

Defined contribution pension

Individual learning budgets

Employee recognition programme

Subsidised gym membership

Qualifications

• Experience in software engineering, particularly with Python.
• Ability to navigate effectively within teams and across boundaries.
• Proficiency in various database technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead modernization of bioinformatics workflows.
• Design and deliver technology for new genomics programme.
• Engage with diverse teams to evolve the programme roadmap.

Skills

Strong software engineering skills

Knowledge of database types

Experience shaping software architecture

API schema design

DevOps experience

Experience in public cloud

Interpersonal skills

Mentoring & coaching

Effective communication

Problem-solving

Tools

Python

MongoDB

DynamoDB

Terraform

GitLab

DataDog

Job description

Are you passionate about nurturing innovation and empowering teams to solve complex, high impact technical problems? At Genomics England we are looking for two Principal Engineers to join the business in evolving and expanding the reach of genomics in the UK population.

One of these roles will be working within our bio‑pipelines service, where genomic data is processed to support critical clinical judgments. The Principal Engineer here will bring senior technical leadership to the modernisation of our bioinformatics workflows to support a growing number of strategic use‑cases. The other will play a pivotal role in designing and delivering the technology to support a new population genomics programme. This programme will generate evidence and digital infrastructure to help make genomics a routine part of healthcare.

As a Principal Engineer you will be a hands‑on contributor with exemplary engineering skills, who can also think strategically to define architectural directions. You may have previously worked under a variety of different job titles within engineering and/or architecture, and you may have worked in a variety of organisational contexts. Whatever your past experience, it will have given you both technical breadth and depth.

You will be a problem‑solver who identifies risks, issues, gaps, and dependencies and takes ownership in bringing people together to find solutions. You will do this through your supportive, empathetic and collaborative behaviours, acting as coach, mentor, guide or constructive questioner as the situation demands. You are pragmatic but also mindful of the big picture, consciously balancing the immediate goals of teams against the long term direction for their products.

About the Tech Stack

Our existing infrastructure includes both on‑premise high‑performance compute clusters and AWS, and our bioinformatics workflows are orchestrated in Python/NextFlow. We leverage best‑in‑class tools like Dragen to do some of the heavy‑lifting. We use Python, MongoDB and DynamoDB to deliver RESTful services that provide authoritative data for use during processing. We are working to become interoperable with the wider NHS via open standards like FHIR and GA4GH APIs. Our standard tool chain includes Terraform for infrastructure‑as‑code, GitLab for source code and CI/CD, Artifactory for software artefacts and DataDog for observability. Work alongside the service owner, architects, product managers, engineers, bioinformaticians and other subject‑matter experts to continuously evolve a roadmap for each programme.

Key Skills & Experience

• Strong software engineering skills and awareness of software design patterns (Python is our preferred development language).
• Knowledge of different database types and their applicability in different contexts (Postgres/Aurora, Elastic/OpenSearch and Apache Iceberg are in use).
• Experience shaping and guiding software architectural choices, both tactical and long‑term.
• Experience of API schema design and evolution.
• DevOps experience (CI/CD, infrastructure‑as‑code, operational monitoring and alerting).
• Experience in at least one major public cloud (AWS preferred but not essential).
• Strong interpersonal skills with a temperament that builds trust and connection within and across squads through open, honest communication.
• Experience mentoring & coaching junior colleagues to build high‑performing teams.
• Effective communication with non‑technical team members and experience managing stakeholder relationships across team and organisational boundaries.
• Comfortable engaging responsively with teams both remotely and in person when required.
• Ability to navigate rapidly to effective solutions through engaged and inclusive listening, clarity of thought, clear documentation and succinct presentation.

Desirable Experience

• Background in healthcare or bioinformatics.
• Experience in regulated environments.
• Experience integrating services with NHS/UK Government digital infrastructure.
• Proficiency in handling large, complex data‑sets using tools like Hadoop/EMR or Spark.
• Other relevant skills that may indicate you would be well prepared to hit the ground running.

Mission & Impact

Genomics England partners with the NHS to provide whole genome sequencing diagnostics. We also equip researchers to find the causes of disease and develop new treatments – with patients and participants at the heart of it all. Our mission is to continue refining, scaling and evolving our ability to enable others to deliver genomic healthcare and conduct genomic research. We are accelerating our impact and working with patients, doctors, scientists, government and industry to improve genomic testing, and help researchers access the health data and technology they need to make new medical discoveries and create more effective, targeted medicines for everybody.

Salary & Closing Date

Salary From: £103,400 pa

Closing Date: Monday 26th January @ 23:00 (UK time)

Benefits

• Generous Leave: 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, additional leave for long service, and the option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (approval required).
• Family‑Friendly: Blended working arrangements, flexible working, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave benefits.
• Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension (Genomics England double‑matches up to 10%, however you can contribute more if you wish), Life Assurance (3x salary), and a Give As You Earn scheme.
• Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (approval required).
• Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition programme and referral scheme.
• Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, eye tests, flu jabs.

Equal Opportunities & Inclusivity

Equal opportunities and our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Genomics England is actively committed to providing and supporting an inclusive environment that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion best practice both within our community and in any other area where we have influence. We are proud of our diverse community where everyone can come to work and feel welcomed and treated with respect regardless of any disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, or social background.

Genomics England’s policies of non‑discrimination and equity will be applied fairly to all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, being pregnant or recently becoming a parent, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, length of service, whether full or part‑time or employed under a permanent or a fixed‑term contract or any other relevant factor.

Genomics England does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, victimisation or bullying at work. Such behaviour undermines our mission and core values and diminishes the dignity, respect and integrity of all parties. Our People policies outline our commitment to inclusivity.

We aim to remove barriers in our recruitment processes and to be flexible with our interview processes. Should you require any adjustments that may help you to fully participate in the recruitment process, we encourage you to discuss this with us.

Culture

We have four key behaviours that represent what we would like Genomics England to feel like and the culture we want to encourage, in order for us to achieve our mission. These behaviours help us all work well together, deliver on our outcomes, celebrate our successes and share feedback with each other. You can read about these and other aspects of our culture here.

If you’re an experienced technologist who thrives on fostering collaboration to deliver positive outcomes, we’d love to hear from you. Join us at Genomics England and make a meaningful impact in the world of genomics.