Senior Full-Stack Software Developer (Drupal / React)

Charles River; Tranent; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A contract research organization is seeking a web developer to build and maintain Drupal and React applications. The candidate should have experience in PHP development, CI/CD automation, and proficiency with Docker and Kubernetes for high-performance environments. A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field is required. This role offers a chance to contribute significantly to improving health outcomes globally while supporting a collaborative work culture.

Qualifications

• Proven development experience in web technologies like PHP and React.
• Familiarity with JSON:API and modern software delivery principles.
• Experience in managing automated workflows within GitHub.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the design and development of Drupal and React applications.
• Implement and improve CI/CD automation using GitHub Actions.
• Configure Docker and Kubernetes environments for code deployment.

Skills

Web development

PHP

React

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

GitHub Actions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Drupal 10+

NextJS

Jest

Job description

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For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well‑being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

Job Summary

In this role, you will follow standardised workflows to maintain quality and ensure alignment with necessary regulatory requirements. Contribute to the build and maintenance of high-performance, decoupled web applications that pair Drupal back-ends with React front-ends.

Working alongside cross-functional teams, you will help deliver secure, scalable solutions while actively working with established CI / CD processes and containerised environments to ensure steady code delivery.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the design and development of Drupal-based sites and React-based user interfaces
• Implement and improve GitHub Actions pipelines and broader CI / CD automation
• Configure and optimise containerised, high-scale environments (Docker / Kubernetes)
• Write and maintain unit, integration, and end-to-end tests
• Participate in backlog grooming, sprint planning, and other ceremonies
• Conduct peer code reviews and provide constructive feedback
• Follow SOX, SOP, GLP, GMP and related standards
• Produce clean, well-documented, efficient code
• Leverage approved AI tools to streamline daily development tasks

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A / B.Sc) or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related discipline
• A number of years and proven development experience in web development with technologies like PHP and React

Drupal Expertise

• Knowledge of Drupal 10+
• Proficient with decoupled architectures (JSON:API)
• Strong PHP (modern OOP, Dependency Injection, SOLID principles)

React Expertise

• Familiar with React, NextJS and Jest best practices

Soft Skills

• Clear written & verbal communication
• Able to explain technical decisions and trade-offs succinctly

Nice to have

• Chakra UI experience
• Understanding of React components lifecycle: mounting, evolving, unmounting
• Software Delivery and Automation
• Experience managing automated workflows within GitHub to streamline code integration and deployment
• Proficiency in Docker / Kubernetes to ensure consistency across local, staging, and production environments
• Practical understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

About Corporate Functions

The Corporate Functions provide operational support across Charles River in areas such as Human Resources, Finance, IT, Legal, Sales, Quality Assurance, Marketing, and Corporate Development. They partner with their colleagues across the company to develop and drive strategies and to set global standards. The functions are essential to providing a bridge between strategic vision and operational readiness, to ensure ongoing functional innovation and capability improvement.

About Charles River

Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients' clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client's unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people's lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well‑being of many across the globe. We have proudly supported the development of 80% of the drugs approved by the FDA in the last five years.

At Charles River Laboratories, we recognize and recruit all talent. We are a company committed to fostering a sense of belonging and work daily in this direction.