Technical Lead

EMBL-EBI; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading bioinformatics institute in the UK is seeking a Technical Lead to join their Chemical Biology Resources team. The successful candidate will manage a team of engineers while overseeing critical infrastructure for various platforms. Strong expertise in Python and backend development is essential, along with experience in managing teams. This role offers competitive salary, hybrid working arrangements, and a generous relocation package if applicable.

Benefits

Financial incentives

Monthly child allowance

Private medical insurance

Generous time off

Relocation package

On-site nursery

Casual dress code

Qualifications

• Several years of professional experience in backend development.
• Experience managing a team.
• Proficient in working with Linux operating systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and maintain critical infrastructure supporting multiple platforms.
• Track and implement database patch schedules and coordinate infrastructure updates.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive monitoring strategy across all services.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all IT-related matters.
• Maintain ongoing efforts to address technical debt for service health.

Skills

Python programming

Backend development

Team management

CI/CD workflows

Linux

Django or FastAPI

SQL databases

NoSQL databases

Docker

Kubernetes

Education

Degree in computer science or related field

PhD in a relevant computational discipline

Tools

GitLab

ElasticSearch

MongoDB

Job description

About the Team

We are looking for a Technical Lead to join the Chemical Biology Resources team at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). The Chemical Biology Resources team provides world-leading chemogenomics resources to the scientific community. ChEMBL is a database of quantitative small‑molecule bioactivity data curated primarily from the scientific literature widely used to support drug discovery projects in industry and academia. SureChEMBL is a complementary patent resource containing chemical structures extracted from patents daily. UniChem links chemical structures across databases. ChEBI is a highly curated database and ontology of compounds of biological interest. OPSIN converts systematic chemical names into chemical structures.

The Technical Lead is part of the leadership team in the group, which consists of an international and interdisciplinary mix of professional scientists and software engineers. You will manage a team of engineers that maintain and develop our websites, APIs and data workflows. You will be working closely with the Team Leader, ChEMBL Group Coordinator and Senior Scientific Developer to ensure that the teams resources are maintained and developed in a sustainable way that is flexible enough to support ongoing changes and improvements to what we do.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversee and maintain critical infrastructure supporting ChEMBL, SureChEMBL, ChEBI, OPSIN, and UniChem platforms, including Kubernetes clusters, virtual machines, database environments (SQL, MongoDB), transfer services (FTP, etc.), networking and compute clusters
• Proactively track and implement EBIs IT database patch schedules and coordinate infrastructure migrations / updates
• Develop and implement a comprehensive monitoring strategy across all services to ensure optimal performance and reliability
• Ensure the stability and continuous availability of existing systems, with particular focus on the ChEMBL platform and the teams ElasticSearch instance
• Further standardise and streamline deployment procedures to create consistency and efficiency across platforms
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all IT‑related matters, providing expert guidance both internally and externally
• Lead the development and ongoing maintenance of all services within the portfolio, with hands‑on implementation and technical problem‑solving
• Maintain ongoing efforts to address technical debt so that our services remain in good health

Requirements

• A degree in computer science or related field, or a PhD in a relevant computational discipline
• Several years professional experience involving backend development
• Track record of delivered projects involving backend development
• Proficient in Python programming
• Strong experience with Python backend frameworks such as Django or FastAPI
• Strong experience with SQL databases (e.g., Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL)
• Experience with NoSQL databases such as Elasticsearch and MongoDB
• Experience with DevOps practices such as CI / CD workflows (particularly using GitLab) and infrastructure as code
• Proficient in working with Linux operating systems
• Familiar with containerization technologies (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes)

Behaviours

• Experience managing a team
• Self‑motivated with good communication skills and the ambition to work with international collaborators and users
• Advanced English language and excellent interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to see the bigger picture and bring colleagues along with you, ensuring alignment across teams and driving collective success

Desirable

• Experience managing infrastructure for scientific or data science workflows
• Experience with Java programming
• An interest in life sciences is a plus

Benefits and Contract Information

Financial incentives :

• Depending on circumstances, monthly family / marriage allowance of £278, monthly child allowance of £336 per child, non‑resident allowance up to £569 per month, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long‑term care, accident‑at‑work and unemployment insurances

Hybrid working arrangements

Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to eight bank holidays

Relocation package including installation grant (as applicable)

Campus life : Free shuttle bus to and from work, on‑site library, subsidised on‑site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

Family benefits : On‑site nursery, child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances

Contract duration : This position is a 3‑year grant based contract

Salary : Monthly salary starting at £4,206 after tax but excl. pension & insurances) + benefits (Total package will be dependent on family circumstances)

International applicants : We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Read more on our page for international applicants.

Diversity and inclusion : At EMBL-EBI, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ and individuals from all nationalities.

Job location : This role is based in Hinxton, near Cambridge, UK. You will be required to relocate if you are based overseas and you will receive a generous relocation package to support you.

To apply, please submit a covering letter and CV via our online system. Applications will close on 05 / 01 / 2026.