Software Engineer, Data Science

Wave Life Sciences; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 162,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

401K participation

Company-sponsored health insurance

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Wave Life Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is seeking a Full Stack Software Engineer to develop and scale internal applications supporting scientific workflows. This role involves working across the full stack—backend APIs to frontend interfaces—with an emphasis on maintainability and code quality.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience in full stack application development, with strong skills in Python and React. The position offers a salary range of $120,000 - $162,000 along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s with 8 years of experience, Master’s with 6 years of experience.
• Experience building full stack applications in a production environment.
• Hands-on experience with Python and a backend web framework.
• Proficiency with React or modern frontend frameworks.
• Strong foundation in software engineering best practices.

Responsibilities

• Design and build reliable backend services and APIs.
• Build and maintain user-facing interfaces using React.
• Own features end-to-end from API design to UI implementation.
• Shape technical direction through architecture discussions.

Skills

Full stack ownership

Engineering judgment

Readable, maintainable code

Pragmatic problem-solving

Clear communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

Python

Flask

FastAPI

React

Job description

Wave Life Sciences is a biotechnology company focused on unlocking the broad potential of RNA medicines to transform human health. Our RNA medicines platform, PRISM, combines multiple modalities, chemistry innovation and deep insights in human genetics to deliver scientific breakthroughs that treat both rare and prevalent disorders. Our toolkit of RNA-targeting modalities including RNAi silencing and RNA editing provides us with unmatched capabilities for designing and sustainably delivering candidates that optimally address disease biology. Our diversified pipeline is focused on our obesity, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and PNPLA3 I148M liver disease programs and includes clinical programs for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease, as well as several preclinical programs utilizing our versatile RNA medicines platform. Driven by the calling to “Reimagine Possible”, we are leading the charge toward a world in which human potential is no longer hindered by the burden of disease.

Description

We’re looking for a Full Stack Software Engineer to help build, modernize, and scale internal applications and services that support scientific and operational workflows across the organization.

You’ll work across the full stack — backend APIs, frontend interfaces, workflow automation, and data-driven applications — with a strong emphasis on maintainability, engineering standards, and long-term scalability. We’re looking for someone who can contribute independently, make sound technical decisions, and help raise the bar on code quality across a distributed engineering team.

Leveling (Software Engineer or Senior Software Engineer) will be determined based on experience and demonstrated skillset.

Experience

• Bachelor’s with 8 years of related experience, Master’s with 6 years of related experience.
• Experience building full stack applications — both backend APIs and frontend UIs in a production environment.
• Hands‑on experience with Python and at least one backend web framework (Flask, FastAPI, or similar).
• Proficiency with React or a modern frontend framework.
• Strong foundation in software engineering best practices — testing, clean code, and maintainability.
• A track record of reviewing production code and providing constructive, actionable feedback.
• Familiarity with relational databases and data modeling.
• Comfort with version control, automated testing, and CI/CD workflows.
• Strong communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to navigate ambiguity.
• Experience designing scalable systems using microservices architecture preferred.
• Experience with microfrontend architecture preferred.
• Experience working with distributed or offshore engineering teams preferred.
• Familiarity with modern frontend frameworks preferred.
• Experience modernizing legacy systems or workflows preferred.
• Background in scientific, analytical, or data‑driven environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend services and APIs that are reliable, well‑tested, and built to last.
• Build and maintain user‑facing interfaces using React or modern frontend frameworks.
• Own features end‑to‑end — from API design to UI implementation.
• Shape technical direction by contributing to architecture discussions and design decisions.
• Elevate engineering quality through thoughtful code reviews and by championing best practices.

Key Skills

• Full stack ownership — taking a feature from API design to UI polish
• Engineering judgment — making thoughtful trade‑offs between speed, quality, and complexity
• Readable, maintainable code — writing for the next developer, not just the current sprint
• Pragmatic problem‑solving — finding the right solution, not just the clever one
• Ownership and accountability — following through from design to deployment
• Continuous improvement — always looking for ways to make the codebase better
• Clear communication — explaining ideas, decisions, and trade‑offs with clarity

Pay Range External Disclosure Statement

The annual base salary range for this position is $120,000 - $162,000.

The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the annual base salary pay range for this position at the time of posting. Actual annual base salary will vary based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, qualifications, position criticality, and internal equity. This position is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus and discretionary stock‑based long‑term incentives. In addition to compensation, Wave offers a comprehensive and competitive range of benefits designed to support our employees’ and their families physical and financial health and overall well‑being. These include, but are not limited to, company‑sponsored medical, dental, vision, life, long and short‑term disability insurances, generous paid time off (including a week‑long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter), 401K participation with matching contributions, and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Wave Life Sciences provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Wave Life Sciences complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Wave Life Sciences expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Wave Life Sciences’ employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

We value our relationships with professional recruitment firms. To protect the interests of all parties, and given the large volume of inquiries received from third‑party placement agencies, we are not able to respond to all agency inquiries. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates for current or future positions. Submission of unsolicited resumes in advance of a signed agreement between our company and a placement agency does not create an implied obligation and, if an unsolicited candidate represented by a placement agency is hired, we are not obligated to pay a fee. Only approved recruitment firms will be allowed to provide services to Wave Life Sciences, USA.