Software Development Engineer

Software Development Engineer

Full-Time 72000 - 88000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Develop and maintain a cloud-native platform for drug discovery using Python, Java, and Kotlin.
  • Company: Join Roche, a global leader in healthcare innovation and diversity.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
  • Other info: Collaborative environment with excellent career advancement opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on healthcare by building systems that support life-saving therapies.
  • Qualifications: Strong Python skills, experience with REST APIs, and a passion for scientific data.

The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position: We are building the platform that holds every molecule our researchers design, make and test. As a Senior Software Development Engineer, you will help consolidate our molecule registration systems into a single cloud-native platform at the centre of our AI-driven drug discovery work. You will write the code that lets computational design and laboratory science iterate on each other, at a scale of hundreds of billions of records.

The Opportunity: You develop and maintain core features of our Therapeutic Molecule Registration platform, working primarily in Python alongside Java and Kotlin components. You design and implement RESTful APIs and microservices that serve molecular data to research and machine learning teams across our global organisation. You write high-quality, testable code for chemical registration workflows, where correctness directly affects the science that depends on it. You shape architecture by contributing to technical design discussions as multiple registration systems are harmonised into one. You build for scale and speed designing cloud-native systems that support rapid iteration between computational molecule design and experimental validation. You work alongside scientists partnering with our Computational Sciences colleagues, our machine learning for drug development team, and Drug Discovery groups including Antibody Engineering. You grow into a new domain combining software engineering craft with chemical and biological data management — we will support you in learning it.

Who you are: You hold a degree in Computer Science or a related field, or you have built equivalent expertise through practice. You are a strong Python programmer with significant experience building and running production services, and you can work confidently in existing Java or Kotlin codebases. You have deep working knowledge of Postgres and SQL, and you design REST APIs and microservices that hold up under load. You treat testing as part of the work, with a strong track record in test automation, CI/CD pipelines and agile delivery. You have built on cloud platforms, preferably AWS, and you are curious about scientific data — you enjoy learning a domain deeply enough to design well for it.

Preferred: Open-source cheminformatics experience — RDKit, chemfp, Indigo or the HELM toolkit — chemical database cartridges, structure canonicalisation, or molecular structure searching. Familiarity with chemical and biological structure notation, or with biological sequence alignment. Docker and Kubernetes, event-driven architectures, or a background in scientific software development.

Every molecule registered on this platform is a possible medicine, and the speed at which we can find it depends on the systems we build. If you want your engineering to shorten the distance between an idea and a therapy that reaches patients.

Who we are: A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100,000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact. Let’s build a healthier future, together.

At Roche Products we believe diversity drives innovation and we are committed to building a diverse and flexible working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, disability or age. We recognise the importance of flexible working and will review all applicants’ requests with care. At Roche difference is valued and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer where you are encouraged to bring your whole self to work.

Software Development Engineer employer: Roche Holding AG

Roche Products Ltd. is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, particularly within the Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism (CVRM) team. Employees benefit from comprehensive professional development opportunities, a commitment to patient-centric solutions, and the chance to make a meaningful impact in obesity and cardiometabolic care. Located in the UK, Roche offers a dynamic environment where your contributions directly enhance healthcare outcomes and scientific understanding.

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Contact Details:

Roche Holding AG Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Software Development Engineer

Join Local Tech Meetups

Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Roche Holding AG or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!

Contribute to Open Source Projects

Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Roche Holding AG.

Tap into Online Developer Communities

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We think you need these skills to ace Software Development Engineer

Python Programming
Java
Kotlin
Postgres
SQL
RESTful APIs
Microservices

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.

Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Roche Holding AG.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Roche Holding AG and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!

Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at Roche Holding AG

Brush Up on Your Coding Skills

For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.

Know Your Tools and Frameworks

Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Roche Holding AG uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.

Showcase Your Projects

Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.

Prepare for Behavioural Questions

While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.