Cookies — it's your choice

At Bright Network we use cookies and similar technologies to help deliver you the best possible experience. Some are necessary to help our website work properly and can't be switched off, and some are optional but support Bright Network in building and running the service that we provide to you.

Data we store

You can find out more in our privacy policy at any time by going to the link in our footer.

  1. Home
  2. Graduate Jobs
  3. Technology & IT Infrastructure
  4. Software Developer MLC Graduate Scheme 2025
Lock Applications for this job open on 1 Jun 2025

The Mary Lyon Centre (MLC) at MRC Harwell are seeking an enthusiastic Graduate Software Developer Trainee to join their Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) Software Development Team (SDT) as part of the Mary Lyon Centre’s Graduate Training Program. The successful applicant will be working within an established Agile/Scrum team of Software Developers to help produce bespoke web-based data capture and visualization tools across a range of interesting projects.

The successful candidate can expect to gain exposure in all aspects of the Software Development Lifecyle. From design and development through to testing and live systems support. They will be encouraged to focus on their own personal career development objectives as much as possible and will have a large input on the choice of projects they undertake.

The ideal candidate will be a recent Graduate in a strongly technical IT/Computing subject. Alternatively, they could have studied a Scientific/Engineering subject but will need to demonstrate some familiarity and experience in Software Development.

Main duties/key responsibilities

The specific work undertaken by the successful candidate will be dependent on the interests of the applicant, but will broadly fall under the following areas:

  • The design, development and support of robust production-quality software tools that meet the requirements of stakeholders to support their scientific research activities.
  • Carrying out first-line user assistance across our various in-house software systems using JIRA Service-Desk for ticket management.
  • Performing second-line systems support to develop new software features and resolve technical faults.
  • Produce and maintain SQL-based reporting tools.
  • Carry out general data-management tasks requested by stakeholders.
  • Test new software features to identify faults or missed requirements, giving feedback on design and UX factors.
  • Delivering new software releases to users.
  • Routine server and database maintenance tasks.
  • Produce technical system and user help documentation.

Working relationships

  • Collaborate with other LIMS team members in supporting and developing software tools.
  • Work closely with various users/stakeholders to support their use of the software tools developed by the team.
  • Collaborate with other IT/Informatics teams where necessary on joint projects to support shared solutions.
  • Collaborate with LIMS team members in developing ideas for continual process improvement.
  • Report on project progress to the LIMS Team Lead.
  • The post will be line-managed by the LIMS Team Lead.

Additional information

  • Informatics at MRC Harwell: The Informatics Department is currently composed of 5 teams:
  • The LIMS team (5 people) which this post would be joining.
  • The Data-Management team (4 people) responsible for our scientific data QC.
  • The Software and Web Development Systems (SWDS) team (4 people) responsible for public websites.
  • The IMPC Data-Coordination-Centre team (4 people) responsible for managing all IMPC project systems.
  • The Infrastructure IT team (7 people) responsible for all IT hardware and core systems on-site.

Person specification

Education/uaqlifications/training required

Essential:

  • A strong technical IT/Computing educational history, ideally to BSc/MSc level, or with equivalent relevant experience.

Desirable:

  • Some exposure or familiarity with Biological Sciences

Previous work experience required

Essential:

  • No professional working experience required.
  • Academic projects in some technical aspect of Software Development.
  • Some experience working as part of a collaborative team.

Desirable:

  • Any experience working in the Software Development field.

Knowledge and experience

Essential:

  • High-level of knowledge in at least one Software coding language, preferably Java.
  • Familiarity with web-client technologies (Javascript, HTML, CSS).
  • Working level of knowledge of the Structured Query Language (SQL).
  • Familiarity with Relational Database (RDMS) features.
  • Experience with common IT tools – MS Office etc.

Desirable:

  • Some level of understanding of enterprise application architecture.
  • Familiarity with Linux operating systems.
  • Experience with common software project management tools – JIRA, Confluence, Gitlab.
  • Familiarity with Agile/Scrum software development methodology.

Personal skills/behaviours/qualities

Essential:

  • Strong verbal and written communication skills.
  • A proactive, self-motivating attitude towards project organisation and delivery.
  • An ability to work both collaboratively and independently.
  • An ability to create concise and effective documentation.

Desirable:

  • An ability to contribute novel ideas as part of our continual Team improvement process.
  • Effective presentation skills.