Lead Software Engineer

Job Summary

A position with the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia is open for a Intermediate Software Engineer within the MSMRI Research Group. We are seeking a creative, experienced, and dedicated software developer to play a key role in maintaining and further developing an imaging database for the collection of MRI data. There will be opportunities to learn and participate in developing and applying data processing pipelines for MRI data analysis.

This position is situated at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH) - UBC Point Grey campus, the traditional, unceded, ancestral territory of the Musqueam people. Working conditions consist of office furnishings and a networked PC and Internet environment in a secured pen office workspace.

Organizational Status
Works within UBC MSMRI Research Group under the direct supervision of the MSMRI Manager. In conjunction with Principal Investigator(s), liaise with both internal and external project decision makers. Collaborates with researchers, coordinators, radiologists, programmers, technicians, and other staff within the program to maintain and further develop a database that meets user requirements and optimized for usability, functionality, and integration with existing systems.

Work Performed

Lead the design, architecture, and implementation of complex MRI research systems, including a custom full-stack web portal integrating frontend interfaces, backend services, and SQL-based data stores.

• Manage system requirements gathering, technical scoping, user consultation, and functional specification documentation.

• Direct development workflows and release processes, including sprint planning, backlog prioritization, version control, and QA.

• Serve as primary decision-maker for all technology selections, frameworks, data models, and deployment standards for systems under development.

• Supervise and mentor junior developers, students, and technical contributors, including assigning work, setting expectations, and approving contributions.

• Coordinate application roll-outs, infrastructure integrations, and change management in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

• Author and enforce internal SOPs, CI/CD protocols, error tracking procedures, and software development standards across the research group.

• Continuously optimize performance of all applications, including database tuning, load handling, and bottleneck resolution.

• Collaborate with research and IT leadership to align project delivery with long-term institutional research goals.

• Represent MSMRI in strategic technical discussions with external vendors, data-sharing partners, and faculty-wide system stakeholders.

• Manage the IT support budget, including costs related to servers and system performance monitoring.

Other Tasks

• Anticipate, recognize, and resolve issues proactively with the MSMRI Manager

• Maintain knowledge and training on SOPs and ICH-GCP

• Perform other related duties as required to meet study goals and timelines. Anticipate project risks and proactively propose solutions with clear tradeoffs.

• Drive process improvements by identifying inefficiencies in existing systems and proposing automated or scalable alternatives.

• Contribute to grant writing, documentation, and institutional reporting by providing architectural overviews and technical deliverables.

• Ensure technical documentation, audit logs, and change histories are current, traceable, and review-ready.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
You are expected to exercise judgement, diplomacy and tact in all interactions. Operates with a high degree of autonomy and is expected to make complex technical and project-level decisions independently. Errors in system design, deployment, or stakeholder management could delay institutional research operations, compromise data integrity, or breach compliance protocols. A deep understanding of risk management, academic research standards, and IT security is critical.

Supervision Received
Reports to the MSMRI Manager with broad directives. Operates independently in most day-to-day matters and provides regular updates to the Manager, PIs, and Director-level stakeholders. Responsible for interpreting project goals and converting them into actionable technical roadmaps.

Supervision Given
The Intermediate Software Engineer provides direct and indirect supervision to technical staff, students, and research assistants. Leads technical onboarding and orientation, defines coding and QA standards, reviews deliverables, and oversees task delegation. Participates in hiring processes, evaluates technical fit, and contributes to performance feedback for supervised contributors.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of two years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to lead the design and deployment of institutional-level software systems

• Strong background in full-stack engineering, DevOps workflows, and technical mentoring

• Commitment to fostering equity, inclusion, and diverse technical perspectives

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

• Undergraduate degree in computer science is strongly preferred. Experience in front- and back-end database development, JavaScript/HTML/CSS, PHP, SQL, shell scripting, Linux/Unix programming environment preferred.

• Nice to haves: Knowledge of object-obrriented programming, graphical user interface design, and/or image processing methods particularly in medical imaging. An interest in applying machine learning techniques to extract findings from data for pilot studies and research initiatives is also considered an asset.

• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication, organization, and problem-solving skills. Converses with, writes reports for, and creates/delivers presentations to all levels of colleagues and peer groups in ways that support problem solving and planning.

• Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities and work in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail and to work effectively to meet deadlines.

• Provides regular feedback and suggest alternative approaches necessary to ensure that project objectives and standards are achieved.

• Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships with colleagues and collaborators.

• Ability to work effectively independently and with cross-functional teams. Ability to exercise tact, discretion, and diplomacy.