Scientific Software Engineer

Scientific Software Engineer Location: Cambridge, UK Department: Data & Cheminformatics Type: Full-time, Permanent Reports to: VP of Cheminformatics & Data Architecture About Nxera Pharma Nxera Pharma (formerly Sosei Heptares) is a technology powered biopharma company, in pursuit of new speciality medicines to improve the lives of patients with unmet needs globally. In addition to several products being commercialized in Japan, we are advancing an extensive pipeline of active programs from discovery through to late clinical stage internally and in partnership with leading pharma and biotech companies. This pipeline is focused on addressing major unmet needs in some of the fastest-growing areas of medicine (particularly metabolic and endocrine disorders), and leverages the power of our unique and industry leading GPCR-targeted structure-based drug discovery “NxWave” platform to provide a sustainable source of best- or first-in-class candidates. In Cambridge UK, we have built outstanding research capabilities across our platform, discovery and translational medicine teams, to advance multiple programs from pre-clinical through to early clinical development. In Tokyo, our expert teams are dedicated to late-stage development (Ph 2/3) and innovative commercialization/ go-to-market approaches. Our newly formed NxAQ organisation is building a high throughput AI and physics driven GPCR discovery engine that augments our world class experimental capabilities and extensive proprietary structural and chemogenomic data assets, with the aim of developing drug candidates faster. The Role You will join the Data & Cheminformatics team within NxAQ. The successful candidate will work with stakeholders across the Nxera Pharma R&D business to understand their day-to-day workflows, identify gaps and limitations, and design innovative solutions that reduce friction, costs and cycle times. What You’ll Do Develop web-based tools to handle and track requests/submissions and streamline lab operations.Implement and automate workflows to store, transform and visualise chemical, pharmacological, structural, biophysical and ADMET data to support project decision making.Provide tools to enable curation and annotation of experimental data by lab scientists.Automate manual/semi-manual processes across the business to speed up the day-to-day tasks of both experimentalists and data managers within the team.Contribute to the maintenance and development of our scientific software and database systems to ensure maximum value can be extracted from our data assets. What You’ll Bring Essential experience A degree in computer science, chemical or biological sciences.Full-stack software engineering experience in a production environment.Experience with Linux, programming languages such as Python, JavaScript or TypeScript (Node.js, React desirable), developing and using REST APIs.Knowledge of relational database systems, data modelling and SQL.Experience following software engineering best-practices including version control, containerisation, CI/CD, code-review and testing.Experience working directly with stakeholders across different disciplines to determine requirements (ideally in a life-science setting).Strong communication, presentation and collaboration skills. Desirable experience Software development experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical sector.Prior experience working with experimental drug discovery data (e.g., structural, assay, synthesis information) and data-management/ELN systems.Experience using automation/workflow tools such as Prefect, Pipeline Pilot, Knime.Knowledge of chemical file formats and chemistry toolkits (e.g., RDKit)Hands-on experience using AI coding-assistants or agentic tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor, Codex). What’s in it for you? State-of-the-art R&D centre located in the heart of the Cambridge science clusterCompetitive compensation package including discretionary cash bonuses26 days annual leave in addition to public holidays plus the option to purchase an additional 5 days each yearEmployer contribution to pensionPrivate Medical Insurance for employees and family and a cash plan for dental and optical reimbursementHealth and wellbeing benefits including a subsidised individual gym membershipIncome protection to cover long term absences due to ill healthGroup Death in Service equal to 4x basic annual salary At Nxera Pharma, we are passionate about delivering life-changing medicines to patients. We foster an open and welcoming environment where everyone can bring their authentic self to work, harnessing our individual strengths to succeed together. We value our culture rooted in a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds, and abilities, with a deep sense of belonging. For us, inclusiveness is a reflex, not an initiative. We are achieving this through a consistent commitment to fairness, equal opportunity, and equity. Applications should include a CV and covering letter, providing a short description of the background of your interest in the role. Join us at Nxera Pharma — where AI meets biology to transform the future of medicine.