Senior Staff Software Engineer, Science

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education to addressing the needs of our local communities. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone.

The Team

CZI supports the science and technology that will make it possible to cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of this century. While this may seem like an audacious goal, in the last 100 years, biomedical science has made tremendous strides in understanding biological systems, advancing human health, and treating disease.

We build open-source software tools to accelerate science and generate more accurate and biologically important sources of data. We fund scientific research worldwide to advance the frontiers of knowledge. And we launched a family of institutes to do research that can’t be done in conventional environments. Each aspect is essential to our approach to building for the long term.

CZI’s work in science includes grantmaking programs, open-source software development, and close collaboration with its partner institutes at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network. The CZ Biohub Network includes the San Francisco, Chicago, and New York Biohubs as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Imaging Institute. CZI also collaborates with institutional partners like the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural & Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University. Join us in accelerating science.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an outstanding technical leader, inspired by CZI’s mission, with a passion for the potential of technology to enable the organization to operate effectively, including accelerating scientific progress and applying technology to enable new science.

We’re building an AI-powered virtual cell web based platform to help scientists explore the molecular underpinnings of human health and disease. As the Senior Staff Software Engineer of the Sci Tech org you will tackle complex challenges involving the integration of diverse and federated datasets to advance AI research. Additionally, you’ll be instrumental in translating the outcomes of that research into actionable insights on the platform, accelerating scientific discovery and innovation.

This role will be focused on working with Product Managers, UX Design/researchers, data scientists and backend engineers to design, build and maintain performant, scalable and extensible applications for SciTech products.

Science initiatives includes building software such as

• Virtual Cells - A platform for scientists to build, collaborate and contribute to the AI powered virtual cells which would enable scientists to explore the molecular underpinnings of human health and diseases.
• CZ CELLxGENE - A rich single-cell data platform with interfaces that enable any computational or biological expert to understand the molecular function of cells and tissues.
• CryoET Data Portal - This is a web-based interface to a global repository of cryo-electron-tomography data for fostering imaging research
• CZ ID This web app focuses on pinpointing the most relevant pathogenic organisms and providing highly interactive visualizations that accelerate time to result and can be accessed by both experts and non-tech savvy users.

What You'll Do

• Be one of the key leads to drive architecture design and delivery of a distributed web-based platform powered by Virtual Cell Models. Provide technical leadership to an engineering org building the platform powered by these models
• Decompose complex problems into simple, straightforward solutions, providing mechanisms for the teams to prioritize.
• Work with Product Managers, AI researchers & Scientists implement a cutting-edge platform that harnesses the power of big data, AI models, and efficient workflows, driving scientific breakthroughs
• Write well-crafted, well-tested, readable, maintainable code
• Uphold a standard of technical excellence. Share your knowledge by giving brown bags, tech talks, and evangelizing appropriate tech and engineering best practices. Assist in creating a long-term technical vision for the Org
• Coach and mentor engineers in the team.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent combination of technical education and work experience.

• Technical Experience :

  • 10+ years of expertise designing, building, and scaling distributed systems and big data applications.
  • Experience working with public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Microsoft Azure, etc.).
  • Solid knowledge of distributed systems, relational and NoSQL databases
  • Advanced knowledge with data structures, algorithms, object-oriented design, design patterns, and performance/scale considerations
  • Strong design and coding skills in one or more programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, Python, or similar.
  • Strong fullstack prototyping skills

• Passion for building software application as a platform, reusable software, and componentization

• Exposure to building AI/ML Applications: Understanding of machine learning and AI, building infrastructure, services, and scalable technology stack.

• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Exceptional communication ability; fosters effective collaboration and empathy with diverse organizational and external stakeholders. Ability to engage and motivate a distributed, mission-oriented technical team.

• Analytical and Problem-Solving Proficiency: Robust analytical skills coupled with the ability to solve complex technology challenges effectively.

• Skills to be comfortable with ambiguity and are adept at using organizational goals to turn that ambiguity into clear deliverables.

Compensation

The Redwood City, CA base pay range for this role is $241,000 - $362,000. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process. Pay ranges outside Redwood City are adjusted based on cost of labor in each respective geographical market. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your location during the hiring process.

Benefits for the Whole You

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible.

• CZI provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Annual benefit for employees that can be used most meaningfully for them and their families, such as housing, student loan repayment, childcare, commuter costs, or other life needs.
• CZI Life of Service Gifts are awarded to employees to “live the mission” and support the causes closest to them.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice.
• Funding for select family-forming benefits.
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving to the Bay Area
• And more!

Commitment to Diversity

We believe that the strongest teams and best thinking are defined by the diversity of voices at the table. We are committed to fair treatment and equal access to opportunity for all CZI team members and to maintaining a workplace where everyone feels welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. Learn about our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

Explore our work modes, benefits, and interview process at www.chanzuckerberg.com/careers.

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