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Backend Software Engineer
| Company | Cornell University |
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| Location | Ithaca, NY, USA |
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| Salary | $95071 – $110487 |
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| Type | Full-Time |
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| Degrees | Bachelor’s, Master’s |
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| Experience Level | Mid Level |
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Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Three (3)+ years of relevant experience working on substantial computer software projects and collaborating with a team of engineers.
- Three (3)+ years of object-oriented programming and modern web application development techniques building and integrating APIs, web services, and frontend user interfaces.
- Three (3)+ years of experience with Java, Spring, and SQL.
- Experience with relational database table design and with writing and optimizing complex queries.
- Experience with containerization using Kubernetes or Docker.
- Experience with cloud infrastructure platforms and services from major vendors such as AWS (preferred) or Azure.
- Experience with continuous integration, deployment, and automation technology such as Jenkins.
- Experience running services on Linux.
- Experience with version control systems (e.g. Git) and modern development workflows (e.g. Agile, Scrum).
- Experience with project management tools such as Jira.
- Proven experience documenting and testing code.
- Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and to build working relationships to solve problems and achieve common goals in a multidisciplinary environment.
- Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.
- Ability to establish realistic goals and deliver work on schedule, handle multiple concurrent tasks and priorities, and adapt to changing priorities, situations and demands.
- High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation, and an ability to exercise sound judgment in decision making and in accomplishing tasks that are urgent or of a sensitive or confidential nature.
- Ability to work weekends or evenings when participating in the 24×7 on call duty rotation.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and maintain complex web-based applications, APIs, and related services utilizing Java, Spring, enterprise GIS systems, and SQL (Postgres) for the Center for Avian Population Studies and Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (CLO).
- Participate actively in the design and evolution of our technical infrastructure and hosting platforms, including the transition to more scalable, agile, cloud-based systems.
- Work closely with design and database teams to ensure seamless integration and user experiences.
- Help maintain our application code base, troubleshoot and fix bugs, and work to support and enhance application performance and system responsiveness.
- Stay up to date on the latest software development and web application best practices and processes.
- Contribute to the overall success of the engineering team.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree in computer science or related field.
- Experience web frameworks such as React, Vue.js, Angular, Next.js, or Nuxt.
- Familiarity with the Linux command-line and experience with shell scripting.
- Experience with highly available, high volume transactional web applications.
- Experience with GIS data and server software such as GeoServer.
- Experience managing large volumes of data for replication, warehousing, and archival storage.
- Prior use and understanding of eBird, Merlin, BirdCast or other Cornell Lab tools and resources.
- Interest in birds, nature, conservation, and/or natural science.
