Senior Software Engineer
Certara · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $150,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Build cloud-native modules for drug development software.
- Collaborate with product and domain experts.
- Ensure high standards for regulated life sciences.
- Mentor junior and mid-level engineers.
- Work with Java, React, PostgreSQL, and AWS.
About the role
About Certara
Certara accelerates the potential of bringing medicines to market and to patients using biosimulation software, technology, and services to transform traditional drug discovery and development. Our clients include more than 2,400 biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and regulatory agencies across 70 countries.
Our goal is to enable the life sciences industry's use of data, modeling, and analytics to make better decisions across the various phases of discovery and drug development. Our software and scientists incorporate modern advances in scientific understanding, drug development experience, data analysis, and AI resulting in significant opportunities to decrease the cost and increase the probability of success for new drug approval and commercialization.
About This Role
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Phoenix Cloud team, you'll work at the intersection of cloud technology, modern data workflows, and pharmacological science. Phoenix Desktop is the industry's gold standard for PK/PD analysis (pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics analysis) and modeling, the science behind determining safe and effective drug dosing that has helped bring thousands of medicines to patients worldwide. Trusted by the FDA, academic researchers, and leading biopharmaceutical companies for over 30 years. With Phoenix Cloud, we're reimagining the entire "data in" to "report out" workflow by bringing it to the cloud, making it faster, more powerful, and streamline for research teams worldwide.
The Phoenix Cloud platform is a growing suite of cloud-native modules that extend the analytic core of Phoenix with powerful capabilities, from publication-ready graphing (TFL Studio) to GenAI-powered report authoring (AI PK Reports), with more modules on the horizon. You'll be building software that directly accelerates the pace of drug development, helps scientists spend less time on mechanical data work and more time on the science that brings life-saving medicines to patients.
About The Team
Phoenix Cloud is built by a collaborative, mid‑sized team of engineers and testers organized into product‑aligned groups. The team’s effort is focused on delivering new platform capabilities. Technical decisions are made by the people closest to the work and the team holds a high bar for accuracy, performance, test coverage, and maintainability.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and maintain cloud-native modules within the Phoenix Cloud platform using Java, React, and PostgreSQL on AWS
- Partner with product managers and domain experts to translate scientific workflow needs into technical requirements and deliverables
- Author and review tests to uphold the validation standards required by regulated life sciences customers
- Participate in code reviews with a focus on maintainability, security, and performance across a growing multi-module cloud platform
- Work across product, QA, and engineering teams to ship features that span the full "data in" to "report out" workflow
- Mentor and guide junior and mid-level engineers, providing meaningful feedback to elevate team output
- Contribute to process improvements and team process documentation
- Develop a working understanding of PK/PD workflows and the regulatory context our customers operate in (no prior pharma experience required)
Qualifications
- Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience
- 4+ years of experience in a software engineer role
Key skills/competency
- Java
- React
- PostgreSQL
- AWS
- Cloud-native development
- Software architecture
- Test automation
- Mentoring
- Agile methodologies
- Problem-solving
Skills & topics
- Senior Software Engineer
- Java
- React
- PostgreSQL
- AWS
- Cloud Engineering
- Software Development
- Drug Development
- Biosimulation
- PKPD Analysis
- Life Sciences
- Full-stack Development
- Backend Development
- Frontend Development
- Cloud-native
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight experience with Java, React, PostgreSQL, and AWS, specifically mentioning cloud-native development and any contributions to regulated environments.
- Showcase mentorship: Detail any experience mentoring junior engineers or leading technical initiatives, demonstrating leadership potential.
- Address responsibilities: In your cover letter, directly connect your skills to Certara's mission of accelerating drug development and mention your understanding of the importance of validation standards in life sciences.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss your approach to designing, building, and maintaining cloud-native modules, as well as your experience with code reviews and test authoring.
- Understand the domain: Show genuine interest in biosimulation and drug development, even if you don't have prior pharma experience.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What are the primary responsibilities of a Senior Software Engineer at Certara's Phoenix Cloud team?
- As a Senior Software Engineer at Certara's Phoenix Cloud team, you will be responsible for designing, building, and maintaining cloud-native modules using Java, React, and PostgreSQL on AWS. You'll collaborate with product managers and domain experts, author and review tests, participate in code reviews, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to process improvements. The role also involves developing an understanding of PK/PD workflows and regulatory contexts.
- What technologies are essential for the Senior Software Engineer role at Certara?
- The core technologies for this Senior Software Engineer position include Java, React, and PostgreSQL, deployed on AWS. Experience with cloud-native development and a strong understanding of software architecture, test automation, and maintainability are also crucial.
- Is prior experience in the pharmaceutical industry required for this Senior Software Engineer position?
- No, prior pharmaceutical experience is not required for this Senior Software Engineer role. Certara is looking for candidates who can develop a working understanding of PK/PD workflows and the regulatory context their customers operate in, indicating a willingness to learn and adapt.
- How does Certara foster collaboration within the Phoenix Cloud team?
- The Phoenix Cloud team is described as collaborative and mid-sized, organized into product-aligned groups. Technical decisions are made by those closest to the work, and the team emphasizes a high bar for accuracy, performance, test coverage, and maintainability, fostering a shared sense of ownership and collective progress.
- What opportunities are there for mentorship in this Senior Software Engineer role?
- This role explicitly includes mentoring and guiding junior and mid-level engineers. You will provide meaningful feedback to elevate team output, contributing to the growth of other team members and demonstrating leadership within the engineering group.
- What is the career growth potential for a Senior Software Engineer at Certara?
- As a Senior Software Engineer, you will be instrumental in building and scaling the Phoenix Cloud platform, which is central to Certara's mission. The role offers opportunities to deepen expertise in cloud technologies, data workflows, and pharmacological science, with the potential to influence technical direction and mentor others, paving the way for further growth within the company.
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