Computing Engineer (HR Business Applications) (FAP-BC-ENG-2024-96-LD)

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Introduction

Are you an experienced and motivated Computing Engineer with a passion for delivering complex and compelling information systems end-to-end? Are you at ease with the server-side Java ecosystem, and also with writing frontends in JavaScript and not afraid to optimise database queries, to dive into data integration processes or to configure and debug messaging/eventing systems? Then join an agile team of talented software developers and take a leading role in the planning, design, implementation, testing and commissioning of new features for CERN's HR applications. CERN, take part!

You will be joining the Business Computing (BC) group within the Finance and Administrative Processes (FAP) department (http://fap-dep.web.cern.ch/), where over 70 talented international colleagues are dedicated to delivering information systems for all of CERN’s business functions. Within BC, the HR development team is responsible for advancing over 50 different human resource tools and products. These tools are designed to support the entire organization, aiming for an automated and user-friendly HR employee experience that enhances engagement. Additionally, you will play a significant role in ensuring CERN’s transition to a new state-of-the-art HR Cloud solution.

The product management driven group is working for clients across the whole Organisation (HR, Finance, Planning, Safety, Security, Purchasing, Logistics, and Accelerator Operations). The type of products under the group’s responsibility ranges from custom-made solutions for a few users to large and widely integrated systems with 15,000+ users. Hence, working for the BC group provides numerous perspectives for being in touch with different technologies and business areas.

Functions

As a Computing Engineer, you will join a self-organised agile product team and provide end-user support to some of the group's core HR systems. More specifically, you will take on the following responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and test new features and software components for all layers of modern applications (e.g., frontend, backend, persistence, search, ETL, messaging, reporting etc.); 
• Participate in operations, maintenance, and development activities according to the priorities set by the Product Manager and Product Owner; 
• Perform functional/process analyses of requirements and define the appropriate implementation strategy, to support CERN in the transition process to the new HR Cloud solution; 
• Identify areas of improvement in existing applications, and pro-actively recommend solutions, particularly around automation of repetitive tasks, and mitigation of recurring problems; 
• Implement and test on-demand business reports, requiring complex extraction and aggregation of data from multiple systems; 
• Provide 3rd level user support, maintenance, and consultancy to business users with everyday issues in the form of support tickets or meetings, ensuring business continuity; 
• Participate in and lead cross-team technical initiatives and deliver proof of concepts demonstrating product feasibility; 
• Maintain and improve group-wide high standards and guidelines of software engineering practices; 
• Mentor junior software developers; 
• Work in close collaboration with internal clients/users and possibly external partners/suppliers; 
• Work in an agile DevOps environment based on a toolchain that relies on code editors, git, continuous integration, containers, Linux servers, databases, and ticketing/documentation systems.

Master's degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of Information Technology, Computing Engineering or a related field.

Experience:

• Demonstrated experience in the design and development of large full stack enterprise solutions built on top of industry standards (Java, Spring Boot, JavaScript, React and similar frameworks); 
• Demonstrated experience of modern software design and architecture principles and patterns, and their application in the Java and JavaScript ecosystems; 
• Proven experience of modern software development life cycle and DevOps processes (incl. build/test/deployment tool chain); 
• Demonstrated experience of SQL, PL/SQL, database systems, and their integration with Java applications; 
• Experience with modern UI frameworks, such as React, Angular or VueJS; 
• Experience in providing end-user support, troubleshooting, escalation, and issue resolution.

Each of the following skills would be a plus:

• At ease with reporting technologies (PowerBI, R/Shiny), data warehouse concepts and ETL processes; 
• Experience in using scripting languages (Python) for basic task automation; 
• HR domain knowledge with existing Cloud based solutions; 
• Experience in using version control systems (ideally git) and basic interaction with Linux servers via the command line; 
• Experience working in an agile environment.

Technical competencies:

• Knowledge of programming techniques and languages: deep understanding of object-oriented and functional programming paradigms, design and architectural patterns, and their application in the Java and JavaScript ecosystems.
• Design of databases/repositories: experience with relational databases and database modelling.
• Re-use, refactoring, integration and porting of existing software: understand complex legacy processes; streamline and simplify processes; transition existing logic to a modern stack.
• Customer service: provide end-user support to existing applications.
• Knowledge and application of software life-cycle tools and procedures: working in lean-agile environments with methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban, issue tracking systems, Git, dependencies and build tools (Gradle, npm).

Behavioural competencies:

• Building Relationships: showing appreciation for the ideas and contributions of others and encourages others to express their views, even if controversial Understanding how individual differences bring added value to the Organization; promoting complementarities Being able to put self in the shoes of others in order to understand their needs and interests
• Working in Teams: working well in groups and readily fitting into a team; participating fully and taking an active role in team activities Cooperating constructively with others in the pursuit of team goals; balancing personal goals with team goals. Sharing and letting others participate in own work/project; encouraging team development
• Demonstrating Accountability: working conscientiously and reliably; delivering on promises Taking responsibility for own actions and decisions Readily admitting to mistakes
• Communicating Effectively: expressing opinions, ideas and suggestions with conviction and in a logical/structured manner; keeping to the point Successfully changing other people's opinions by persuasive arguments Delivering presentations in a structured and clear way; adjusting style and content to the audience; responding calmly and confidently to questions
• Demonstrating Flexibility: being willing to work on different projects simultaneously

Language skills:

Spoken and written English: ability to understand and speak the other language in professional contexts. Ability to draw-up technical specifications and/or scientific reports and to give oral presentations.

Written and/or spoken French would be an advantage, otherwise the willingness to acquire it is expected. CERN supports you by offering language courses.

Eligibility and closing date:

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success. We welcome applications from all Member States and Associate Member States.

This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible, and applications should normally reach us no later than 21.07.2024 23:59h CEST. 

Employment Conditions

Contract type: Limited duration contract (5 years). Subject to certain conditions, holders of limited-duration contracts may apply for an indefinite position.

These functions require:

• Work during nights, Sundays and official holidays, when required by the needs of the Organization.

Job grade: 6-7

Job reference: FAP-BC-ENG-2024-96-LD

Benchmark Job Title: Computing Engineer