Software Engineer – City Futures Research Centre

About UNSW

UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community, a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

Why Your Role Matters

The Software Engineer plays a key role in the development, maintenance and optimisation of API-driven digital infrastructure that supports a range of planning, housing and transport research projects. The role focuses on building and supporting robust, efficient and secure cloud-based services, from APIs to data pipelines, that enable real-time data visualisation and machine learning applications.

Working closely with front-end developers, machine learning specialists and research teams, you will design, implement and operate high-performance services and automation workflows in cloud environments.

The position reports to the Centre Digital Infrastructure & Labs Manager and has no direct reports.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test and maintain front-end and back-end APIs supporting access to geospatial, transport and planning data.
• Support and maintain digital platforms and application services used for planning, housing and transport analytics.
• Apply security and access controls to applications and services in line with established practices.
• Support the use, maintenance and optimisation of PostgreSQL databases and related data services.
• Collaborate with researchers and developers to ensure data is accessible and suitable for visualisation and analytical purposes.
• Assist with deploying and operating APIs in AWS cloud environments using Docker and CI/CD practices.
• Support infrastructure automation using Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Terraform.
• Prepare and maintain clear documentation for software, code and systems processes.
• Provide proactive technical support to research platforms, lab infrastructure and software environments.
• Contribute to research outputs, technical documentation and related project activities where required.

Skills and Experience Summary

• A degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related discipline; or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training.
• Demonstrated experience developing back-end APIs using FastAPI, Django, Flask or NodeJS, with a strong understanding of REST principles and API lifecycle management.
• Experience working with PostgreSQL databases, including querying, design and optimisation.
• Experience supporting asynchronous programming and developing scalable API endpoints.
• Experience with AWS services and container-based deployment using Docker.
• Experience using Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Terraform or AWS CDK, including environment automation across development, staging and production environments.
• Experience or exposure to front-end development using modern frameworks such as React and JavaScript.
• Knowledge of authentication and security practices, including token-based authentication and role-based access controls.
• Demonstrated experience working within Unix/Linux environments, including scripting and cloud deployments.
• Strong collaboration, problem-solving, documentation and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in an agile team environment.