Web Application Architect

Hiring for two temporary-to-hire positions. Hybrid schedule: 3 days in office per week.

About the Role

The Department of Molecular Biology (MolBio) at MGH is a world-class research community composed of approximately 18 laboratories and more than 250 scientists, staff, and trainees. The department conducts leading-edge research in molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, and related disciplines. Our investigators hold appointments at Harvard Medical School and collaborate closely with the MGH Research Institute and the HMS Department of Genetics, contributing to scientific breakthroughs that advance human health. The department is home to internationally recognized researchers, including Nobel and Lasker Award winners and members of the National Academy of Sciences, reflecting a deep commitment to scientific excellence, innovation, and discovery.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain production-grade, multi-user web applications.
• Implement secure authentication and authorization workflows, including SSO and integration with enterprise identity providers.
• Collaborate with scientists, administrators, and cross-functional technical teams to design and develop custom web applications tailored to both administrative and research needs.
• Drive the adoption of modern web technologies, tools, and methodologies to improve efficiency and productivity within the department.
• Own the end-to-end development of features and systems—from architecture and implementation to optimization and long-term maintenance.
• Write clean, efficient, and well-tested code that adheres to best web development practices and broader enterprise security standards.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex platform issues across multiple environments.
• Monitor and optimize platform performance, availability, and capacity.
• Manage day-to-day operations of enterprise platforms, including applications, servers, storage, and networked services.
• Support security hardening and vulnerability remediation efforts.
• Participate in platform upgrades, migrations, and patch management.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of new platforms and services.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts and tools to improve operational efficiency.
• Gather and analyze requirements for web applications with business stakeholders.
• Collaborate with other IT professionals to develop scalable, secure, and maintainable web application architectures.
• Develop and maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation of web application architectures, designs, and code.
• Provide technical guidance and leadership to other developers on the team.
• Develop and implement web application development standards and best practices.
• Stay current with emerging trends and technologies in web application development and provide recommendations for improvements.
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues related to web applications.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of experience in modern full-stack web development.
• Experience with web application development frameworks (e.g., React, Vue, Angular, Svelte).
• Familiarity with modern content management systems, including integrating and customizing CMS platforms for dynamic content delivery (Drupal experience is a plus).
• Experience with backend and frontend development using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and familiarity with modern frameworks (Linux, PHP is a plus).
• Extensive experience building and working with relational databases.
• Familiarity with version control, code reviews, monitoring tools, logging frameworks, and automated deployment practices.
• Strong understanding of web application architecture and design patterns.
• Experience with cloud-based web application development.
• Experience with database design and development.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Willingness to adapt and learn new technologies and approaches.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and communication skills with the ability to discuss complex topics with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Able to lead projects and manage stakeholders, timelines, and deliverables to meet deadline-driven outcomes.
• Extremely self-motivated, with great time management skills and exceptional attention to detail.

Competencies

• Collaborates
• Instills Trust
• Values Differences
• Learning Agility
• Builds Effective Teams
• Manages Complexity
• Communicates Effectively
• Ensures Accountability
• Cultivates Innovation

Pay

Hourly pay rate: $45.17 - $65.74

Schedule

40 hours per week