Software Developer – Data & Digital for Kiwifruit Breeding

About the role

Join Plant & Food Research as a Software Developer supporting the Kiwifruit Data Programme and Breeding Centre. You will apply your engineering expertise to build and maintain informatics systems that accelerate kiwifruit cultivar development.

Key responsibilities

• Design, develop, test and maintain software applications and services for horticultural research.
• Support data capture and analysis platforms used in kiwifruit breeding programmes.
• Develop REST APIs, database solutions and modern web applications using Java, Spring Boot and React/Angular.
• Participate in Agile delivery practices, including sprint planning and continuous integration.
• Ensure software quality through automated testing, peer reviews and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate closely with scientists, breeders and technical product owners to deliver user‑focused solutions.

Required profile

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Software Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent industry experience.
• At least five years of commercial software development experience with Java and Spring Boot.
• Strong experience with ReactJS or Angular for front‑end development.
• Proficiency with MySQL, PostgreSQL and other relational databases.
• Experience building automated tests and RESTful APIs.
• Hands‑on experience in Agile development environments.
• Demonstrated understanding of plant breeding principles, genetic selection and kiwifruit research systems.

Required skills

• Java
• Spring Boot
• ReactJS
• Angular
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• REST APIs
• Automated testing
• Docker
• Jenkins
• Apache Kafka
• Couchbase
• Python
• C#
• C++
• R
• PHP
• Geospatial technologies

What we offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge horticultural research that impacts global food security.
• Collaborative environment with scientists and breeders.
• Access to modern development tools and cloud‑native technologies.
• Contribution to sustainable, high‑yield kiwifruit cultivars.