Research Software Engineer – Scientific Software, Data Workflows & AI – Birmensdorf, Switzerland | Visa + Salary Insights

📍 Location: eu

🏷 Type: Not specified

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Job Overview

This role for a Research Software Engineer at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) focuses on advancing scientific software engineering, AI-driven research workflows, and reproducible data pipelines. The position sits within a multidisciplinary Science IT group supporting environmental research across forestry, snow, and natural hazard domains. The ideal candidate is a Mid–Senior level engineer with strong programming expertise, experience in research computing environments, and a deep understanding of modern AI-assisted development tools. You will act as both a developer and consultant, helping researchers build scalable, reproducible, and robust computational systems.

🌍 Work Eligibility & Location

This position is anchored in Switzerland (Onsite/Hybrid), meaning candidates should be prepared to engage closely with research teams on-site. While international applications are likely welcome due to the ETH Domain structure, visa sponsorship is not explicitly confirmed. Candidates already based in Europe or with eligibility to work in Switzerland will have a smoother application pathway. The environment is highly collaborative and research-driven, making physical or hybrid presence valuable for integration into scientific workflows.

💰 Salary Intelligence

Swiss federal research institutions typically offer highly competitive compensation. For a Research Software Engineer in the ETH ecosystem, salaries usually reflect both technical depth and academic responsibility. The estimated range of CHF 90K–130K+ aligns with Swiss public research standards, particularly for roles involving AI systems, data engineering, and scientific computing. Additional benefits may include strong pension schemes, job stability, and research autonomy.

📊 Role Breakdown

This position combines engineering, consulting, and research enablement. You will spend a significant portion of your time building and improving scientific software systems using languages such as Python, R, and C/C++. A major focus is designing and maintaining reproducible data workflows and computational pipelines that support environmental science research. You will also guide researchers in adopting AI tools for coding, ensuring responsible and effective use of machine learning models in scientific contexts.

Approximately 30–40% of your work involves direct collaboration with researchers, providing technical consulting and training. Another 30% is dedicated to building standardized frameworks and improving internal Science IT infrastructure. The remaining time focuses on AI integration, workflow optimization, and cross-team coordination. You will contribute to defining best practices for research data management, ensuring reproducibility and scalability of computational experiments. This is not a purely development role—it blends engineering with scientific impact.

🧩 Required Skills & Fit

📈 Difficulty & Competitiveness

This is a technically demanding role requiring deep fluency in both software engineering and scientific computing. The Senior-Level classification reflects the expectation of independent problem-solving, architectural thinking, and advisory responsibilities. Candidates will face strong competition from global applicants in AI and research computing domains, especially those with experience in academic or government research ecosystems.

🚀 Career Impact

This role delivers strong long-term value for engineers aiming to transition into AI research engineering leadership. Working within the ETH ecosystem significantly enhances credibility in both academic and applied AI sectors. Exposure to scientific AI workflows and environmental research data positions you for future opportunities in research labs, deep tech companies, and computational science teams globally.

📋 Key Responsibilities

You will design and maintain scientific applications using Python, R, and C/C++, ensuring high performance and reproducibility. A core responsibility is building and optimizing data workflows that support environmental research, including scalable pipelines and structured data management systems. You will actively guide researchers in applying AI tools for software development and scientific modeling.

Additional responsibilities include establishing internal standards for research software engineering, promoting best practices in reproducible computing, and supporting teams in adopting modern frameworks for data science. You will also contribute to training materials, workshops, and consulting sessions. Collaboration across Science IT teams is essential to ensure consistent tooling and infrastructure alignment across research projects.

🎯 Application Strategy

🧠 Application Optimization (Adaptive)

This section is personalized by seniority. Use the prompt below to optimize your application for this research-focused engineering role.

🧠 Fit & Positioning Analysis

Evaluate your alignment carefully before applying. This role blends research engineering with AI system design and requires strong interdisciplinary capability.

📅 Application Signals

This is a high-value research engineering role with strong global competition. Early applications typically perform better due to limited intake cycles. Strong signals include demonstrated work in scientific computing, AI-assisted development workflows, and contributions to reproducible research systems. Candidates with direct exposure to environmental or geoscience data pipelines will have a significant advantage. Expect rigorous technical screening focused on system design and research collaboration capability.

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✅ Job Source & Verification

This listing is derived from an official WSL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) job posting within the ETH Domain ecosystem. The information is considered highly credible due to its institutional origin. Last updated: May 2026. Always verify final details on the official WSL careers page before applying, as requirements and application deadlines may change.