Programmer Analyst II

The USC Keck School of Medicine - Alzheimer Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI), located in San Diego, California is an academic institute comprised of an expert panel of scientific collaborators committed to advancing the development of new treatments for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) through innovative clinical trials.

ATRI is looking for a Programmer Analyst II that will support the Biorepository; LIMS system and assist with developing software applications using programming languages to the given design specifications. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Follow design specifications to code, test, debug, install, document, and maintain software applications.
• Provide efficient day-to-day management and support of the laboratory information system (LIS)
• Specialize in configuration and customization of commercial off-the-shelf product LIMS system to support order to result workflows
• Understand LIMS platform features and propose solutions that present trade-off analysis and make best use of the platform
• Leverage off-the-shelf or existing functionality whenever possible so development resources can be focused on unmet needs
• Up-dating, maintaining, managing, and troubleshooting the electronic database.
• Independently and with laboratory team, develops, validates, and modifies methods for data acquisition, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Manages user access and security for the database and monitors operational protocols to ensure data integrity.
• Participates in regular laboratory meetings to communicate with the laboratory team in providing up-dates on all database related issues.
• Manages all data queries and report generation requests.
• Develops new and enhanced functionality for software applications.
• Prepares code documentation in support of program development.
• Responsible for Interfacing with users to determine software application objectives, scope and requirements.
• Performs work of moderate complexity and handles most activities under general supervision of more experienced programming staff.

Preferred skills:

• Minimum 1 year of full-stack web development experience (front-end and back-end).
• Familiarity with laboratory practices and workflows.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and containerization (e.g., Docker).
• Knowledge of ETL processes and Test-Driven Development (TDD).
• Ability to leverage AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot).
• Proficiency with commercial LIMS platforms (STARLims, CoreLIMS).
• Understanding of sample collection, processing, and data management practices.
• Experience in quantitative and computational biology.
• Strong background in data modeling, schema design (relational databases, XML/JSON), and handling relational/NoSQL data stores.
• Hands-on experience with Django and its security models.
• Proficiency with RDBMS (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and version control systems (Git, SVN).
• Familiarity with Agile tools (JIRA, Confluence) and continuous integration workflows.
• Solid understanding of web service technologies (XML, REST), AWS, and software integration.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Commitment to code quality, performance, reliability, and scalability.

Preferred Education:

• Bachelor's degree in software engineering, CS/EE or any biomedical fields

The hourly rate range for this position is $44.76 - $60.76.When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.