Remote Research Software Engineer Jobs in California

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dublin, Ireland, Ionis has been at work for more than three decades discovering medical breakthroughs that have redefined life for people with serious diseases. We’re pioneers in RNA-targeted medicines, and our platform continues to revolutionize drug discovery and transform lives for patients with unmet needs.  With multiple marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology and select areas of high patient needs, we continue to drive innovation in RNA therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing to provide greater value to patients and are well positioned financially to deliver on our strategic goals.

At Ionis, we pride ourselves on cultivating a challenging, motivating and rewarding environment that fosters innovation and scientific excellence. We know that our success is a direct result of the exceptional talents and dedication of our employees. 

With an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of human health, we look to add diverse individuals, skill sets and perspectives to our exceptional team. We continue to invest time, money and energy into making our onsite, hybrid and remote work environments a place where solid and lasting relationships are built and where our culture and employees can thrive. 

We’re building on our rich history, and we believe our greatest achievements are ahead of us. If you’re passionate about the opportunity to have meaningful impact on patients in need, we invite you to apply and join us. Experience and contribute to our unique culture while you develop and expand your career!

SENIOR SCIENTIFIC SOFTWARE ENGINEER
TEST AUTOMATION & DEVOPS (IC), RESEARCH SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT 

SUMMARY: 

We are seeking a mid-to-senior level individual contributor to own and elevate test automation, CI/CD, and DevOps practices across our research software team. This role will play a critical part in moving from limited, bespoke testing and deployment processes to standardized, scalable frameworks that improve software quality and delivery velocity. 

You will partner closely with software engineers and scientific users to design test strategies during early architecture discussions (personas, workflows, use cases, requirements), implement automated testing, and integrate these into AWS-based CI/CD pipelines. You will also champion best practices and enable adoption across a collaborative team of 8 engineers.

• Establish standardized testing, CI/CD, and DevOps frameworks across research software applications.
• Improve reliability and reproducibility of scientific software through automated validation and deployment practices.
• Reduce manual testing and inconsistent release processes by implementing scalable automation.
• Enable faster, more predictable delivery of features supporting scientific workflows.
• Build visibility through DevOps dashboarding and metrics to inform engineering decisions
• Define and implement test strategies aligned to user personas, workflows, and product requirements.
• Design, build, and maintain automated testing frameworks (unit, integration, and evolving toward end-to-end).
• Partner with engineers during architecture and design phases to ensure testability and clear acceptance criteria.
• Develop and standardize CI/CD pipelines across applications using AWS-native tools and infrastructure as code.
• Implement and manage infrastructure for automation using AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) and CloudFormation.
• Evaluate current systems and propose scalable, maintainable solutions for testing and deployment standardization.
• Analyze test outcomes, identify root causes, and collaborate with engineers to resolve issues.
• Build DevOps dashboards and metrics to monitor build health, test coverage, and deployment performance.
• Champion best practices in testing and DevOps; train and guide team members to drive adoption.
• Collaborate closely with scientific users to ensure software meets real-world research needs

KEY SUCCESS INDICATORS 

• Within 90 days, demonstrates clear understanding of existing applications, environments, and gaps in testing and CI/CD; delivers a documented assessment and prioritized roadmap.
• Within 180 days, implements initial standardized CI/CD pipelines and automated test frameworks (unit/integration) adopted by at least one core application.
• Establishes clear testing standards (test strategy, coverage expectations, definition of done) that are consistently applied across the team.
• Demonstrates measurable reduction in manual testing and ad hoc deployment steps through automation.
• Partners effectively with engineers during design phases to ensure testability, with test plans defined alongside requirements for new features.
• Builds and maintains DevOps dashboards that provide visibility into build health, test results, and deployment performance.
• Drives adoption of best practices through hands-on implementation, documentation, and training; team members independently follow established patterns.
• Improves reliability of releases, with fewer defects escaping to production and faster issue resolution when failures occur.
• Establishes scalable patterns for AWS-based CI/CD using CDK/CloudFormation that are reused across multiple services.
• Earns trust as the go-to subject matter expert for testing, automation, and DevOps within the team.

REQUIREMENTS

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in software engineering, test automation, or DevOps
• Strong hands-on experience designing and implementing automated test frameworks (unit, integration).
• Hands-on experience writing and executing test plans and automating them within CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using AWS and infrastructure as code (CDK, CloudFormation).
• Proficiency in TypeScript, JavaScript, or Java
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and testing best practices
• Proven ability to work collaboratively within engineering teams and influence adoption of standards.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with Python
• Experience transitioning teams from low automation to standardized testing practices.
• Familiarity with scientific or data-intensive applications.
• Experience in AWS-based microservices or distributed systems environments.

KEY SKILLS: 

Test Automation | CI/CD | DevOps | AWS CDK | CloudFormation | TypeScript | JavaScript | Java | Python | Unit Testing | Integration Testing | End-to-End Testing | Infrastructure as Code | Research Software | Scientific Computing | Software Quality | Pipeline Automation | AWS | SDLC | Test Strategy

Please visit our website, http://www.ionis.com for more information about Ionis and to apply for this position; reference requisition # IONIS003860

Ionis offers an excellent benefits package! Follow this link for more details: Ionis Benefits

Full Benefits Link: https://ionis.com/careers#:~:text=Highly%20competitive%20benefits

The pay scale for this position is $119,600 to $178,300

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. PRINCIPALS ONLY.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and all its subsidiaries are proud to be EEO employers.