Join the team at the Humanitarian Technology Trust building the OpenFlexure Microscope. The OpenFlexure Microscope is an open-source, digital, robotic microscope used in more than 60 countries across education, research and agriculture; it is also undergoing evaluation for use in medical diagnostics. Ultimately the goal of the OpenFlexure project is to enable manufacturers in underserved areas of the world to sell certified diagnostic microscopes into their local healthcare systems.
We are looking for a full-stack software engineer to help us build the next generation of the OpenFlexure software. We are building a microscopy interface that is flexible enough for a global open-source community, yet reliable enough for scientific and medical applications. We will be working in collaboration with manufacturers, healthcare professionals and regulators across the world, with a focus on enabling implementation in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.
The OpenFlexure Microscope runs on an embedded Raspberry Pi computer with a customised Linux-based OS, powered by a Python backend and a modern JavaScript interface accessible via a browser or Electron desktop application.
You’ll join a small team working across embedded systems, scientific imaging, web technologies, robotics, and UX. The project spans a wide range of technologies and disciplines, so your most important quality is a willingness to learn new skills, tools, libraries, and techniques. We care as much about curiosity, adaptability, and collaborative problem-solving as we do about your existing experience.
Python, JavaScript, and Git are essential foundations for the role. We also use a lot of other tools and libraries, but you do not need prior experience with every technology we use. If you enjoy learning quickly, working across disciplines, and contributing to ambitious open-source technology with real-world impact, we’d love to hear from you.
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Job Details
Salary: £40,000–£55,000 depending on experience and skill set. A higher salary could be negotiated for the right candidate.
Contract: Full Time, permanent. We are primarily seeking a full-time hire, though part-time arrangements may be possible for the right candidate.
Location: This role includes hands-on work with hardware systems and therefore requires on-site work in our Bath office 2–3 days per week.
Deadline: There is no fixed deadline, applications are reviewed as they come in. The role will close once a candidate is selected.
About the Organisation
The Humanitarian Technology Trust is a UK-registered charity (Charity number 1212197) that develops technologies that benefit humanity.
The OpenFlexure Microscope is currently our core development project.
What You’ll Work On
- Developing and maintaining the OpenFlexure microscope software stack
- Building reliable, user-friendly interfaces for scientific and medical imaging
- Improving embedded software running on Raspberry Pi hardware
- Designing extensible systems that support both research experimentation and production reliability
- Collaborating openly with contributors and users around the world
- Contributing to an active open-source ecosystem spanning hardware, software, and documentation
Essential Skills & Qualities
- Willingness to learn new skills and technologies
- Good teamwork and collaboration skills
- Strong knowledge of Python
- Experience with JavaScript
- Confidence using Git
- Good understanding of software engineering best practices
Particularly Valuable Experience
Experience in any of the following areas would be beneficial:
- Open-source software development
- Linux development or system administration
- FastAPI or other Python web frameworks
- Scientific Python tooling (NumPy, SciPy, OpenCV)
- GitLab and CI/CD workflows
- Vue.js or similar frontend frameworks
- Electron, Android, or iOS application development
- Embedded systems, robotics, Raspberry Pi, or Arduino
- Bash scripting
- Software packaging (PyPI, NPM, APT, Snap)
- Networking and IoT technologies (mDNS, Web of Things, etc.)
- UX/UI design
- Translation and i18n tooling
- Experience working in (or collaborating with teams in) low-resource settings
- Scientific instrumentation or calibration
- Medical or regulated software environments
- IEC 62304 training or certification
- Website and documentation development
Why Join the Humanitarian Technology Trust?
- Work on technology with real-world scientific and healthcare impact
- Contribute to a globally recognised open-source project
- Collaborate with an international community of researchers, developers, educators, and clinicians
- Build software that bridges embedded systems, robotics, imaging, and web technologies
- Help shape tools that improve access to microscopy worldwide
- Opportunities for international travel to meet users of the software you write
- A budget and time for relevant training and continued professional development
How to Apply
Apply by email: Send your CV and a short covering note to careers@httrust.org