Data Engineer - Software

We are looking for a Data Engineer (Software Dev), with a keen interest in data architecture and processing to join our Data Science team. If you are someone who takes pride in clean architecture and well-tested, maintainable code, enjoys bridging the gap between data science and software engineering and motivate the team to adopt good software practice, then this role might just the right one for you!

Rewards and Benefits

• £50 to £62K (depending on experience)
• 25 days annual leave, death in service and private health care benefits, personal pension contributions of 4% with salary sacrifice and a generous EMI Share scheme

Based in Abingdon, Oxford, UK, we are a high calibre team of 100+ people and we are growing fast. We are backed by global financial and industry investors including Applied Ventures, the strategic venture arm of the industry-leading equipment company.

About the role

A typical day for a Data Engineer in our team looks like this:

• Designing and evolving the architecture of our data pipelines and systems, working closely with both the Data Science and C# software engineering teams to ensure robust, maintainable integration points.
• Refactoring existing data workflows — improving code quality, structure, and testability so that prototype solutions become reliable production components.
• Expanding and improving our testing coverage, introducing best practices that give the team confidence to iterate quickly without breaking things.
• Acting as the technical bridge between our Python-based data science work and our C# software platform, collaborating on shared interfaces, APIs, and data contracts.
• Contributing to code reviews, design discussions, and architectural decisions across both teams.

Who we are looking for in a Data Engineer for our team

• Strong software engineering skills in Python, with a focus on clean code, modularity, and maintainability
• Practical experience in data and software architecture design — structuring systems and pipelines that are scalable and easy to reason about
• Demonstrating confident, hands-on use of AI tools (e.g. Claude) as part of a modern, AI-assisted data engineering workflow
• Experience writing and improving automated test suites (unit, integration, and regression testing)
• A track record of refactoring complex or legacy codebases into well-structured, documented systems
• Solid understanding of software development best practices: CI/CD, version control, code review culture, Agile mindset

Nice to have

• Some familiarity with image processing methods, especially traditional ones for filtering, masking and segmentation of microscopy data.
• Familiarity with scientific or instrumentation data — working with large numerical datasets, time series, or measurements from physical instruments, in particular electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.
• Experience in a cross-functional team environment where data science and software engineering teams work in close collaboration

Education / Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related STEM field, or equivalent experience through a relevant apprenticeship or demonstrable professional track record.

We look for the five Cs from our colleagues:

• Customer Focused – Staying close to customer needs and consistently delivering value that builds trust.
• Caring – Creating a supportive environment where people look out for each other and can thrive.
• Collaborative – Sharing ideas openly, communicating clearly, and working together to solve problems.
• Commitment – Taking ownership, following through on promises, and acting with integrity.
• Continuous Improvement – Always learning, challenging the status quo, and improving how we work and deliver.

A bit about us:

Infinitesima is a privately owned company founded in 2001, as a spin-out of the University of Bristol, by CTO Professor Andrew Humphris. Our dynamic team of scientists and engineers is focussed on enabling the next generation of semiconductor devices through delivery of innovative products to customers around the world.

Our strength lies in the varied perspectives that come from different cultures, experiences, and identities. We believe that true innovation is fuelled by collaboration, locally and globally. We strive to foster an environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully and thrive. If you require adjustments to take part in the recruitment process, please let us know, we'll do our best to support you.

Note to recruitment agencies: Infinitesima Ltd only works with approved agencies and does not accept unsolicited agency CVs. Please do not submit candidate details in response to this advert, or to any Infinitesima Ltd employees. Infinitesima Ltd is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs.

A note on how we run interviews:
We use AI only to transcribe our interviews so we can focus fully on you instead of scribbling notes. The AI does not take part in any decision making at any stage. All hiring decisions are made by real humans based on the conversation we have with you.

Location and work pattern:

All of our UK team members are asked to work on site here at Abingdon during their first three months with us. We offer flexible, hybrid working where possible upon completion of probation.