We’re Hiring!
The Verena Institute is looking for a full stack developer or full stack development team (hereafter, the “Supplier”) to assist with the maintenance, documentation, and development of the Pathogen Harmonized Observatory (PHAROS) data platform. This is a defined short-term, contract position.
Verena is an NSF-funded Biology Integration Institute (BII) that conducts research into infectious diseases of wildlife from molecular to continental scales. A major component of this research effort is the Pathogen Harmonized Observatory (PHAROS), an open-access wildlife disease surveillance data management and sharing platform (pharos.viralemergence.org). The platform enables researchers to share line-level pathogen screening data and was designed in consultation with field biologists. PHAROS allows users to work offline in low-internet field settings and to submit data in familiar file formats (e.g. xlsx or .csv); the submission process also automatically ensures that data meet a minimum standard for completeness and quality.
The Supplier will provide the following services:
The development of code for new features, to improve performance, or to address maintenance issues. All code will be version controlled using GIT and stored in GitHub repositories controlled by the Verena team. Features include:
Adding SSO with prominent services like ORCID and Google
Aligning the PHAROS data model with the Wildlife Disease Data Standard
Developing a public facing API for accessing data
Developing a sandbox version of the site for learning similar to https://sandbox.zenodo.org/
Adding convenience features to the User Interface like validation coverage reports and download buttons on project pages
Training and documentation for the system to ensure its continued maintenance. The documentation will be sufficiently detailed to provide context and meaning for a given component of the project, including pointing others to useful resources for understanding a given framework or process.
The documentation of code.
The documentation of AWS/cloud hosted processes.
The documentation of databases.
Training for staff so they can perform maintenance tasks and resolve common user issues.
Database management and development including maintenance, security, performance, and integrity.
Manage AWS services including cloudfront, SAM, Cognito, Lambda Functions, Amazon RDS, and DynamoDB.
Services will be delivered remotely from the location of the Supplier.
At the end of the contract, the Supplier will have eliminated known technical debt and improved the long term performance of the platform by delivering code, training, and documentation.
The Supplier and their Verena counterparts will work in a professional and respectful manner.
The Supplier will use industry standard testing methods when delivering code including:
Regression testing to ensure that newly delivered code does not introduce new issues.
Functional testing to check that newly delivered code meets the requirements outlined in a given item in the backlog.
Security checks that look for vulnerabilities that may have been introduced by the new code.
Performance checks that measure quantitative attributes like latency and resource use.
Training materials will be delivered in a written form and through co-coding sessions with appropriate staff. Training materials will include clear objectives (e.g. staff will be able to access relational databases from their machines and white-list other IP addresses) and staff will be evaluated on their ability to meet those objectives in the co-coding sessions.
Documentation will provide sufficient details and context such that new developers and staff can understand how the system operates.
Timeline and management plan:
The project will begin in March of 2026 and last until October 2026 with approximately 1048 billable hours with a maximum budget of $100,000 USD.
Should the Supplier be a multi-person firm, a Delivery Lead and Project Manager will be designated. The Delivery Lead should work closely with developers, while the Project Manager may be a level removed from the development of code.
The project will be managed using one week sprints with scheduled check in meetings on Monday and Friday. The Supplier will communicate their planned work on Monday and report progress on Friday. All work items will be tracked via issues on GitHub.
Before a work item is assigned, the team (Supplier and Verena counterparts) will agree to acceptance criteria (a definition of done), record the acceptance criteria in an issue on GitHub - this will then be used to accept or reject the work. All changes to the code base will be submitted via pull requests and only incorporated into the code base after passing automated tests as well as human code review. The human reviewer will check that all code is sufficiently documented, that changes to processes are captured in the overall project documentation, and that any changes that impact users are reflected in the website's documentation. Verena staff will be available as needed to review pull requests and answer questions.
Project Milestones:
Project Kickoff: Approximately 40 hours
Payment: 10%
- Onboard developers
- Review backlog
- Update task time estimations
- Refine workflows
- Begin documenting code and processes
- Ensure understanding of CI/CD environment already in place
Resolve Technical Debt: Approximately 360 hours
Payment: 30%
- Resolve issues in the backlog and continue to improve documentation.
- There are currently 57 items in the backlog with estimated levels of effort ranging from 1 hour to 40 hours.
Develop New Features: Approximately 568 hours
Payment: 40%
- Shift backend to JSON Schema based validation and sync with Wildlife Disease Data Standard.
- Create a public facing API for machine to machine interactions with the repository.
- Develop a sandbox version of the site for learning purposes.
- Improve search on the website.
- Implement multi-owner projects.
- Implement data versioning at the project level.
- Improve discoverability by exposing metadata via OAI-PMH and other services.
Close Out and Training: Approximately 80 hours
Payment: 20%
- Produce training materials and documentation that allow staff to maintain most aspects of the system.
- Ensure staff have necessary credentials to access all components of the system.
- Remove Supplier's access to all components of the system.
In the event of disputes, unresolved defects introduced by the Supplier, delivery delays, or performance issues, the following escalation process shall apply:
Initial Resolution (Working Level): Issues shall first be raised during sprint meetings (daily standups, retrospectives, or sprint reviews) or directly with the Supplier’s designated Delivery Lead. The Supplier shall provide a proposed resolution plan within two (2) business days.
Management Escalation (Second Level): If the issue remains unresolved, it shall be escalated to the Client’s Product Owner and the Supplier’s Project Manager for joint review. Both parties shall agree upon corrective actions and a revised timeline within five (5) business days.
Executive Escalation (Final Level): If resolution is not achieved, the issue shall be escalated to executive sponsors from both parties. A formal meeting shall be convened within ten (10) business days to agree on remediation, contract amendments, or other corrective actions.
Failure to Resolve: Should the Supplier fail to resolve critical issues within the agreed escalation process, the Client reserves the right to withhold payments for the affected milestone(s) until resolution is achieved, terminate the contract, or to pursue other recourse.
See the Code of Federal Regulations for additional information on contractual obligations.
To apply, please submit an application via this form: https://airtable.com/app8LBeFJGKAHXNDz/pagEcNDDNQbSxm4tA/form