What are the responsibilities and job description for the Technical Specialist / Technical Expert - OSS Developer position at University of Bristol - School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience?
The role
We’re looking for a Development Specialist to lead BOMNADO, a Python/Django-based bill of materials management software suite that has recently been released as open source.
You’ll be hands-on developing new features, driving releases, and maintaining high standards of code quality. Alongside the technical work, you’ll represent BOMNADO externally — engaging with the open-source community through events, collaborations, and partnerships.
This is a 1-year contract role and a rare opportunity to combine deep technical delivery with open-source stewardship, shaping a product that’s used well beyond the organisation.
You will shape the project’s architecture, define its roadmap, and steward the technical direction, ensuring every change moves the ecosystem forward. From reviewing pull requests and guiding contributors, to driving releases and refining APIs, you will be the trusted technical voice that keeps the project fast, stable, and exciting to build on.
Beyond code, you will be the face and heartbeat of the community: speaking at meetups and conferences and engaging with developers across GitHub and other channels. You will cultivate an inclusive, welcoming contributor culture, listen closely to user feedback, and turn insights into features that delight the community. If you enjoy shipping real software, telling its story, and rallying people around a shared open-source mission, this role puts you right at the centre of the action.
This role sits within the Digital Technical Services team and focuses on working closely with H&E Inventions, the pro² network team, and end users to shape software that can be used effectively by individuals and small companies to fabricate and replicate digital devices.
It’s a self-starting role, suited to someone comfortable operating across multiple teams and stakeholder groups, including industry partners, academics, and members of the maker and hacker community.
The role is hybrid, with the option to work remotely. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if the position is filled sooner (for example, via agency).
Depending on your skills, experience, and knowledge, this position will be designated as either a Technical Specialist (Grade J - £43,482 - £50,253 per annum) or Technical Expert (Grade K - £50,253 - £58,225 per annum).
Please note that this advert may close before the advertised end date - 11th March, if the role is filled early, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
What will you be doing?
Key Skills & Experience
We are proud to be one of the most popular and successful universities in the UK, currently ranked 51st in the QS World University Rankings 2025. As the second-largest employer in Bristol, we offer competitive pay and rewards, an attractive pension scheme, generous leave entitlements, and a range of development opportunities. Additionally, we prioritise the wellbeing of our staff through various initiatives designed to support a healthy work-life balance.
Additional information
For Informal Queries Please Contact
Steve Leaback (steve.leaback@bristol.ac.uk)
0117 456 1384
About
To find out more about what it's like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, and how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:
https://engineering.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/category/engineering-includes-me/
Contract type: Fixed term for 12 months
Work pattern: Full time
Grade: J / K
Salary: Grade J £43,482 - £50,253 per annum; Grade K £50,253 - £58,225 per annum
The grade of the role offered will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience you bring to the position.
School/Unit: Science and Engineering Faculty Team
This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Wednesday 11th March.
Interview dates will be confirmed in due course.
Our strategy and mission
We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.
The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.
Available documents
We’re looking for a Development Specialist to lead BOMNADO, a Python/Django-based bill of materials management software suite that has recently been released as open source.
You’ll be hands-on developing new features, driving releases, and maintaining high standards of code quality. Alongside the technical work, you’ll represent BOMNADO externally — engaging with the open-source community through events, collaborations, and partnerships.
This is a 1-year contract role and a rare opportunity to combine deep technical delivery with open-source stewardship, shaping a product that’s used well beyond the organisation.
You will shape the project’s architecture, define its roadmap, and steward the technical direction, ensuring every change moves the ecosystem forward. From reviewing pull requests and guiding contributors, to driving releases and refining APIs, you will be the trusted technical voice that keeps the project fast, stable, and exciting to build on.
Beyond code, you will be the face and heartbeat of the community: speaking at meetups and conferences and engaging with developers across GitHub and other channels. You will cultivate an inclusive, welcoming contributor culture, listen closely to user feedback, and turn insights into features that delight the community. If you enjoy shipping real software, telling its story, and rallying people around a shared open-source mission, this role puts you right at the centre of the action.
This role sits within the Digital Technical Services team and focuses on working closely with H&E Inventions, the pro² network team, and end users to shape software that can be used effectively by individuals and small companies to fabricate and replicate digital devices.
It’s a self-starting role, suited to someone comfortable operating across multiple teams and stakeholder groups, including industry partners, academics, and members of the maker and hacker community.
The role is hybrid, with the option to work remotely. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if the position is filled sooner (for example, via agency).
Depending on your skills, experience, and knowledge, this position will be designated as either a Technical Specialist (Grade J - £43,482 - £50,253 per annum) or Technical Expert (Grade K - £50,253 - £58,225 per annum).
Please note that this advert may close before the advertised end date - 11th March, if the role is filled early, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
What will you be doing?
- Lead the front-end development, setting standards for architecture, performance, accessibility, and developer experience.
- Design and implement modern, reusable components and patterns, helping evolve the software as the project and community grow.
- Build and maintain a comprehensive working knowledge of the full tech stack, including Python and Django, to confidently debug, extend, and improve the system end to end.
- Use open-source practices and tools (release notes, READMEs, issue tracking, discussions) to make the project approachable for new and existing contributors.
- Proactively engage with developer communities via forums, social channels, live streams, and community events, turning feedback into improvements and driving ongoing contributor and user engagement
Key Skills & Experience
- Expert-level Python and Django development in production environments.
- Proven track record of releasing and maintaining open-source software.
- Strong knowledge of Git/GitHub (or GitLab) workflows, including community contributions.
- Experience with packaging, documentation, licensing, and versioning of OSS projects.
- Solid grounding in CI/CD, automated testing, and software best practices.
- Ability to engage with and represent projects at community events, conferences, or forums.
- Excellent problem-solving and communication skills. Problem-Solving and
- Debugging: Strong analytical skills and a methodical approach to diagnosing issues and delivering efficient, maintainable solutions.
- Continuous Learning: A proactive attitude towards learning and applying new programming languages, frameworks, and development best practices.
- Be the main point of contact for front-end development solutions, working alongside the H&E Inventions team to ensure relevant tools, techniques and services are part of a technical roadmap and can be implemented effectively within the team.
- Manage technical reports on the performance and status of BOMNADO.
We are proud to be one of the most popular and successful universities in the UK, currently ranked 51st in the QS World University Rankings 2025. As the second-largest employer in Bristol, we offer competitive pay and rewards, an attractive pension scheme, generous leave entitlements, and a range of development opportunities. Additionally, we prioritise the wellbeing of our staff through various initiatives designed to support a healthy work-life balance.
Additional information
For Informal Queries Please Contact
Steve Leaback (steve.leaback@bristol.ac.uk)
0117 456 1384
About
To find out more about what it's like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, and how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:
https://engineering.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/category/engineering-includes-me/
Contract type: Fixed term for 12 months
Work pattern: Full time
Grade: J / K
Salary: Grade J £43,482 - £50,253 per annum; Grade K £50,253 - £58,225 per annum
The grade of the role offered will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience you bring to the position.
School/Unit: Science and Engineering Faculty Team
This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Wednesday 11th March.
Interview dates will be confirmed in due course.
Our strategy and mission
We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.
The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.
Available documents
- SUPP112981 - Technical Expert - JD.pdf
- Faculty of Science & Engineering Further Particulars 2024-25.pdf
- SUPP112981 - Technical Specialist - JD.pdf
Salary : $43,482 - $58,225