Software Developer / Research Software Engineer (m/f/d) for the Radiological Cooperative Network (RACOON) project

The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) is one of the largest cancer research centers in Europe. “Research for a life without cancer” is our mission, and our world-class scientists work together with all our employees to achieve this.

We investigate how cancer develops, identify cancer risk factors, and search for new strategies to prevent people from developing cancer. We develop new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. Every contribution counts—whether in research, administration, or infrastructure. That’s what makes our daily work so meaningful and exciting.

The Department of Medical Image Processing at the DKFZ develops innovative methods and software solutions at the intersection of medical imaging, artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, and modern research infrastructure.

To strengthen our team, we are looking for a motivated

Software Developer / Research Software Engineer (m/f/d) for the Radiological Cooperative Network (RACOON) project

Reference Number: 2026-0138

• Heidelberg
• Full-time
• Medical image processing

RACOON is the nationwide imaging platform of the University Medicine Network. The goal of the project is to establish and operate a distributed research infrastructure for medical image data, particularly for multicenter research projects, clinical trials, structured reporting, annotation, AI-supported image analysis, and the standardized reuse of radiological data. The infrastructure connects local RACOON sites at German university hospitals with central components in RACOON-CENTRAL.

At the heart of its operations is RACOON-AI, the central AI platform within RACOON. RACOON-AI enables the integration, provision, and application of modern AI methods for medical image data across the nationwide network of university hospitals. The platform supports the translation of innovative methods from medical image computing into clinical-scientific research infrastructures, thereby contributing significantly to the technical implementation of large multicenter research projects and clinical trials.

RACOON-AI is based on the open-source toolkit Kaapana, a Kubernetes-based platform for medical data analysis, AI workflows, and federated analysis and learning scenarios. You will work in an interdisciplinary team on the further development, operation, and support of this platform within the nationwide RACOON network.

Important Note Regarding the Job Profile:
This position is not solely a data science, model training, or doctoral position. The focus is on robust software development, platform operations, method integration, support, and technical coordination within a productive, nationwide medical research infrastructure. The position is aimed at candidates who wish to transform research software into usable platform components, operate containerized services, integrate AI methods into reproducible workflows, and solve technical problems in collaboration with university hospitals, on-site IT specialists, and project partners. Fluency in German at a minimum C1 level is mandatory, as a significant portion of the work involves German-language communication, support, and technical coordination with the RACOON sites, university hospitals, and project partners.

Your Responsibilities:

You will support the technical operation and further development of RACOON-AI as the central AI platform within the RACOON network. Your responsibilities will include, in particular:

• Further development of RACOON-AI through software development in the open-source toolkit Kaapana
• Integration, deployment, and maintenance of AI methods, analysis workflows, and containerized applications
• Supporting the translation of methods from medical image computing into the RACOON infrastructure at university hospitals
• Software-based integration of tools and concepts for processing multimodal medical data, including image data, structured clinical data, and other research-relevant data sources within the RACOON-AI platform
• Technical support for multicenter research projects, clinical trials, and medical use cases within the RACOON network
• Operation, maintenance, monitoring, and error analysis of RACOON AI instances, including central instances in RACOON-CENTRAL
• Second-level support for IT contacts at university hospitals and local IT teams regarding the operation, integration, and use of the platform
• Further development and maintenance of platform components in the context of Kubernetes, Helm, Docker/Podman, Apache Airflow, OpenSearch, dcm4chee, MinIO/S3, Keycloak, Prometheus/Grafana, and web-based user interfaces
• Creation and maintenance of technical documentation, operating manuals, and support materials
• Participation in project meetings, technical coordination sessions, and workshops
• Presenting the platform at events, networking sessions, and project meetings
• Contributing to reporting, planning, and technical coordination within the project

Your Profile:

You’ll be a great fit for us if you enjoy working with robust research software, distributed infrastructures, and collaborating with clinical, scientific, and technical partners.

The following are mandatory requirements:

• A completed master’s degree in computer science, medical informatics, data science, mathematics, physics, engineering, or a related scientific or technical field
• Practical experience in software development, research software, platform operations, DevOps, or medical IT
• Experience with at least one of the programming languages Python or JavaScript/TypeScript
• Practical experience with Linux as well as modern container and cloud technologies, particularly Docker/Podman, OCI containers, Kubernetes, or Helm
• Ability to analyze technical problems in a structured manner, document them clearly, and solve them in collaboration with internal and external partners
• Willingness to engage in technical communication, provide support, and coordinate with university hospitals, IT managers at the respective locations, and project partners
• A meticulous, reliable, and structured approach to work
• Strong ability to work as part of a team in an interdisciplinary, cross-location project environment
• Business-level proficiency in German, at least at the C1 level
• Very good English skills for working in an international scientific and open-source environment

The following are considered a plus:

• Experience with Apache Airflow, OpenSearch, dcm4chee, MinIO/S3, Keycloak, Prometheus, Grafana, or comparable infrastructure components
• Experience with web-based UI frameworks such as Vue, React, or Svelte
• Knowledge of CI/CD, GitOps, monitoring, logging, REST APIs, or distributed platforms
• Knowledge of operating distributed IT infrastructures, particularly in the areas of network configuration, DNS, TLS/SSL certificates, reverse proxies, firewalls, VPN, proxy setups, or access control in clinical or institutional IT environments
• Experience with DICOM, PACS systems, FHIR, medical image data, or clinical research data
• Experience in machine learning, image computing, high-performance computing, or federated analysis and learning scenarios
• Experience with multicenter research projects, clinical trials, or medical research data infrastructures
• Experience in open-source software development, technical documentation, support processes, or training technical users

What makes this position special:

• Contributing to a nationwide research infrastructure highly relevant to medical imaging, AI, and data-driven clinical research
• Work on RACOON-AI as the central AI platform for multicenter research projects and clinical trials
• Opportunity to integrate innovative methods from medical image computing into the infrastructure of German university hospitals
• Work on a modern, containerized open-source platform based on Kaapana
• An interdisciplinary environment with experts from computer science, medical imaging, AI, radiology, and research data management
• Close collaboration with university hospitals, national project partners, and technical teams in the RACOON network
• Opportunity to shape the further development of a research platform in productive use
• A dynamic work environment at the intersection of research, software development, platform operations, support, and clinical application

Application Process:

Interested and qualified applicants should submit at least a cover letter, a resume, and relevant certificates, diplomas, and supporting documents.

Please also include a brief technical statement of motivation (no more than one page) with your application. In it, please specifically address the following points:

• Your practical experience with software development, Linux, containerization, Kubernetes, DevOps, or platform operations
• Your experience in technical communication, support, documentation, or coordination with external partners
• Your interest in medical imaging, research infrastructures, the translation of AI methods, or multicenter clinical trials

Applications without a clear connection to these points can only be considered to a limited extent in the selection process.

What we offer:

• Excellent working conditions: state-of-the-art infrastructure and opportunities for high-level international collaboration
• 30 days of vacation
• Flexible work hours
• Compensation in accordance with the TV-L collective bargaining agreement, including an employer-sponsored pension plan and capital-forming benefits
• Option for part-time work
• Family-friendly work environment
• Sustainable commuting: discounted Germany Job Ticket
• Unlock your full potential: targeted programs for your personal development help you nurture your talents
• Our workplace health management program offers a comprehensive range of services for your well-being

Your contact person:
Dr. Peter Neher
Phone: +49 6221 42-2330

The position is initially limited to 1 year. An ext…