Job Advertisement: Research Software Developer | Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften

Research Software Developer

50 % | Salary Grade E 13 TV-L | Fixed-Term until 2032

Position Details

About the Project

The project ‘Hindu Temple Legends in South India’ is a long-term research project of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities within the framework of the Academies Programme of the German federal and state governments. It explores the temple legends of the South Indian city of Kanchipuram in their different forms of transmission and makes them accessible in a digital environment. At the core of the project is the production of digital editions of Sanskrit and Tamil texts, which are linked with a documentation of temple architecture, iconography, rituals and oral traditions and made accessible via the project’s digital platform KANCHI (implemented as an eXist-db web app).

The main base of the project is the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, with a branch office functioning in Pondicherry, India, in cooperation with the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO).

Responsibilities

• Development and maintenance of web applications using eXist-db
• Modelling, processing, and transformation of TEI-XML data
• Design and implementation of REST interfaces
• Web development with Python (Flask), Bootstrap, and jQuery following current web standards (HTML5, CSS)
• Development of transformation pipelines using XSLT and XQuery
• Scripting and automation with Python and Bash
• Integration with Linked Open Data infrastructures
• Documentation of code and development decisions to academic standards
• Close collaboration with the project team in a collaborative development environment

Requirements

Essential

• Completed university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in Computer Science, Digital Humanities, Computational Linguistics or a related field
• Solid knowledge of the following technologies and languages:
  • eXist-db (native XML web application development)
  • TEI-XML (modelling and encoding of humanities texts)
  • Python (especially Flask), JavaScript, XQuery, XSLT, Bash
  • Web development with Bootstrap, jQuery, HTML5, and CSS
  • Development of REST APIs
• Experience with thorough software documentation and structured code management (e.g. Git)
• Understanding of Linked Open Data (LOD) principles and the Semantic Web
• Strong communication skills and experience with collaborative, team-based work

Desirable

• Experience with the Oxygen XML Editor and the development of Oxygen frameworks
• Expertise with AI-based approaches to process semi-structured texts
• Linux server administration (deployment, system configuration, security)

What We Offer

• A varied role at the intersection of humanities research and software engineering
• Participation in an international, interdisciplinary research project
• Flexible working hours and the possibility of remote work (by arrangement)
• A collegial and supportive working environment
• Remuneration according to E 13 TV-L with all benefits of the German public sector
• Opportunities for further academic qualification (e.g. PhD) by arrangement

How to Apply

Please send the following documents as a single PDF to htl@hadw-bw.de by August 31, 2026:

• Cover letter (max. 2 pages) addressing the requirements profile
• Curriculum vitae
• Relevant degree certificates and transcripts
• If available: links to code samples (e.g. GitHub/GitLab) or descriptions of relevant projects

For questions about the project and the position, please contact:

Jonas Buchholz (jonas.buchholz@hadw-bw.de)

Equal Opportunities

We welcome applications from all genders. Applications from women are particularly encouraged. Candidates with disabilities will be given preferential consideration in cases of equal qualification. The “Hindu Temple Legends in South India” project is committed to increasing the proportion of women in this field and strongly encourages suitably qualified female candidates to apply.