You will contribute to developing, deploying, and maintaining the application supporting the Open Research Europe publishing platform based on Open Journal Systems (OJS). Working under the guidance of a senior engineer, you will develop, test, and operate the platform and its integrations to ensure secure and reliable service delivery in close collaboration with the business and editorial operations team.
Your responsibilities:
- Contribute to developing the OJS application and plugins, testing integrations with external services.
- Contribute improvements to open-source projects such as OJS and related components.
- Assist in the deployment and maintenance of the Open Research Europe infrastructure using Kubernetes/OpenShift and automated CI/CD workflows.
- Participate in system testing, performance checks, documentation of procedures, and day-to-day operational support.
Your profile:
- Demonstrated experience in developing web applications, in particular PHP and Laravel stack.
- Familiarity with Open Journal Systems (OJS) source code, plugin system and workflows will be a plus.
- Experience with containerised infrastructure and orchestration tools (Kubernetes or OpenShift), and knowledge of system administration, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure automation (e.g. Helm, GitLab CI) will be a plus.
- Strong problem-solving and communication skills, with an interest in open-source development and collaborative work.
Skills:
- Scripting and integrations: PHP, Python & MySQL.
- Web platform management: Open Journal Systems (OJS) or similar.
- Deployment, Infrastructure and Containers orchestration: CI/CD, Docker, Helm, Kubernetes / OpenShift (Container orchestration).
- Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.
Eligibility criteria:
- You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
- By the application deadline, you have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Software Engineer or Computer Science (or a related field) and your highest educational qualification is either a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
- You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
- Applicants without University degree are not eligible.
- Applicants with a PhD are not eligible.
Job closing date: 28.10.2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.
Working hours: 40 hours per week
Job flexibility: Hybrid
Target start date: 01-November-2026
This position involves:
- Stand-by duty, when required by the needs of the Organization.
- Work during nights, Sundays and official holidays, when required by the needs of the Organization.
Job reference: IT-CA-OSI-2026-213-GRAE
Field of work: Information Technologies
Benchmark job: 200020 - Computing Engineer
Global Benefits
- A monthly net stipend of either 5266 or 5793 Swiss Francs per month depending on your degree.
- 30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks annual closure.
- Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health insurance scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
- Family, child and infant monthly allowances depending on your individual circumstances.
- A relocation package (installation grant and travel expenses) depending on your individual circumstances.
- Possibility to extend your contract up to 36 months.
- On-the-job and formal training including language classes.
Overview of CERN - Discover a world where the impossible is made possible!
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, we are pushing the frontiers of science and technology. Our groundbreaking work brings together not only physicists but also a diverse range of professionals from engineering, technical, scientific, and administrative fields. Together, we foster an environment where innovation and collaboration thrive.
Every day, we face exciting new challenges and opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge research that shapes our understanding of the universe. We meet these challenges through the diverse perspectives within our teams, ensuring every contribution is valued and driving our shared sense of inclusion and purpose. Diversity is a core value of CERN since its foundation, and it remains central to our mission and continued success.
If you are ready to be part of a dynamic, inclusive community pushing the boundaries of knowledge, CERN is the place where your curiosity and skills can thrive. Be part of our mission to uncover what lies at the heart of the universe! TAKE PART!
More information about us, here: careers.cern
Skills Required
- Maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in software engineering, computer science, or a related field
- Bachelor's or Master's degree as the highest educational qualification
- National of a CERN Member or Associate Member State
- No prior CERN fellow or graduate contract
- Experience developing web applications using PHP and Laravel
- English spoken and written proficiency
- PHP, Python, and MySQL skills
- Experience with containerized infrastructure and Kubernetes or OpenShift
- Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, Docker, Helm, GitLab CI, and infrastructure automation
- Familiarity with Open Journal Systems source code, plugins, and workflows
- Willingness to learn French
CERN Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about CERN and has not been reviewed or approved by CERN.
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Healthcare Strength — Health insurance is comprehensive, covering medical consultations, hospitalisation, surgery, accident care, maternity, and certain disability or dependency risks for eligible personnel and families. Coverage is provided through CERN’s dedicated health-insurance scheme.
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Retirement Support — A defined-benefit pension delivers retirement, disability, and survivors’ benefits based on remuneration and years of service. This structure offers predictable long‑term security for eligible staff.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid leave totals about six weeks per year and is supplemented by a two‑week year‑end closure. Family‑related leave and flexible scheduling are also available where eligibility criteria are met.
CERN Insights
What We Do
CERN is an international laboratory for particle physics research, providing unique particle accelerator facilities to uncover what the universe is made of and how it works.
