Senior software engineer c/c++ (12 month fixed-term contract)

We're seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our Product Engineering team on a 12‐month fixed‐term contract to contribute to the modernization of our proprietary PADRE search engine core. This foundational system was originally built by CSIRO, and transforming it represents a unique opportunity to work with Australian heritage technology at the deepest level.

The role is open to all candidates on the east coast of Australia and is hybrid, allowing you to work where and when works best for you.

What You Would Do (The Role Day to Day)

• Develop robust C/C++ application code that meets all technical requirements.
• Contribute to the C to C++ core rewrite and architectural decoupling efforts.
• Collaborate with team members to generate User Stories, Acceptance Criteria and estimates.
• Write and maintain software documentation.
• Ensure adherence to strong testing principles and help implement testing strategies to improve software quality and robustness.

Experience We Ask For

We ask that you can demonstrate the following experience:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of professional hands‐on experience in software development.
• Proficiency and hands‐on experience with C and C++.
• Familiarity with containerization (e.g., Docker) and version control (e.g., GitLab).
• Experience with Agile or other iterative development methodologies.
• A strong understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms, especially related to performance optimization.

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of or hands‐on experience with AWS or other cloud platforms.
• Experience with testing frameworks relevant to C/C++ development.
• Knowledge of Information Retrieval (IR) concepts, including indexing or query processing.
• Familiarity with secure coding practices, such as OWASP principles.
• Previous experience working on or integrating with Search platforms.
• Knowledge of or experience working with Go language, Puppet, Selenium/Playwright test suite.