Key Skills

Job Description

Do you want to build the web applications that make one of the world's largest natural history collections accessible to scientists and the public? Then Naturalis in Leiden is the place for you. As Senior Front-end Developer you get the freedom to assess complex systems, drive architectural decisions, and shape the front-end ecosystem of a national research institute. As senior front-end developer You build and maintain the web applications in and around our collection domain, including the public search portal for our 8+ million physical collection items, citizen science platforms, species identification workflows, and internal web tools. You act as a technical senior guide: you evaluate existing systems, build consensus for architectural standards, and guide the evolution of our front-end ecosystem, ensuring continuity and knowledge sharing so the work never depends on a single person. You work across the stack in close collaboration with back-end developers and machine learning engineers, contributing to Python-based services and databases where needed. This is what you'll be doing You focus on the web applications in and around our collection domain: from the public search portal to citizen science platforms and web tools for species identification based on images, audio, and DNA. You build the user interfaces, dashboards, and data integration layers that make datasets and AI models accessible and usable for researchers and the public. We are in the middle of a modernization effort. Our portfolio spans established systems undergoing strategic updates alongside modern projects built with TypeScript, React, Remix, and Angular. As a technical senior, you bring direction and structure in close collaboration with your team: evaluating the current landscape, building consensus for architectural standards, and guiding the evolution of our front-end ecosystem, backed by clear documentation and active knowledge sharing to safeguard continuity. Here's what we have to offer A gross monthly salary of € 4.255,- to € 5.681,- for a full-time contract (36 hours). End-of-year bonus of 3.4% of your gross annual salary and 8% holiday pay. Time off thanks to 27 days of leave per year with full-time employment. Plus 1 extra day that you can use for a holiday that is important to you. Commuting allowance depending on your means of transport. Pension scheme via PFZW, where Naturalis pays 60% of your premium. A focus on your work-life balance. You can work partly from home and schedule your workday between 07.00 and 19.00. Plenty of development opportunities. We support your growth and give you unlimited access to the online training platform Goodhabitz. Fascinating knowledge events. These help you stay up to date on the latest developments in both your own field and outside it, such as our lectures and gatherings on various (scientific) topics. You can also attend – or take part in – the fascinating internal information session Naturalis Draait Door. A laptop and phone allowance. Nice extras such as discounts on software and hardware for private use, collective health insurance plans, and a bicycle scheme. You’ll also enjoy discounts in our museum restaurant and unlimited free access to our award-winning museum for you and your family. Fun team outings. We also get together for drinks every month, organise an annual BBQ and a fantastic New Year's party. Not your scene? That's fine too, of course. All team activities are voluntary. A unique work environment in a state-of-the-art building where you will feel proud to work every single day – we guarantee it! The world lies at your feet! Literally. Whatever your role may be, you contribute to the preservation of our planet on a daily basis. Naturalis Biodiversity Center … is the national research and knowledge institute and a key player in biodiversity data and infrastructures; houses one of the largest natural history collections in the world. welcomes 500,000 museum visitors per year. collaborates with universities, expertise centres and museums around the world. has a staff of diverse colleagues in various functions and with many different nationalities, with whom you will work together in an informal atmosphere. This is your team You will join the Application Development and Maintenance department, comprising 26 colleagues across four product teams, including developers, designers, and information analysts. Your colleagues include data engineers, researchers, and collection specialists. Lunch break conversations can be about software development methodologies, but often more about local bird sightings or botanical research. We work in Scrum sprints, emphasize incremental improvements, and deploy software using modern tooling (GitLab CI, Docker, Ansible, Terraform). We work as agile as possible and decisions are made collectively. In our architecture forum, everyone has a voice in shaping technical direction. You'll work in a product team that values agile building, curiosity, open source, and sustainable solutions over quick hacks. What you bring to the table You demonstrate seniority through technical depth, sound judgement, and well-founded decisions. You assess systems, build consensus, and guide teams through modernisation without disrupting critical workflows. Your front-end solutions balance immediate needs with long-term maintainability, using stable technology where appropriate and innovating it adds value. You work effectively with researchers, developers, and product owners to turn requirements into sustainable solutions. With a long-term perspective, you build code that remains useful and maintainable for future colleagues. Furthermore you have: Bachelor-level or Master-level in a relevant field, such as IT or Computer Science. Deep expertise in React and React Router Framework Mode, TypeScript, CSS/Sass, and web APIs (experience with Angular is a plus). Practical experience with automated testing (unit and E2E) and CI/CD. An affinity for back-end technology: you are comfortable working with Python, databases, and modern web services, since our front-ends sit on top of a broader stack. Familiarity with our tooling (GitLab CI, Docker, Ansible, Terraform) is valuable, but secondary to your ability to evaluate and establish appropriate technical standards for a research institution. Become our new Front-end Developer Upload your CV and motivation letter via the application button no later than Sunday the 1st of November 2026. Want to know more about the position before you apply? Call Wilfred Gerritsen, head of the Application Development and Management department via 06 – 227 07 176 or send an email to [email protected]. For more information about the application procedure, you can send an email to our colleagues in the P&O department via [email protected]. We are managing the recruitment for this vacancy ourselves; unsolicited acquisition is therefore not desired.

Core Responsibilities

Build and maintain front-end applications for collection search, citizen science, species identification, and internal tools, making research datasets and AI models accessible to scientists and the public. Evaluate existing systems, establish architectural standards, guide modernization, and collaborate across teams and the stack while documenting decisions and sharing knowledge.

Requirements

Requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field and deep expertise in React, React Router Framework Mode, TypeScript, CSS/Sass, and web APIs; Angular experience is a plus. Candidates should have practical automated testing and CI/CD experience, be comfortable with Python, databases, and web services, and demonstrate senior-level technical judgment, consensus-building, and maintainability-focused decision-making.

Benefits

• End-of-Year Bonus
• Holiday Pay
• 27 Days of Annual Leave
• Additional Personal Holiday Day
• Commuting Allowance
• Pension Scheme
• Flexible Working Hours
• Work From Home
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Online Training Access
• Laptop Allowance
• Phone Allowance
• Software and Hardware Discounts
• Collective Health Insurance Plans
• Bicycle Scheme
• Museum and Restaurant Discounts
• Team Events