Software Developer Python Developer

Job description

**Introduction**
A career in IBM Software means you’ll be part of a team that transforms our customer’s challenges into solutions.

Seeking new possibilities and always staying curious, we are a team dedicated to creating the world’s leading AI-powered, cloud-native software solutions for our customers.

Our renowned legacy creates endless global opportunities for our IBMers, so the door is always open for those who want to grow their career.

IBM’s product and technology landscape includes Research, Software, and Infrastructure.

Entering this domain positions you at the heart of IBM, where growth and innovation thrive.
**Your role and responsibilities**
We are looking for a motivated Junior/Mid-level Python Developer to join the ContextForge MCP Gateway team.

ContextForge is a production-grade gateway, proxy, and registry for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and A2A Agents.

It federates MCP and REST services, providing unified discovery, auth, rate-limiting, observability, virtual servers, multi-transport protocols, plugins and an Admin UI: https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge

As a Python Developer, you will contribute to building FastAPI services for MCP protocol implementation, work on assigned features and bug fixes, and learn from experienced engineers.

This role is ideal for developers early in their careers who are eager to grow their skills in distributed systems, async Python, and production service development.

Development Contributions

• Implement assigned features and bug fixes under guidance of senior engineers

• Write unit tests and integration tests for your code contributions

• Participate in code reviews to learn best practices and improve code quality

• Debug issues with support from team members

• Contribute to documentation: code comments, docstrings, README updates

Core Development Tasks

• Implement API endpoints using FastAPI

• Write database queries and models using SQLAlchemy

• Create test cases using pytest with fixtures and mocks

• Fix bugs and address technical debt items

• Implement simple features: API endpoints, database operations, utility functions

Learning & Growth

• Learn MCP protocol concepts and implementation patterns

• Develop understanding of async Python patterns

• Gain experience with production development practices: testing, linting, CI/CD

• Learn distributed systems concepts: caching, federation, service discovery

• Improve problem-solving and debugging skills through mentorship

Collaboration

• Work closely with senior developers who will mentor you

• Participate in daily standups, sprint planning, and retrospectives

• Ask questions and seek guidance when blocked

• Contribute to team discussions and knowledge sharing

• Follow team coding standards and development workflows
**Required technical and professional expertise**
Python Development (1-3 years)

• 1-3 years of software development experience in Python

• Basic understanding of Python 3.x features: functions, classes, modules, packages

• Familiarity with Python web frameworks: Flask, Django, or FastAPI

• Basic knowledge of RESTful APIs and JSON

• Understanding of version control with Git: commits, branches, pull requests

Development Fundamentals

• Basic understanding of databases: SQL queries, CRUD operations

• Familiarity with HTTP protocol: methods, status codes, headers

• Experience writing basic tests with pytest or unittest

• Ability to read and understand existing code

• Basic debugging skills using print statements, debuggers, or logging

Professional Skills

• Eagerness to learn new technologies and frameworks

• Good problem-solving mindset and attention to detail

• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment

• Good communication skills for asking questions and sharing progress

• Time management skills to deliver assigned tasks

• Receptive to feedback and willing to improve

Environment & Tools

• Comfortable with Linux or macOS command line basics

• Familiarity with code editors: VS Code, PyCharm, or similar

• Basic understanding of package managers: pip, virtualenv

• Willingness to learn new development tools and workflows
**Preferred technical and professional experience**
Python Skills

• Some exposure to async Python (asyncio, async/await)

• Knowledge of type hints and Pydantic for data validation

• Familiarity with Python testing: pytest, fixtures, mocking

• Understanding of Python coding standards: PEP 8, Black formatting

Web Development

• Experience building REST APIs with any framework

• Understanding of authentication basics: API keys, tokens

• Familiarity with API documentation: Swagger/OpenAPI

• Knowledge of JSON serialization and deserialization

Development Practices

• Experience with code reviews and pull request workflows

• Basic understanding of CI/CD concepts

• Familiarity with Docker or containerization basics

• Exposure to logging and debugging techniques

Interest Areas

• Interest in AI/ML, LLMs, or agentic systems

• Curiosity about distributed systems and cloud infrastructure

• Enthusiasm for open-source software development

• Desire to work on cutting-edge technology
IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics.

IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Required Skill Profession

Other General