CyberSecurity Fellow Job Description

Owned by Erica Kigotho
Last updated: Jun 27, 2024
2 min read

The OpenMRS Fellowship Program aims to expand our community’s capacity by providing practical opportunities to develop advanced skill sets with the support and guidance of mentors and other technical experts. Development Fellows are skilled coders who are on their way to becoming expert OpenMRS developers. They have experience with the OpenMRS tech stack and can handle moderate to complex issues.

In this case, the two CyberSecurity Fellows will be key members supporting the OpenMRS Security Group with prioritized CyberSecurity fixes and improvements.

  • Length: 3 months, full time (ideally be able to start July 1)

  • Location: Remote (Global)

  • About our technology: Java backend, serving a Javascript Single Page Application (primarily React) using micro frontends, via a REST/FHIR API, and stores data in a MySQL/MariaDB/PostgreSQL database. 

Role Overview

  • Each CyberSecurity fellow will support the improvement of the OpenMRS product through:

    • Assisting with triage of vulnerability reports

    • Executing CyberSecurity fixes and improvements

    • Make code contributions to improve security in O3

    • Enhancing authentication mechanisms, likely by leveraging the OpenMRS Authentication Module

    • Any other duties as the role evolves and as per the direction of the Fellowship Mentor

Requirements

  • 2+ years of experience in programming or software development.

  • Experience with Java, JSP, servlets.

  • Have at least done Spring or React tutorials basics.

  • Experience with OAuth2 is a plus but not a must-have.

  • Proficient with peer code review. 

  • Excellent communication skills. We’re a distributed team, so frequent and clear written communication is a must. (e.g. clear draft GitHub PRs).

  • Access to high-speed internet for team and community real-time calls (e.g. via Zoom, Slack Huddle, etc).

  • Proficiency in the English language, both written and verbal. 

  • Self-driven work ethic & problem-solver. Self-starter who loves taking initiative and seeing things through to completion. Love for coding and solving problems.

Desired Skills and Attributes

  • Familiarity with OWASP, especially OWASP Top 10. 

  • Experience with development collaboration and tracking tools; such as GitHub, issue tracking (Jira), wiki (Confluence), communications (forum and Slack). 

  • Experience working with common cybersecurity issues such as XSS and code injection.

  • Experience contributing to open source projects.

  • Nice to have: Completed or In-Progress Bachelor’s or higher degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Informatics, Information Science, or a related field or equivalent market experience.

Special Note: 

When you apply, please include your GitHub ID, and mention or link to any interesting relevant work that will help us consider your relevant skills. 

Travel Expectations

This role is not expected to travel internationally.

Compensation

Stipends offered to Fellows are based on the OpenMRS fellowship stipend scale. OpenMRS Stipend amounts are based on the GSOC Stipend Scale for comparison; in the spirit of in-country purchasing-power, we reserve the right to make exceptions based on Fellow location.

 

For more information, please see: About OpenMRS Fellows