Research Programmer (MITH)

Description

Join the team at the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities at the University of Maryland. We are seeking an experienced research programmer who will provide technical expertise for research projects in the digital humanities.

The Research Programmer will work with senior MITH staff to develop new methods and tools for the exploration and curation of digital materials. The successful candidate will be responsible for research, development, deployment, support and management of software for enabling the analysis of cultural heritage collections on a large scale, and for the integration, implementation, and maintenance of software for digital humanities projects under the leadership of the Assistant Director for Research and Development. Software development activities encompass all phases of software development lifecycle, including implementation of interfaces to other software systems and development of user interfaces for the tools developed by MITH.

Jointly supported by the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities and the University Libraries, MITH engages in collaborative, interdisciplinary work at the intersection of technology and humanistic inquiry. MITH specializes in text and image analytics for cultural heritage collections, data curation, digital preservation, linked data applications, and data publishing. The research programmer will be encouraged to advance a relevant research agenda of their own and to participate in MITH’s ongoing research into the areas of technology listed above.

Duties:

Coordinating and implementing software applications and services (70%)

• Define project scope, goals and deliverables. Develop project plans and associated communications documents. Build and implement software applications.
• Schedule, and monitor project timelines and milestones using appropriate project management tools.

Representing MITH’s technical interests at conferences, workshops, and meetings and in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external organizations (10%)
Personal research time used for professional development and R&D work (20%)

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Humanities, Digital Humanities, or a related field 
• at least 2 years programming experience
• Experience and Knowledge of source code/version control software and open source documentation standards
• Familiarity with digital humanities trends/developments.
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent organizational, analytical, time management and communication (oral and written) skills
• Able to work in a team-driven design and development process but with clear ability to motivate and manage oneself
• Experience in selecting the appropriate development environment for the task

Preferred Qualifications:

• We will prefer candidates who can demonstrate engagement in open source projects, communities, and related development fora (e.g. GitHub, StackOverflow, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience working with dynamic content in template-driven web frameworks such as Ruby on Rails, Drupal, etc.
• Excellent knowledge of JavaScript, including frameworks and techniques
• Experience with data manipulation and analysis using tools such as Ruby, Python, Scala, R, or MATLAB
• Experience with building large-scale distributed applications and architectures using Java or JVM languages preferred
• Experience with XML technologies (validation schemes, XSLT, eXist, Cocoon, etc.)

The Research Programmer is a full-time, 12-month staff position at the University. Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $64,000 to $76,000. The University also offers a competitive benefits package. To apply, please upload a letter of application, CV, examples of code/projects (or URLs to accessible repositories) and contact information for three references to jobs@umd.edu. For best consideration, apply by close of business on August 12, 2012.

The University of Maryland is an equal opportunity institution with respect to both education and employment. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or handicap in admission, or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities as required by federal (Title VI, Title IX, Section 504) and state laws and regulations. Women and Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.