Lead Developer (Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities)

Description

MITH is seeking a Lead Developer to work on research-intensive projects in the digital humanities.

The Lead Developer will work with other senior MITH staff to conceptualize, implement, and develop software for research work in a collaborative, team-­driven environment. This role requires creative leadership and commitment to research and development leading to novel applications of technology in research projects in the humanities. The successful candidate will have experience developing software applications, establishing developmentmilestones, providing technical management and oversight, and identifying emergent technologies and best practices.
Reporting to the Associate Director, the Lead Developer will collaborate with other members of the MITH design and development team to design, write, test, document, and deploy code. She/He will be responsible for conducting regular code reviews, coordinating iterative development schedules, and assuring quality control of all final software deliverables and deployments.
Prospective candidates should have proven experience in software development within a research-­intensive environment. Prospective candidates should have proven experience in team-­oriented software development. They should be able to demonstrate expertise in at least one version control system and in a range of programming languages and platforms. The ability to estimate effort for software projects, prototype concepts and approaches, draft and communicate design concepts, as well as write and maintain documentation of systems and processes is required. Familiarity with the digital humanities is preferred but not required.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Software Development (60%)
  • Responsible for full development cycle of planning, designing, testing, documenting and deployment.
  • Manage Development Processes (20%)
  • Facilitate developer and designer meetings
  • Create and track project milestones and schedules
  • Review software code and ensure quality of all deliverables, including documentation
• Systems Architecture (10%)
  • Research appropriate software languages, frameworks, and platforms to realize project goals
  • Design, prototype, and evaluate potential technical approaches
  • Monitor systems administration and contracted development work
• Engagement with Open Source Software Projects (10%)
  • As appropriate, contribute to third-party open source projects and libraries used by MITH during paid time. Contributions may include code, documentation, outreach, group/event organization, and code review.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of three years experience in software development

PREFERENCES
The successful candidate will work on and lead projects involving a variety of technologies/technology stacks. The ability to learn new technologies quickly and effectively is important. We would expect that the Lead Developer could demonstrate:

• Experience with one or more front-­end web technologies (HTML5, JavaScript/CoffeeScript, CSS/SASS/LESS)
• Expertise with a high-­level language (e.g. Ruby, PHP, Python)
• Experience using web frameworks for at least one of these languages (e.g. Sinatra, Rails, Zend, Flask, Django)
• Knowledge of testing frameworks
• Experience with XML technologies (validation schemes, XSLT, eXist, Cocoon, etc.)
• Applications from candidates who can also demonstrate the following are strongly encouraged:
• Five or more years experience in software development
• Experience in managing other developers
• Familiarity with pre-­existing digital humanities software development community
• Able to work in a team-­driven design and development process but with clear ability to motivate and manage oneself
• Experience with RDF and Linked Open Data methods and tools

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Salary is commensurate with experience, up to $96,000.
• The University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including 22 Days Annual Leave; 15 Days Sick Leave; 3 Days Personal Leave; 15 Paid Holidays; Tuition Remission; Health, Dental, Vision and Prescription coverage.

TO APPLY
Applications should be submitted via ejobs.umd.edu (Position # 119907) and include: 1) a cover letter; 2) a resume; 3) samples of code/projects (or URLs to accessible repositories); and 4) contact information for three professional references.
The position is open until filled.

VALUE OF DIVERSITY
The University of Maryland, College Park, actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression. Moreover, the University of Maryland is committed to “inclusive excellence”—the notion that in order to educate our students with excellence, in order to foster outstanding research and scholarship, and in order to be national and global leaders, we must be diverse and inclusive. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.