Senior Python Web Developer, CKAN

Description

Working in the fast-growing area of open data, we build open source tools to drive transparency, accountability and re-use. Our flagship product CKAN runs the official national data portals from the UK to Brazil, US to Australia and many others. We also build data tools and OpenSpending browsers.

We’re looking for someone passionate about the technical challenges of building software that is used as the infrastructure for open data around the world, so come join our growing team to shape the future of the open data ecosystem!

Key Skills:

• Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS
• Python web frameworks (we use Pylons and Flask)
• PostgreSQL and SQLAlchemy
• Self motivated, self-starter, able to manage your own time

Extra bonus points for :

• Open source projects/contributions
• Front end skills, particularly in data-vis
• You’ve written an app using open data before
• Experience working in a distributed team
• Being UK based

More about the Job

You will be working as part of a small, dynamic team in a modern, open-source development environment. This role is full-time and we are very happy with remote-working.

We generally work remotely (with strong contingents in London and Berlin), using asynchronous communication (email, IRC, GitHub) but with standups, developer meetings and demos most days (Skype, Google Hangout) and real-world gatherings more than twice a year including at the Open Knowledge Festival. We also try and ensure our developers can attend at least one open source conference a year.

At each level of our software stack we use best-in-class open source software, including Python, Nose, Travis CI and Coveralls, Sphinx and Read the Docs, Flask, Jinja2, Solr, PostgreSQL and SQLAlchemy, JavaScript and jQuery, Bootstrap, Git and Github, and Transifex.

We iterate quickly, and publish working, open-source code early and often.

All of our code is on github - it is open to public scrutiny, and we encourage contributions from third-party developers. This means that we have to write exceptionally clear, readable, well-tested code with excellent documentation.

All code contributions, whether from internal or external developers, are made with GitHub pull requests and we do code reviews in the open on GitHub.

We are engaged with a large and active community of users, developers and translators of our open source software, via our mailing lists, GitHub issues and pull requests,

public developer meetings, Stack Overflow and Transifex. We support users in getting started with our software, encourage and mentor new developers, and take on feedback and suggestions for the next releases.

About Open Knowledge

Open Knowledge is an internationally recognized non-profit working to open knowledge and see it used to empower and improve the lives of citizens around the world.  We build tools, provide advice and develop communities in the area of open knowledge: data, content and information which can be freely shared and used. We believe that by creating an open knowledge commons we can make a significant contribution to improving governance, research and the economy.

The last two years have seen rapid growth in our activities, increasing our annual revenue to £2m and our team to over 35 across four continents. We are a virtual organisation with the whole team working remotely, although we have informal clusters in London, Cambridge and Berlin.

Open Knowledge is an international leader in its field and has extensive experience in building open source tools and communities around open material. Our software development work includes some of the most innovative and widely acclaimed projects in the area. For example, our CKAN project is the world’s leading open source data portal platform – used by data.gov, data.gov.uk, the European Commission’s open data portal, and numerous national, regional and local portals from Austria to Brazil.  The award winning OpenSpending project enables users to explore over 13 million government spending transactions from around the world. It has an active global network which includes Working Groups and Local Groups in dozens of countries – including groups, ambassadors and partners in 21 of Europe’s 27 Member States.

We’re changing the world by promoting a global shift towards more open ways of working in government, arts, sciences and much more.