Application Developer 3

Description

Summary

The University of Houston Libraries seeks a talented and experienced application developer to build and maintain complex internal and external-facing web applications.The successful candidate will work within the Web Services department as part of a team of programmers, librarians, and designers on major initiatives that support library and campus goals around teaching, learning, and research. The ideal candidate will possess a strong knowledge of object-oriented programming languages, web frameworks, and current best practices in code design and web technologies. In addition to continuous development on the Libraries’ public-facing websites, projects will include: building web applications that support teaching and learning efforts; developing tools make the Libraries’ collections and resources more discoverable; creating sites and applications that support internal library workflows and information sharing; and engaging with the open source community. This position reports to the Web Project Manager.

Job Duties

• Develops, debugs, modifies, and maintains complex web systems, including the full stack of components behind data driven web applications and APIs
• Builds and manages databases
• Integrates user interfaces created by the designer and front-end developer
• Builds themes, plugins, and modules for content management systems and web publishing platforms
• Participates in code reviews and quality assurance activities, and creates useful documentation
• Works side-by-side with team members to deliver a highly scalable web presence
• Participates on committees and project teams within the Libraries and UH community
• Engages in open source development efforts and professional development activities
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned

Job Requirements

Education

Requires a directly job-related 4 year degree from a college or university or an equivalent in-depth specialized training program that is directly related to the type of work being performed. Requires a minimum of three (3) years of directly job-related experience.

Experience

Required:

• LAMP stack experience
• Experience with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, and Ajax
• Proficient with PHP development
• Familiarity with MVC frameworks, such as CakePHP
• Experience with API development and system integration
• Understanding of code versioning tools, such as Git
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills and the ability to formulate options and recommend solutions
• Ability to work successfully in a collaborative team environment
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills

Desired:

• Understanding of responsive front-end frameworks, such as Bootstrap
• Experience developing systems that authenticate with LDAP or CAS
• Basic understanding of server-side CSS pre-processing platforms, such as SASS
• Experience with content management systems and web publishing platforms, such as Wordpress, Drupal, and Omeka
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies
• Familiarity with full-text indexing and search platforms, such as Solr
• Familiarity with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for accessibility best practices and Section 508 compliancy
• Experience working with library and/or higher education users

Hiring Range

$3,881-$5,047/month


Department Information

The Web Services Department is a group of librarians and professional staff that develops, designs, integrates, and maintains many of the Libraries’ web applications and systems. Web Services values accessible services, collaboration, evidence-based decision making, innovation, openness and transparency, and clean system integration. More about some of their recent projects can be found on their departmental blog: http://sites.lib.uh.edu/wp/website-redesign/

Library Information

The UH Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance, the Hathi Trust, the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Digital Library Federation, and the Texas Digital Library. The campus libraries provide access to over 3.1 million volumes. The University Libraries’ total staff is 160, including 62 professionals.

The 2013-2016 UH Libraries’ Strategic Directions document focuses on targeting services to specific user groups, reimagining library spaces, promoting outreach, and increasing national recognition. The Strategic Directions support an ambitious set of goals adopted by the University and further the drive for flagship status. 

University Information

The University of Houston campus comprises 13 colleges offering close to 80 degree programs with an enrollment of about 40,000 students, 7,200 of whom are enrolled in graduate studies. Reflecting the multicultural community of metropolitan Houston, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse research university campuses in the nation.

City Information

Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, offers all the cultural and recreational opportunities of a great city and is within easy reach of the Gulf of Mexico. It enjoys a very reasonable cost of living and was selected by Forbes as topping the list of America’s coolest cities. 

For additional information, read about Houston's flourishing arts scene and entertainment offerings and about housing and living in Houston.

More Information

Please also review the department’s other posting for a Web Developer 3.

All positions at the University of Houston are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.

Potential applicants seeking further information should contact J Fisher, Web Project Manager or Rachel Vacek, Head of Web Services.

The University of Houston is a Tobacco Free Campus.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER. MINORITIES, WOMEN, VETERANS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.