Digital Library Front End Developer & User Experience Designer

Description

UCSB Library empowers researchers and students to create and adapt knowledge for the benefit of society. Situated at the interdisciplinary crossroads of campus, the Library embodies scholarship and advances UCSB as a world-class research and learning institution. With a staff of 240 employees and student workers, the Library manages more than 3.6 million unique print and digital resources, including world-renowned special research collections, and provides a wide range of innovative research, teaching, and learning services to more than 2 1/2 million physical and virtual visitors per year.

Benefits of Belonging
Working at UC means being part of this vibrant institution that shines a light on what is possible. People make UC great, and UC recognizes your contributions by making this a great place to work. Excellent retirement and health are just one of the rewards. Learn more about the benefits of working at UC

Brief Summary of Job Duties
Under the direction of the Director for Digital Library Development, and operating in a large, complex, and heterogeneous computing environment, serves as the front-end developer and user experience designer for a collaborative, cross-functional Agile development team. This role combines technical implementation with user experience design; we're looking for an experienced software professional with a strong understanding of industry practices, community standards, and relevant policies and procedures to help develop software and web applications for the UC Santa Barbara Library. In particular, this role will:

• Develop user interfaces for software and web applications for the Library and UC System.
• Produce specifications describing user requirements and internal structures for software and web applications.
• Create, evaluate, and implement designs for software and web applications for the Library and UC system.
• Provide user interface design, evaluation, and technical maintenance with the goal of promoting consistent interface design, usability, and compliance with federal, UC, and campus web accessibility standards and policies.
• Collaborate with Library Marketing & Communications, UCSB Office of Public Affairs & Communications, and Library and campus IT to ensure a consistent look and feel across Library websites and applications in conformance with campus branding guidelines.

The UC Santa Barbara Library's Digital Library Development (DLD) department is responsible for developing digital platforms, tools, and content to support teaching, research, and outreach. The DLD engineering team works collaboratively to develop and deploy software and web applications supporting this mission. We use Agile- and DevOps-aware methodologies; our primary technologies include Ruby on Rails, Docker, and Kubernetes. Our work frequently involves collaboration with other UC campuses and open-source partners, and much of our code is hosted in public (GitLab) repositories.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in the field of information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, graphic design, or a related area or equivalent experience and/or training. 
• 3 years of professional experience developing software and managing it in production.
• Advanced skills associated with software design, modification, implementation, and deployment, including object-oriented programming concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to understand functional needs and how systems can support those needs.
• Demonstrated ability to read, understand, and apply specified behaviors in the development of a new product.
• Thorough experience with identification and use of code libraries and open-source forums.
• Demonstrated software repository skills.
• Demonstrated testing and test planning skills.
• Intermediate knowledge of secure software development.
• Thorough experience with common programming tools.
• Demonstrated ability to follow software specifications.
• Understanding of design principles, guidelines, and relevant policies including web accessibility standards.
• Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate technical information to technical and non-technical personnel at various levels in the organization.
• Self-motivated and works independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrates problem-solving skills.
• Able to learn effectively and meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with W3C and WHATWG web standards like HTML, CSS, WAI-ARIA, and DOM, and with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
• Demonstrated experience working with JavaScript, Ruby/Rails, and RESTful APIs.
• Experience working in a library or higher education environment.
• Understanding of the user-centered design process (user research, user needs assessment, user modeling, design, usability evaluation, and developer relations).
• Understanding of design principles, guidelines and relevant policies including web accessibility standards.
• Skills in diagramming, prototyping, and using design tools.
• Demonstrated ability to interface with management on a regular basis.

Special Conditions of Employment

• Satisfactory conviction history background check
• Position is approved for remote work.
• UCSB is a Tobacco-Free environment

Special Instructions
For full consideration, please include a resume and a cover letter as part of your application.

Job Functions/Percentage of Time/Duties

• Front End Application Development & Maintenance (50%): Plans, designs, develops, modifies, debugs, deploys, and evaluates complex software for functional areas. Analyzes existing software or works to formulate logic for new complex systems and devises complex algorithms. Performs complex data analysis and tests / debugs complex software. Analyzes the design and use of complex data sources. Applies moderately complex programming security practices. Contributes to the development and maintenance of the Library’s digital library software and web applications, including the library website and those developed collaboratively as part of Project Surfliner. These products primarily utilize Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Samvera and Blacklight frameworks, SQL, RDF, JavaScript, and related libraries and frameworks. Secondary technologies include PHP, Drupal, JQuery, and XML/XSLT. Works collaboratively with library, campus and UC system-wide, and external peers to develop and deploy digital library solutions.

  Creates snapshot, feature, and unit tests. Negotiates, develops, and executes moderately complex test plans. Builds interfaces for a variety of internal and external constituents. Monitors and employs source code control techniques and configuration management. Identifies memory leaks and implements plans for proper resource management.

  Gathers, analyzes, prepares, and summarizes recommendations for approval of system and programming documentation. Recommends and implements changes in development, maintenance and system standards. Negotiates with stakeholders on the creation of software specifications. Ensures project reports are made. Creates wireframes for all new development projects, working in an iterative manner with project stakeholders to define the design requirements for a project. Creates custom graphic designs when necessary.

  Understands and applies industry practices, community standards, and department policies and procedures relating to work assignments. Interacts with senior-level internal personnel. May serve as technical lead for a software development project of moderate scope. Trains users in conversion and implementation of systems. Negotiates project plans with stakeholders. Collaborates with development team to ensure that library applications and websites meet campus Web Standard Group (WSG) recommendations, Library and UCSB Graphic identity standards, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. Supports development team understanding of and compliance with accessibility and web standards including usability, browser compatibility, and accessibility (Section 508).

  Participates in development sprint and work cycle planning in close coordination with product owners, teammates, and additional stakeholders as needed. Uses GitLab and JIRA ticket software to track and document work

• User Interface Design & Evaluation (35%): Contributes to the definition and maintenance of a cohesive visual identity and user experience across web applications/services in collaboration and consultation with stakeholders. Participates in strategic planning to improve user experience through design.

  Participates in the design and creation of prototypes and may create simple prototypes independently. Designs simple user interfaces and user interface components. Designs simple websites or architectures. Incorporates web accessibility best practices into the user experience design process.

  Participates in the creation of the visual look and feel for user interface components and page layout. Recommends design features including navigation, site structure, and usability. Prepares written specifications and creates interface wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to effectively communicate interaction designs to stakeholders and development teams using interface and prototype design tools.

  Performs continual user-focused evaluation of Library's existing web applications/services to ensure compliance with established guidelines, including accessibility standards. Identifies problems, conducts analysis, prioritizes findings, and recommends solutions that enhance Library web applications/services.

  Collaborates with Library Marketing & Communications to create and manage template libraries, color schemes, font libraries, skins, CSS, master pages, and style guides for UCSB Library web applications/services that are consistent with campus branding guidelines. Develops graphical elements, layouts, headers, menus, and website designs. Creates documents of design patterns to serve as a library of consistent and proven techniques to solve specific design and interaction problems.

  Participates as part of a team in the development of software and websites for the Library and UC-systemwide collaborative projects to ensure technical feasibility and that designs are properly realized. Gathers, analyzes, and documents user requirements and high-level designs to determine optimal development solutions that best meet user needs.

  Participates in, and may contribute to the coordination of, user needs assessment and usability evaluations, may recruit participants for usability testing, and may participate in user observation activities. Gathers, analyzes, documents, and organizes the results of usability evaluations.

• Miscellaneous (15%): Participates in peer code reviews and occasional pair programming. Takes part in departmental planning meetings. Contributes to library and campus committees, as appropriate. Participates in open-source collaborations, including Project Surfliner and the Samvera and Blacklight communities, on behalf of UC Santa Barbara. Attends training, workshops, and conferences.

Vaccinations Programs – Including SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19)
As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccinations Programs – With Interim Amendments.  As a condition of Physical Presence at a Location or in a University Program, all Covered Individuals must participate in any applicable Vaccination Program by providing proof that they are Up-to-Date with any required Vaccines or submitting a request for Exception in a Mandate Program or properly declining vaccination in an Opt-Out Program no later than the Compliance Date (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.).  Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements. 

For more information, please visit:

• UC Santa Barbara COVID-19 Information https://www.ucsb.edu/COVID-19-information
• University of California Policy on Vaccinations – With Interim Amendments https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy
• August 5, 2021 California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Order (Heath Care Worker Vaccine Requirement) https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Order-of-the-State-Public-Health-Officer-Health-Care-Worker-Vaccine-Requirement.aspx

* Covered Individuals: A Covered Individual includes anyone designated as Personnel, Students, or Trainees under this Policy who physically access a University Facility or Program in connection with their employment, appointment, or education/training. A person accessing a Healthcare Location as a patient, or an art, athletics, entertainment, or other publicly accessible venue at a Location as a member of the public, is not a Covered Individual.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Statement
UC Santa Barbara is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Reasonable Accommodations
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