Head, Application Development Services

Description

The Library Information Technology (Library IT) Division, a division within the UC Berkeley Library, is charged with the design, development, management, and maintenance of flexible and reliable technology environments for the Library, specifically: the development and management of digital collections and services and their associated digital discovery and access platforms; creation of digital content; digital preservation tools; the development of a fully accessible and responsive library web presence that applies user experience principles and strategies; the development and support of server- based technologies for the delivery of library services; the maintenance of library management and discovery systems; the management of the library's computing services including desktop support, software, and library labs for library staff and public; and the development and delivery of frameworks and applications to support collaborative storage, delivery, and preservation of information resources. The digital and library technology applications and collections developed and managed by Library IT are research vehicles that are used by library patrons ranging from UC Berkeley faculty, students, and staff, other institutions’ faculty and graduate students, and the general public.

Oversees the Application Development Services Department within Library IT, providing leadership, management, and direction. This position is responsible for contributing to the library’s strategic goals through the development and implementation of technology, aiming to enhance services for the UC Berkeley users. This involves exploring emerging technologies relevant to accomplishing the library mission. Directly manages and supervises a team of 5 staff members and clearly communicates expectations, completes performance evaluations, and guides performance, professional development, and training for the department. Manages projects that team members are working on and liaises on these projects with other units within the Library IT department and the Library as appropriate.

This position manages the maintenance and support of a diverse portfolio of critical applications for the UC Berkeley Library. It ensures the effective development of strategies and applications, including improving, upgrading, or replacing existing applications. The role is responsible for implementing, delivering, managing, and enhancing software applications and services that facilitate research, teaching, access to collections, and internal administration.

Includes advising on suitable software development methods, governance, and the selection, design, and implementation of complex application development, including third-party applications. Active participation in the Library IT’s Leadership Team and the application of effective project management and problem-solving strategies are key responsibilities. Additionally, the role ensures alignment with privacy and security measures set by UC Berkeley and UC Office of the President policies.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: Friday, March 22, 2024

Responsibilities

Department Head:

• Supervises ongoing programming applications activities.

• Lead a team working to deliver multiple concurrent projects.

• Establishes programming standards and program documentation requirements

• Reviews current status of system applications and prepares recommendations for application improvements.

• Develops proposals to improve or streamline processes and procedures, in conjunction with industry best practices in application development.

• Prepares reports and statistics on a wide range of applications.

• Participates in the development and monitoring of policies and procedures for department operations to improve efficiencies.

• Provides guidance, leadership, and mentoring to a team of Application Services professionals.

• Manages and delegates applications programming assignments. Interacts with peer managers and supervisors across the organization.

• Leads search committees for application review and hiring of new employees.

• Conducts performance evaluations and ratings, handles conflict resolution, coaching, mentoring, and staff development.

• Provides direction to employees following established policies and management guidance.

• Creates a strong culture of teamwork to ensure the quality of daily operations, effective interdepartmental collaborations, and the timely achievement of objectives.

• Coordinates with the Head of DevOps and other Library IT staff to build services and tools that support the Library.

Application Development:

• Applies advanced software concepts to analyze, plan, design, develop, modify, debug, deploy, and evaluate complex software for functional areas.

• Performs complex data analysis and tests / debugs complex software, working directly with stakeholders.

• Understands, applies, and enforces complex programming security practices.

• Act as the solution architect for projects by defining the technical pattern and providing team members with guidance on how to implement solutions.

• Collaborates with key staff and managers across departments on identifying issues with system applications and prepares recommendations for systems improvements.

• Participates in and leads the evaluation of 3rd party software applications to ensure they conform to UC Berkeley and UC Office of the President standards.

• Develops and documents application systems back-up and disaster recovery procedures.

Miscellaneous Responsibilities:

• Serves on library and university-wide committees and task forces; participates in local consortia and regional and national associations.

• Continually acquires new knowledge and updates skills to enhance professional performance in all areas of responsibility.

• Keeps abreast of developments, trends and issues in the library field.

• Completes professional development and other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Knowledge of service-oriented architecture and design patterns.

• Experience with prioritizing tasks and managing time efficiently to meet deadlines.

• Experience with program / project management including an active role in planning, adjusting, and unblocking to ensure on-time delivery.

• Demonstrated skills in managing technical staff, including, conducting performance evaluations, mentoring, staff development, and experience handling conflicts within the team or with stakeholders in a constructive manner.

• Experience sharing industry best practices, helping team members navigate complex technical challenges and stay abreast of the latest emerging technologies and trends.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively present technical topics to individuals and groups with potentially varied levels of technical sophistication.

• Knowledge and skills to write software requirements and specifications, including, functional goals gathering, design, modification, implementation and deployment

• Knowledge of advanced software design, modification, implementation, and deployment, coupled with an understanding and practical experience in software engineering principles, encompassing version control, testing, and deployment practices.

• Demonstrated familiarity with a back-end programming language like Ruby, Python, Java, or JavaScript and a framework such as Ruby on Rails, Django, or Express.js

• Knowledge of application security best practices and the ability to ensure that software is developed with security in mind.

• Ability to be flexible, open-minded, and comfortable with changing responsibilities and duties as new and additional needs become known.

• Ability to think strategically and broadly and to understand the implications of Library IT applications and services and how they affect the stakeholders and the Library as a whole.

• Experience working on data/ETL pipelines.

Education/Training:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in leading change management activities and managing their impact across the department or division.

• Experience in managing different work-streams and coordinating tasks with internal teams.

• Experience using Ruby on Rails in a production environment

• Experience in web front-end development, encompassing REST APIs, SQL databases, Ruby on Rails, and accessibility testing.

• Experience with continuous integration and/or continuous delivery workflows and tools.

• Experience in working in a higher education environment, libraries, archives, galleries, museums or other culture heritage institutions.

• Experience with unit testing frameworks.