Web Developer
Chicago, IL

Job Description

* Recruiters, we ask that you do not contact the Field Museum with unsolicited services or offers*

The Web Developer will join the Field Museum's Web & Digital Engagement team in maintaining and improving the museum's website, fieldmuseum.org. The Developer plays an integral role in ensuring performance, developing new features, communicating and collaborating with internal staff and external agency partners, and managing consistency and adherence to web development best practices. While he or she will be the only full-time developer on the Digital team, the Web Developer will collaborate on a project-by-project basis with developers from other departments as well as at external agencies.

Reporting to the Web and Digital Engagement Director, the Web Developer works simultaneously on multiple projects, and partners as needed with colleagues in Exhibitions and Technology (IT) on a range of tasks, including some light DevOps. The Developer is expected to take the lead on technical matters on behalf of the Web & Digital Engagement team, including setting standards for software architecture, choosing software platforms and frameworks, and making sure the Museum's digital products are accessible to the widest possible range of users.

Applications must include both a resume and a cover letter to be considered for this position. In your cover letter, please link to an online portfolio, outline your role on at least two relevant projects, and highlight the reasons for your interest in working in a museum/non-profit setting.

Duties and Responsibilities

* Provide support for fieldmuseum.org (currently on Drupal 7, likely moving to Drupal 8 or alternative within the next 18 months) and ancillary web properties.
* Collaborate with Web & Digital Engagement team members to establish workflow and DevOps procedures, as well as to plan and estimate development timelines.
* Conceive of and communicate technical concepts and solutions to non-technical staff, and serve as an in-house expert on web development trends and best practices.
* Work with external digital accessibility consultant to implement recommended updates to meet web accessibility best practices (WCAG 2.0). Serves as an internal advocate for digital accessibility.
* Guide testing, QA, and code reviews, including in collaboration with external developers.
* Participate in the development of an ongoing strategy for the Museum's website, as well as the creation of resources to assist others in adhering to this strategy.
* Work with team to define and prioritize requirements for projects, and take responsibility for ensuring ongoing reassessment and communication of changes.
* Consider and implement optimizations to fieldmuseum.org and ancillary web properties to improve usability and performance, with input from the team.
* Maintain and expand on documentation of website and related systems.
* Assist with responding to requests received by internal website users and Museum visitors.

Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree and a minimum of two years of experience in web development.
* Ability to develop and manage projects with a high degree of independence and accountability.
* Experience with web content management systems (preference for Drupal 7 and/or Drupal 8), with a willingness to gain additional Drupal experience.
* Exceptional HTML and CSS, and JavaScript skills (experience with frameworks like React and/or Node.js a plus).
* Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with an ability to translate technical concepts for a general audience. Demonstrated experience collaborating with content experts, writers, and designers very desirable.
* Some technical project management skills, perhaps including familiarity with web-based tools like Basecamp, JIRA, Airtable, etc.
* Experience with Git flow, code reviews, and knowledge of modern development tooling (package managers, node.js, and gulp).
* Keen visual design sense, an understanding of responsive web design, and experience designing beautiful and engaging websites and software products.
* Familiarity with a range of project management methodologies, including Agile, and a willingness to iterate on the process in a non-traditional development environment.
* Familiarity with product development methodologies such as modular design, pattern libraries, style guides, and usability testing.
* Familiarity with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Webmaster tools.