Front End Web Developer Reference: 11831 IT Services Department March 2016
Thank you for your interest in the role of Front End Web Developer at Birkbeck, University of London. About Birkbeck Birkbeck is proud of being ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide, and of being part of the prestigious University of London. But what makes us unique is our progressive approach to higher education and the special people this attracts. Our evening teaching means ambitious students of all ages, professions, backgrounds and cultures can study at a research intensive university, without putting their careers or lives on hold. It means our leading academics can combine ground breaking research with teaching and being active in the world. It s the bringing together of dedicated, experienced students and committed, influential staff and academics that makes working at Birkbeck such an intense, intellectually challenging and enjoyable experience. The College was created two centuries ago to provide university education for working Londoners. We still fundamentally believe in the power of knowledge to transform lives, so we go out of our way to make education accessible to as wide a community as possible. Birkbeck s new model of 3 year evening degrees is helping to re-imagine higher education in London by placing school-leavers alongside the rich diversity of London s working population. Young people and mature learners from across the capital are already signing up in record numbers for this ground-breaking new way of gaining meaningful work experience during the day while studying for a University of London degree in the evening. At the same time our evening taught postgraduate programmes enable ambitious students to build strong professional networks and advance their careers while studying in the heart of one of the world s greatest cities with academics who are renowned experts in their fields. If you would like to work somewhere unique, special and challenging where you can make a real and high profile impact then please consider making an application. About Department/School IT Services (ITS) provide general IT and telecommunication facilities in support of the College s teaching, research and administrative activities. ITS facilities and services include: An extensive campus network to all departments providing high speed networking and wireless connections to JANET (Joint Academic NETwork) and the Internet; Maintenance and development of the College telecommunications infrastructure; including a small VOIP deployment; Remote access to College computing facilities (Virtual Private Network); Wireless network; A developing server and desktop virtual environment using VMWare; Electronic Mail (Exchange/Outlook and Webmail) and Web services; Networked data storage and backup facilities; Scanning and network laser printing;
Centrally provided teaching facilities: 400 high-spec PCs located in eight workstation' rooms and 100 teaching rooms, providing a range of application software under MS Windows (including word-processing, spreadsheet, database management, statistical analysis, graphics, and programming languages); Classroom Audio Visual installation and support for all centrally provided teaching facilities and a specialist cinema; A Digital Media Service providing event capture along with advice and support in the creation of digital content (audio, video and photography) for teaching and promotional activities; Promotion and support of Technology Enhanced Learning (including central support for Moodle Virtual Learning Environment); A Service Desk with extended opening hours for general computing queries; Specialist advice and consultancy to departments and individual users; Software purchases at discounted rates (including site licences for Microsoft and Oracle); Maintenance and development of College CIS Applications; Managed IT support service for some Schools; Technical support of staff desktops, administrative servers and office software in use within Professional Services Departments, including the College Library The organisational structure of ITS consists of four support teams: IT Infrastructure (Systems Group, Network Services Group and School IT Support), User Support (IT Service Desk Group, AV Support Group, TEL Group and Media Services Group), Web, and Corporate Information Systems. There is close liaison between staff from the various groups. For further information about ITS services and facilities, please visit: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/its Front End Web Developer role within the Web team This new post has been created to enable the College to make rapid progress with the introduction of responsive design templates across our range of web sites representing central activities (external- and internal-facing), Schools and Departments, Research Centres, Professional Service Departments and other units, and to enable us to respond quickly and efficiently to new site requests and to changing design requirements.
JOB DESCRIPTION JOB TITLE: SCHOOL/DEPARTMENT: REPORTS TO: SUPERVISES: Front End Web Developer IT Services Web Manager N/A POST REFERENCE: 11831 GRADE: 8 DATE March 2016 Purpose of the Job To develop, modify and maintain responsive web site templates and web application interfaces written with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript using relevant frameworks, development tools and methodologies for use with our Python-based Plone web content management system, our WordPress installations, and other web systems as required, thus enabling the College to provide attractive standards-compliant web sites that function well across multiple devices and to respond to changing design requirements in a timely way. Main Duties of the Jobholder To create responsive web site templates using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript from existing and new designs, for use with existing Plone CMS web sites as well as WordPress sites and other possible web systems. To play a leading role in design discussions with internal staff and external consultants as appropriate to help shape and implement design ideas. To work with the ITS Web Assistant and others to ensure the usability and technical feasibility of new designs. To build re-usable code and libraries for future use. To optimise code for maximum efficiency and performance across different devices. To establish and extend our use of standard front end coding methodologies and tools. To play a part in managing site migration projects involving liaison with external contractors and internal developers, optimising the use of resources and ensuring timely progress. To undertake the testing of design elements and site functions aimed at optimising user experience and improving user engagement (e.g. through A/B testing), working with other colleagues as appropriate, and to establish this as a regular part of site creation and redevelopment projects going forward. To use agreed version control systems in all coding projects. To ensure that all work is appropriately documented.
To train other ITS Web Team members as appropriate to increase front end development knowledge and skills across the team. General Duties Applicable to All Web Team Members To keep abreast of the latest developments in web standards, including best practice in accessibility and usability. To work with other members of the ITS Web Team and appropriate staff throughout the College towards the aim that Birkbeck websites are of high quality in terms of technical build; that they conform to best practices and current standards; are crossbrowser and cross-platform compatible; and that, wherever possible, sites are accessible to all users regardless of disability. To work with other members of the Web Team in providing feedback and advice on site design and information architecture in order to ensure all sites meet a high standard of usability and accessibility. To provide second line support to staff, students and other web site users regarding the use of College web sites and related issues as necessary, managed through the use of Hornbill Supportworks service desk software. To provide assistance, as required, with the training of College staff in the use of the Plone content management system (following appropriate training). To attend periodic Team meetings and present progress reports for the benefit of all Team members. To support process improvement, ongoing review and service enhancement, as agreed with your manager, in your area of work, wider department and work with others across the College, as required. Working Relationships and Contacts The Front End Web Developer will work closely with the existing ITS Web Team (two back end Web Developers, a Web Systems Administrator, a Web Assistant and the Web Manager), colleagues in External Relations (ER), other administrative and academic staff across the College, and with external contractors as appropriate, to develop, implement, amend and maintain web site templates. In particular the jobholder will work with ER design staff and/or external contractors to turn design mock-ups into coded templates and with the ITS Web Assistant to ensure the usability and technical feasibility of UI/UX designs. As a member of the ITS Web Team, the jobholder will also share in providing second-line support to staff, students and other users who encounter problems when using our web sites and systems. Dimensions As well as central sites that cater for both external and internal audiences, including our online course listings and a Prospective Students site, the College has 5 School web sites, 17 academic Department sites, a number of Professional Services Department sites and many Research Centre and Institute sites, with new site requests coming in each year. Our publicfacing sites are now so crucial for recruitment and for building and maintaining Birkbeck s reputation that it is essential we adopt responsive templates across our entire web estate as soon as possible and that we are able to respond rapidly to new requests and to changing requirements. The jobholder will play a pivotal role in enabling us to achieve these aims, working with colleagues throughout the College as appropriate.
General Responsibilities These are standard to all Birkbeck Job Descriptions To adhere to the College s Equal Opportunities policy in all activities, and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible. To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and relevant EC directives. To work in accordance with the Data Protection Act and to ensure that all new systems are reported to your Data Protection Controller. To undertake such other duties as may be reasonably expected. To provide a healthy and comfortable working environment, smoking is prohibited throughout the College, except in specially designated areas.
PERSON SPECIFICATION Job Title: Front End Web Developer Post No: 11831 Department/School: IT Services ATTRIBUTES ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE Knowledge Extensive and detailed knowledge of front end development tools and techniques, client-side scripting and user interface design Comprehensive grasp of responsive web design principles and techniques Detailed knowledge of current trends in front end development Expert knowledge of cross-browser/cross-platform testing and debugging Thorough understanding of web accessibility and usability issues Technical/Workbased Skills General Skills/Attributes Expert in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and jquery Expert in at least one modern framework, e.g. Foundation or Bootstrap Expert in at least one version control and code management system e.g. Git (and GitHub) or SVN Demonstrable expertise in code and performance optimisation techniques Ability to learn new technical skills rapidly Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Confidence to propose new ways of working and to argue the case for introducing new technologies where appropriate Demonstrable ability to explain Web issues to a wide range of staff with differing levels of technical expertise when necessary Excellent skills in planning, documenting and organising own work on a day-to-day basis, to manage own time effectively and be self-motivated SASS, Node NPM, Grunt, Bower, Jekyll, Ruby, Diazo (http://docs.diazo.org/) PHP / WordPress theming, Python, Agile development methodologies
Excellent project management skills Ability to balance and prioritise development projects and support workload Enthusiasm, reliability and punctuality Ability to work collaboratively and supportively as part of a team and across teams Ability to solve difficulties and problems creatively and positively Experience Extensive experience of front end web development Demonstrable experience of translating (non-technical) stake-holder requirements into technical specifications and then coded templates Experience of front end development work for more than one back end system (e.g. WordPress plus a different CMS) in a Unix environment Experience of using Photoshop or other image editing software The provision of support to non-expert users Experience of working in an academic environment. Qualifications Degree or equivalent Relevant web/computing qualifications (or equivalent in training) Project management qualification/training
FURTHER PARTICULARS & INFORMATION ON THE POST Salary: Probation: Duration of post: Grade 8 of the College's London Pay Scale which is 42,446 rising to 49,964 per annum. The salary quoted is on the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated Weighting/Allowance which applies only to staff whose normal contractual place of work is in the Greater London area. The appointment may be subject to a probationary period of 6 months Fixed term for two years Hours: Annual leave entitlement: Superannuation: 35 hours per week (1.0 FTE) Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 20 Mach 2016 Interview date: Week beginning 11 April 2016 25 days per year, plus an additional six days when the College is closed during the spring and winter breaks. This is in addition to the eight bank holidays. The post is superannuable under the USS (Universities Superannuation Scheme). This is a defined benefits scheme, and is often substantially more beneficial to the employee than a "moneypurchase" scheme. Start date: Tuesday 3 May 2016 or as soon as possible after that date Informal enquiries can be made to: Adrian Tribe, Web Manager, IT Services (Email: a.tribe@bbk.ac.uk Tel: 020 7380 3190) To apply for this post and for further information please visit www.bbk.ac.uk/jobs (search using reference number: 11831) If you have difficulties accessing this site please email, humanresources@bbk.ac.uk, quoting the ref no. in the subject header. Birkbeck is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all candidates irrespective of their sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief. Birkbeck is a member of the positive about disability two ticks scheme and guarantees to interview all candidates who meet the essential criteria for the post.