Application Developer

Job Description

Reporting to the Senior Director of Learning Systems in Virginia Tech’s Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) unit, the person filling this position will act as an application developer in support of all technology platforms provided by the TLOS Learning Systems (LS) team, including, but not limited to:
- Canvas learning management system
- Zoom video conferencing platform
- Kaltura video content management system
- EvaluationKIT survey platform
- Canvas Catalog course registration system
- Our enterprise WordPress instance
- The TLOS data analytics infrastructure

This person will serve primarily as a programmer, with the expectation that they will spend the majority of their time on heads-down coding activities. Team interaction will be important in terms of understanding requirements, following our best practices for development, testing, and in terms of providing tier-3 support for our systems. Much of our work is around data analytics and systems integration, making all systems listed above work seamlessly for VT students and faculty alike.

The Application Developer, as a member of our software development team, will work directly with their supervisor, others members of a development team, and other teams within TLOS to meet project goals with an emphasis on usability and end-user satisfaction. They will collaborate with the team to develop software solutions.

The person filling this role should both be comfortable writing code and supporting mission critical university-wide production systems, as well as having the skills to work on smaller, innovative technology efforts, as the job will require a mix of both.

Core Responsibilities:
- Perform software development efforts for TLOS meeting deadlines for deliverables
- Work collaboratively with other teams within TLOS to meet project goals and organizational objectives
- Troubleshoot complex application problems and implement root cause fixes
- Provide maintenance code changes for developed production applications
- Provide customizations to integrate, enhance, and maintain vendor software and enterprise systems based on end-user needs
- Use industry-standard best practices in all TLOS application development to ensure security, compatibility, and supportability
- Document all work thoroughly in a way that others can rely upon

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or similar field
- Professional software development experience with a modern procedural, object-oriented, or functional programming language using an IDE - examples of languages desired: Java, Ruby, PHP, Python
- Experience building, deploying, and maintaining standards-based web applications in a highly available (24x7x365) and scalable environment
- Understanding of relational databases and experience working with databases in web based applications (solid SQL skills needed)
- Experience providing tier-2 / tier-3 end-user support
- Skills using source code management systems such as Git, Subversion, or CVS
- Experience with software testing frameworks such as JUnit, pyTest, or minitest

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience using cloud-based hosting environments such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud
- Experience in requirements elicitation and management
- Demonstrated skills in developing application “front-ends”, including skills with HTML, CSS, JQuery, and JavaScript
- Experience as a developer in higher education
- Experience and expertise in developing accessible software that meets WCAG 2.1 requirements and is fully responsive
- Practical experience using agile development methods in a production environment
- Demonstrated in-depth knowledge and experience with learning management systems and/or online collaboration systems
- Proficiency working with a variety of operating systems including Linux, MacOS, and Windows

Appointment Type

Regular

Review Date

7/12/2021

Additional Information

The successful Candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges , a school of medicine , a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School , and Honors College . The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers . A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Brittany Kessler at bmlester@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

Advertised: August 27, 2021
Applications close: