WEB PRODUCT DEVELOPER, PRATT SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Summary Job Description

The individual within the web product developer position will work with other colleagues on the web product development team, Pratt School of Engineering leadership, and product users across campus to architect, develop, and maintain enterprise-level web communication platforms.

As a vital team member of the web development team within the Pratt Communications and Marketing team at Duke University, the individual within this position can help influence the direction of the school’s web such as WordPress and other frameworks as needed. 

The products created by the individual in this position will range from the technology used to power the school’s core websites (pratt.duke.edu) to those that support web communication efforts of lower-level units such as academic departments, business units, and research centers.

The product developer will build and continually enhance complex, mobile-friendly web platforms and applications while considering organizational and technical limitations. These platforms will primarily be built with WordPress and its Gutenberg editor. A smaller subset of solutions may be built by exploring new options and frameworks. The solutions developed will be used in a wide range of settings and configurations and therefore require a high level of attention to detail and planning to ensure efficient and sustainable growth. The individual within the product developer position should be able to deliver such solutions.

This position is part of a larger web development team within the Pratt Communications and Marketing group. Front- and back-end developers work closely with content creators including writers, photographers, and marketing specialists.

Note: The statements below describe the general nature of the work expected and are not intended as exhaustive.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and maintain enterprise-level web communications and marketing products and applications.
• Stay up to date with web development best practices, specifically PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript (React) and jQuery, integration of XML/XSLT, WordPress, Gutenberg, and related frameworks, libraries, and other technologies necessary for creating communications and marketing platforms.
• Help manage product development cycles from the planning stage through to execution and maintenance.
• Act as a liaison and consensus builder between groups when suggesting product-based solutions.
• Help troubleshoot and resolve CMS issues, creating troubleshooting and debugging scripts.
• Work with the Executive Director of Communications & Marketing, Director of Information Technology, and the Assistant Director for Creative and Web Services to develop and execute the web solutions strategy for the Pratt School of Engineering’s web and digital presence.
• Maintain an expert understanding of UX best practices across multiple web platforms.
• Act as a mentor to team members and vice versa is open to learn from other web team members.
• Develop and maintain close, collaborative working relationships with the marketing and communication staff of the Pratt School of Engineering.
• Perform other related duties incidental to the work described.

Work Performed

Web Communications and Marketing Solutions (40%)

The individual within the web product developer position will create digital marketing solutions for the school that promote the Duke brand. These solutions should be scalable, allowing Communications and Marketing to leverage and enhance new technologies across the school and institution. They should also follow current web development best practices.

This will require the incumbent to distill out specifications from stakeholders to ensure that the build product meets their needs. The web product developer works independently and performs their job with minimal supervision while maintaining multiple projects of high complexity. They should be able to adapt to unanticipated changes and developments.

Web Development Skillset (40%)

Program, develop and maintain moderate to complex web platforms and products for the main Pratt web presence and a wide variety of interactive sites in a manner consistent with the university’s brand, programming and web development standards. Responsible for a broad understanding of web technology, including being fully aware of Section 508 Accessibility and WCAG practices as well as HTML, CSS, WordPress, and PHP. They should have the ability to modify existing and creating new WordPress themes.

Intermediate to advanced knowledge of JavaScript, specifically the React library, is required for development within the WordPress Gutenberg editor. Adjust or create build systems as needed. Documentation, coding standards, and testing best practices should be followed.

Experience with modern software version control systems (Git, SVN, CVS). Experience with scripting languages (PHP). The individual should have comprehensive skill and knowledge in web security including exploit prevention and securing data and access to applications with multiple user levels.

The product developer within this position should also have the ability to write clean code as well as advise others on best practices. The individual in this position will demonstrate in-depth knowledge of programming and use this knowledge to achieve solutions for highly complicated problems. They will investigate, research, and implement new technologies in web design, production and application development.

Code Solution and Review (10%)

The individual in this position will work other web product developers on the team to share and provide feedback on proposed solutions. This two-way process will allow for mentorship and increased consistency in solutions and coding practices across the team. 

As an advanced member of the web development team, the web product developer will need to periodically review the code of other developers to ensure code quality and style.

Data-driven Solutions (5%)

Support the efforts of Communications and Marketing colleagues by working with them to ensure that desired metrics are collected within web platforms. This will include reviewing products to ensure that appropriate data is being recorded in an analytics tool such as Google Analytics. Act as an internal consultant to help direct best practices when creating analytics dashboards, especially dashboards that display from complicated datasets.

The data provided by these mechanisms should be included in the decision-making process when products are being developed. The individual in this position should also be able to conduct user testing to create products that will better meet the client’s needs.

Project Management (5%)

The individual in this position will assist with managing product development. They will act as team lead within some projects by helping set goals and deadlines for development cycles.

The web product developer will need to work directly with stakeholders to determine the scope, budget, and outcomes of the product. They are accountable for tracking progress, anticipating problems, and leading teams to avoid problems and achieve desired outcomes. They will consult with stakeholders and clients to resolve technical issues and ensure client satisfaction.

Desired Experience:

Requires a minimum of five years of progressive programming experience in web development, product development or a related field, with experience creating scalable enterprise solutions. Work requires excellent communication, analytical, problem solving and organizational skills necessary to manage and coordinate a wide variety of projects, tasks and deadlines.

Work requires a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, computer science or equivalent coursework or technical training.

Work requires five years of related programming or analytical experience support. with knowledge of several computer languages or programs and/or knowledge of the specialty area for which the position is providing

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.