Application Developer at Columbia University

Company Description

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

Job Description

The Center for Digital Research and Scholarship (CDRS) at Columbia University Libraries/Information Services seeks a motivated, collaborative and creative full-time Application Developer to join our team of in-house developers and other professional staff supporting the strategic goals of the organization, with particular attention to the university's institutional repository program, Academic Commons (academiccommons.columbia.edu). Responsibilities of the Application Developer may span multiple projects and will include regular interactions and collaboration with the team of developers, designers, and project managers among the library's Digital Programs and Technology Services areas. Knowledge of academic repositories, digital libraries, and source control systems will be especially useful to the successful applicant, as will experience with community-supported open source tools and platforms such as Fedora Commons, Project Blacklight, Apache Solr, and Hydra.

This position reports to the Production Manager, Center for Digital Research and Scholarship.

Position Duties
- Engineer solutions for CDRS' projects using Ruby/Rails, PHP, Java, and related application development technologies.
- Work closely and collaboratively with software engineers within CDRS and among technologists in related divisions supporting innovation and stability across platforms and projects
- Manipulate large metadata sets and digital objects
- Author schemas and technical specifications for applications
- Perform related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested

As one of the world's leading research universities, Columbia University in the City of New York provides outstanding opportunities to work and grow in a dynamic multicultural intellectual community. The Columbia University Libraries/Information Services comprises a diverse, collegial and engaged staff committed to furthering the University's teaching and research mission through innovation, leadership, collaboration and professionalism.

About the Center for Digital Research and Scholarship
The Center for Digital Research and Scholarship (CDRS), a division of the Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, serves the digital research, scholarly communication, and academic publishing needs of the faculty, students, and staff of Columbia University and its affiliates. Our mission is to increase the utility and impact of research produced at Columbia by creating, adapting, implementing, supporting, and sustaining innovative digital tools and publishing platforms for content delivery, discovery, analysis, data curation, and preservation.

To apply, please visit:

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or the equivalent and a minimum of 2 years of related experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
- Demonstrated experience in Web-based application design using one or more of the following technologies: Ruby/Rails, Java, PHP, Python, MySQL.
- Working knowledge of dependencies and affordances of Unix, Apache and/or similar environments
- Commitment to supporting and working in a diverse environment.

Preferred:

- Professional experience in an academic library (or related IT in higher education).
- Experience with community open source development projects (esp. those relevant to digital library access and preservation systems e.g., Hydra, Fedora Commons, Project Blacklight).
- Significant experience with relational databases, database design, and fluency in SQL.
- Experience with XML, JSON and other related data formats.
- Familiarity with SOAP and RESTful architectures.
- Experience in usability and user-experience development and testing.
- Application planning and architecture experience.
- Ability to manage complex software development using revision control software such as SVN and GitHub.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.