Web Designer/Front-End Developer
Academic Health Center Office of Communications, University of Minnesota
Working title: Web Designer/Front-End Developer
Classification: Developer 2 (9790D2)
Requisition Number: 197705
Reporting to: Rebecca Noran, assistant director for web communications
Position details: 100-percent time position with attractive benefits in the Academic Health Center Office of Communications, located in the Mayo Memorial Building on the University of Minnesota East Bank campus, Minneapolis
TO APPLY:
Submit cover letter, resume, three references, and a link to related work samples (at least three; include your role on the project; samples can be finished or in process). Position open until filled. For best consideration, apply by Monday, May 4, 2015.
Apply at: http://z.umn.edu/ahcwebdesigner
About you
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
• Bachelor’s degree in a related subject and TWO years of professional experience in web design and front-end development, or FOUR years of professional experience in web design and front-end development with a non-related bachelor’s degree
• Experience building websites using HTML, CSS, and in a content management system (CMS), at least at an intermediate level
• Visual design skills, at least at an intermediate level
• At least three years of experience working collaboratively and communicating effectively with others
Preferred
• Five years of experience as a web designer/front-end developer
• Ability to take on new projects and learn new skills as technology changes and grows
• Experience with theming for a CMS, especially Drupal web theming, content types, taxonomy
• Experience building websites with Drupal 7
• Experience and interest in responsive web design
• Strong background in user interface design and development
• Experience with Git or other revision control systems
• Fluency with graphic design and multimedia software as applied to web design (Adobe Creative Suite)
• Value teamwork and have ability to work within a team environment where web projects are a collaborative effort; experience collaborating with writers, editors, designers, developers, IT staff, and successfully applying design direction given by a creative/art director
• Interest and experience designing for one organization (e.g., in-house design experience), following institutional identity standards and working within a visual system (with ability to adapt and grow it)
• Ability to solve problems and work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team, with a strong commitment to customer service and can-do attitude
• Interest in being part of a mission-driven organization and collaborative community
• Experience with websites where the content is managed within a content management system; experience implementing and administering web content management systems
• Experience and knowledge of web-based practices, tools, and technologies including human-centered design, user experience, information architecture, usability, accessibility, web analytics, web content management systems, search marketing, online marketing and social media strategy, project management programs (e.g., Done Done) and other online tools (e.g., Wufoo), and operations analysis for implementing innovative web solutions to problems
• Solid understanding of Javascript and the jQuery library; experience with Drupal Panelizer/Panes, WordPress, Oracle UCM and Idoc, server-side scripting languages common in web development (PHP preferred), ASP, XML, RSS feeds, social media APIs, JSP programming language, HTTP requests, AJAX (SOAP, JSON, REST), CSS pre-processors (SASS); integrating dynamic databases into websites; facilitating server needs; coding websites for functionality across mobile and other devices, accessibility, usability and search optimization
• Ability to learn new technical skills and web programming languages and/or new features of current programming languages
• Experience with information design and presenting complex content and concepts clearly
• Experience maintaining relationships with key contacts (e.g., server administrators)
• Experience directing the work of student web intern(s)
• Ability to identify when issues need to be escalated and enlist help as needed
• Experience maintaining a library of images and photos for use online
• Experience providing user support and customer service, asking questions to understand the situation, help prioritize the needs, and determine best path forward
• Experience and ability to work effectively by distance with a back-end developer
MAJOR AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
1. Support and evolve web theme and tools (40%)
• Continuously adapt and evolve the AHC web theme and library of content types, layouts, templates, styles, features, widgets and functionalities
• Monitor how the theme is working on our overall system of websites, with a focus on effective web and visual design, web contributor needs, user experience, usability and accessibility
• Ensure responsive design is applied well across our sites
• Research new ideas and methods; stay aligned with best practices
• Improve the theme and suite of tools by listening to needs of web team and people contributing content; identify and suggest solutions; collaborate with web team members to develop and implement
• Take stock of what’s available on the U Drupal platform and incorporate useful items into AHC theme; identify AHC features that could be useful University-wide
• Apply new styles to our basic template Drupal site and update on existing sites; update our public-facing library of styles and content types available; maintain documentation
• Troubleshoot and fix browser, coding, accessibility and other issues
• Improve and evolve user experience of AHC Bios System
2. Lead web/interactive design and front-end development for projects (40%)
• Serve as the team’s expert and lead on CSS, responsive design, and Drupal theming for all projects
• Develop and collaborate on concepts, wireframes and prototypes for interactive/screen-based experiences based on organizational goals and audience insights; implement these concepts using strong design that presents content effectively
• Design, code, test and support websites, applications and web projects that follow U of M/AHC standards and guidelines; perform usability evaluations; integrate functionalities with front-end programming (e.g. HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Maintain high quality design (typography, imagery, color, layout, visual hierarchy)
• Work closely with assistant director to assure consistent visual language and quality across materials produced; coach relevant internal and external constituents on U of M/AHC brand standards
• Combine organizational strategy and customer insights to create results that meet project goals, support an effective • AHC web system, and engage and delight audiences
• Manage web production process: meet with clients and project teams, explain visual and technical possibilities/parameters, identify assets needed to complete work, prepare technical specifications and documentation, seek input from web team and assistant director, present to clients, ensure deadlines are met, and deliver projects that exceed client expectations
• Undertake special projects as they arise (eg, iOS app interface design)
3. Contribute to overall web team efforts (20%)
• Communicate frequently with web team members and assistant director on the needs of our web community; contribute to training development. For most of our web contributors, their web role is a small part of their overall duties. • • Our job is to make our system and tools easy to use and provide training as needed.
• Contribute to overall team planning efforts; be eager to tackle new challenges
• Engage in U web/Drupal community
• Provide user support and customer service, working with team members to troubleshoot issues when they arise
• Work to continuously improve and evolve how we deliver and manage our web presence and infrastructure, staying current with trends in web design and development; regularly assess processes, make recommendations to improve efficiency
POSITION OVERVIEW
The web designer/front-end developer is a key member of the AHC web team. Our goal is to make the web easy and effective for our web contributor community, in order to produce a strong web presence for the people who use it. You have the potential to impact the way people see medical and health sciences at the University of Minnesota, using the web to promote and enhance our reputation.
Current job focus:
•The web team has begun and will to continue to focus this year on upgrading all of our web properties to Drupal, the University of Minnesota’s enterprise web content management system (CMS). The sites will all use our responsive, Drupal web theme—named Nokomis—built on the University’s Drupal platform. We evolve the Nokomis theme as needed, and the theme allows for certain custom design elements on sites.
This transition to Drupal is part of an overall improvement effort for the AHC web support system to provide clarity, improve quality, build a strong foundation, and move to a model of continuous improvement.
For web upgrade projects over the next year, the web designer/front-end developer is primarily focused on creating new styles, content types, and functionality needed for our new sites, and creating the custom design elements for many of the websites that are upgrading. (Some sites will follow a more standard approach and won’t need as much design attention.) This will include upgrades for the School of Dentistry and a site for its dental clinics, School of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Veterinary Medicine and a site for the Veterinary Medical Center, and more, as well as a major revisiting of the Academic Health Center’s flagship websites, maintained by the AHC Office of Communications: Health Sciences, health.umn.edu, and the AHC Resource Hub, hub.ahc.umn.edu.
Future job focus:
After we complete the transition of our web properties to Drupal, the role will shift from a mode of rapid site production. The web designer/front-end developer will be focused on continuing to support and evolve the web theme and suite of tools available to our web community, and undertaking special projects, such as:
initiatives for the communications office (e.g., evolving and innovating the Health Sciences site and AHC Resource Hub)
improvement efforts led by the web team (e.g., partnering with web contacts to improve residency pages)
projects initiated by units (past example: Research toolkit, http://www.ctsi.umn.edu/researcher-resources/research-toolkit) and more as opportunities are identified and our web support system and ecosystem of sites evolve.
About us
PROGRAM/UNIT DESCRIPTION
The University of Minnesota Academic Health Center (AHC) (health.umn.edu) is comprised of six schools/colleges that train health professionals; specialized centers, institutes, and labs; and partnerships with hospitals and clinics. We have one of the most comprehensive academic health centers in the nation, and our audiences include current and prospective students and residents, current faculty and staff, donors, alumni, news media, patients, providers, and other stakeholders.
The web team is part of the AHC Office of Communications (z.umn.edu/communications), which provides strategic communications and includes web, public relations, community relations, video production, and creative services. We are a collaborative, award-winning team who take pride in supporting the University’s mission. Each member of the web team takes leadership in a different specialty area.
The web team provides centralized web support for the AHC, partnering with 200+ web contacts in AHC units, including the Medical School, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine. We support AHC units by:
• steering the AHC’s overall web strategy
• offering training, tips, and consultation on web best practices and standards
• guiding effective web projects
• providing a web theme, design, content management system, technical infrastructure, tools, and user support.
We work hard to represent the world-class research and educational mission of the health sciences organizations at the University of Minnesota. And we have fun doing it.
Learn more about the AHC web team and support system: z.umn.edu/ahcweb
More about the web team
We are a collaborative, award-winning team of web professionals who take pride in supporting the University’s mission. Each member of the web team takes leadership in a different specialty area. As web designer/front-end developer, you would provide leadership for visual design, CSS, front-end development, and Drupal theming, as well as supporting and evolving our Drupal web theme and suite of styles, with a keen eye toward web contributor needs, user experience, usability, and accessibility. You would work closely with web team members in the following roles:
Assistant director for web communications (supervisor)—Leads overall strategy, direction, and priorities for team and AHC web efforts
Web project manager/content strategists (2)—Lead projects working with web point people across AHC units; each serves as a website manager, for health.umn.edu and hub.ahc.umn.edu; provide expertise and leadership for the office in other areas, such as information architecture, content strategy, writing/editing, training, processes, tools, analytics, search, measurement, support to AHC web community, and more
Web developer—Lead for back-end development and technical strategy; Drupal development and support; build, maintain, and evolve the AHC Bios system; work with other technologies and systems (e.g., iOS, WordPress); with a focus on contributor needs, user experience, usability, and accessibility
Web administrator—Leads user support and triage for troubleshooting needs, site setup and launch processes, access, enterprise systems, and more; liaison to information technology contacts; chairs the University’s Drupal Advisory Group
Relevant links:
• Sites we have launched so far in Drupal: http://hub.ahc.umn.edu/communications/web/nokomis/websites
• Estimated schedule of sites to launch in Drupal: http://hub.ahc.umn.edu/communications/web/drupal/transition-drupal/schedule
• Styles available so far in Nokomis web theme: http://training.ahc.umn.edu/styles-available
• About the AHC web support system: http://hub.ahc.umn.edu/communications/web/about/web-support-system
• Drupal training materials: http://hub.ahc.umn.edu/communications/web/drupal
• Recordings and slides from AHC web town halls: http://hub.ahc.umn.edu/communications/web/about/attend-event
© 2015 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this material is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to the Academic Health Center Office of Communications, 612-624-5100 or health@umn.edu.Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with at least 10 percent postconsumer waste material.
w1-38.39
The post Web Designer/Front-End Developer appeared first on MSR Online.