Information Technologist I

The MSU Libraries and College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University seek applicants for a front-end web developer. This is an annual year appointment with the initial appointment period of 2 years and the potential for renewal based on availability of funding. The candidate will be a member of the Libraries User Experience Unit (51%) as well as the MESH development team (49%) and will work on multiple projects. The position may be fully remote at the request of the candidate.

The User Experience (UX) Unit is responsible for the front end design, development, and management of the Libraries’ websites. The unit is engaged in the full range of UX and user engagement projects, helping to develop and maintain sustainable, strategic assessment programs for the MSU Libraries, used to measure, demonstrate, and improve the impact and value of the MSU Libraries’ physical and digital spaces, services, and resources.

This is an exciting time to join the Libraries, as we are currently redesigning and rebuilding MSU Libraries' website, developing an internal Drupal-based intranet, and incorporating new search and catalog tools into our web presence. The Web Developer will play an important role in these efforts, and will have the opportunity to reshape the Libraries' web presence to better engage users and build connections that support research, teaching, and learning at MSU.

MESH is a collaborative, agile, open-source team that supports the growth of both the community facilitation and the developer networks needed to enable 21st-century work in the areas of digital scholarly publishing. The MESH research team works to increase the opportunities for scholars to produce new kinds of scholarship in open, interoperable formats, increasing the ways their work can reach and benefit the public.

Working for MESH, the web developer will focus on frontend prototyping and development of the various platforms and applications being developed by MESH, with a particular focus on the Collaborative Community Review application. The developer will aid in UI/UX testing and ensure the proper tracking and resolution of UI/UX feedback with respect to the screens and functions used to administer and interact with the applications. The developer will also ensure the application is usable by a diverse audience by adhering to the best accessible web standards (WCAG 2.1).

The College of Arts & Letters (CAL) and MSU Libraries promote an academic and organizational culture that actively seeks out and strengthens diverse voices and perspectives among its members to achieve excellence. We are interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that intellectual leadership is achieved through open access and proactive inclusion. We seek candidates with integrity and a strong work ethic, who possess an understanding of what it takes to continuously improve and maintain research projects within a major academic research institution. We particularly welcome applications from women, people of color, LGBTQI individuals, and others who are traditionally underrepresented in the academy. We invite you to apply even if you have not currently mastered all of the skills listed. We seek someone with the ability to collaborate and to expand their technical skillset in creative ways; we’re happy to discuss whether you’ve got the skills we need for this role.

Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation.

The successful candidate for this position will have strong interpersonal skills and intellectual curiosity and will be able to work both independently and collaboratively with internal and external team members.

Specific job duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Develop and maintain CMS-based websites (Drupal, Wordpress) including the main Libraries' website and the Commons websites.
Work with stakeholders to identify and meet user needs for websites and web applications
Improve the usability, accessibility, and responsiveness of websites, internal applications, and vendor systems (when possible) to benefit students, faculty, staff, and community users
Develop and maintain custom web applications
Conducting routine quality control checks for functionality, reliability, accessibility, usability, efficiency, security, and adherence to college and university standards of new and existing web projects


Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills

Knowledge normally acquired with a Bachelor's Degree in computer science, information systems, user experience and design, digital media arts, or a related field.

Web presentation layer development experience (HTML(5), CSS(3)/SASS, JavaScript libraries) in a production environment building responsive, functional and attractive websites.

Experience with user experience design including test development, evaluation, and implementation of results.

Practical experience designing accessible interfaces through implementation of accessibility best practices. (WCAG 2.1)

Experience with content management systems development, including Drupal and Wordpress.

Comprehensive understanding and demonstration of the best practices of modern website development.

Comfortable interacting and able to communicate with a wide variety of end-users with varied levels of experience.

Ability to multitask, prioritize and self-manage timelines
Desired Qualifications

Experience with modern client-side and server-side frameworks (Wordpress, Drupal, VueJS, Laravel)

Experience working with databases (MySQL, MSSQL)

Experience using and interpreting web analytics data to improve website usability

Practices and principles of open-source software production, including use of GitHub, design and implementation of testing and code review.

Familiarity with CI/CD tools and automated testing

Ability to complete work quickly and efficiently, both in a team environment and independently

Demonstrated understanding of file maintenance, search engine optimization, social media web constructs, and multimedia and its integration into websites.

Experience working in higher education

Comfortable working in an agile/scrum environment

Desire to continuously learn and grow.

Be a strategic thinker with a proven ability to craft impactful and engaging web products
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Required Application Materials

Cover letter detailing your interest in and qualifications for the position

Current curriculum vitae or résume

Names and email addresses of three references
Together-we-will Statement
The university is requiring all MSU students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 with limited exceptions. Learn more at: https://msu.edu/together-we-will/
Work Hours

STANDARD 8-5
Description of End Date

This is an off dated position funded for 24 months from the date of hire with possible extension contingent upon funding renewal.