Location: Washington, DC
URL: www.kaboom.org
KaBOOM! (kaboom.org) is a DC-based non-profit with a simple vision: A great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. We provide strong benefits, a fun work atmosphere, and the chance to make a difference in children?s lives.
We?re looking for a Ruby on Rails wizard who?ll help us build a small team of skilled Web developers. Unlike most non-profits, we are committed to using in-house talent to write world-class software. Right now we?re working on three projects with high visibility -- Michelle Obama is a fan, for instance:
- Play Day Planner ? http://playday.kaboom.org
- Playspace Finder ? http://playspacefinder.kaboom.org
- DIY Playground Planner ? http://projects.kaboom.org
We have some resource constraints, but who doesn?t? We believe that, by pooling their wits and their raw skill, a few great software engineers can help us to change the world.
Our next Web developer will have three primary responsibilities; the exact mix will depend on the experience you bring.
- Technology leadership
- Help to determine the technical framework for Web projects at KaBOOM! Depending on your experience, you may have some management responsibility.
Product development
- Write code to implement or upgrade Web applications on kaboom.org. Depending on your experience, you may own the product strategy.
Operations management
- Ensure that all technical aspects of kaboom.org run smoothly; respond to issues as they arise.
Day-to-day responsibilities will include:
- Collaborate on strategy for specific Web products
- Plan and implement features and upgrades for these products, making sure they?ll be fast, reliable, and relevant for years to come. Implement with discipline ? run unit tests against new and existing code
- Monitor live applications; address bugs and performance issues
- Juggle a stream of ad-hoc requests; deal with occasional management nonsense
- Envision new and exciting products; push the limits of what was thought possible
- Handle fast-changing requirements with a minimum of frustration
- At all times, be the user?s champion
Our ideal candidate has all of the following qualifications and qualities; our eventual hire will have most of them:
- Formal software development training
- A track record of delivering polished software
- Mastery of Ruby, MVC, SQL, and library-free JavaScript
- Fluency in SVN, CSS, Web standards, browser quirks, bash, and basic Linux administration
- Experience with PHP and Drupal
- Comfort explaining technical concepts to people with a wide range of technical understanding
Maybe we can meet up at RailsConf 2010. (You?re going, right?)
KaBOOM! is an EOE dedicated to workforce diversity.
To apply: To apply, send an e-mail to hr@kaboom.org along with two attachments: Your resume and a cover letter. In the cover letter, be sure to tell us (a) your salary requirements; and (b) your favorite piece of playground equipment. Don?t have a favorite piec
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