Careers at Virginia Tech

Reporting to the Senior Director of Learning Systems in Virginia Tech’s Division of Information Technology, the person filling this position will act as a application developer in support of all technology platforms provided by the IT Learning Systems (ITLS) team, including, but not limited to:
● Canvas learning management system
● Zoom video conferencing platform
● Kaltura video content management system
● Course Evaluations & Surveys platform
● Canvas Catalog course registration system
● Our data analytics infrastructure

This person will serve primarily as a programmer, with the expectation that they will spend the majority of their time on heads-down coding activities. Team interaction will be important in terms of understanding requirements, following our best practices for development, testing, and in terms of providing tier-3 support for our systems. Much of our work is around data analytics and systems integration and in making all systems listed above work seamlessly for VT students and faculty alike.

The application developer, as a member of our software development team, will work directly with their supervisor, other members of a development team, and other teams (such as our key customer group Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies) to meet project goals with an emphasis on usability and end-user satisfaction. They will collaborate with the team to develop software solutions.

The person filling this role should both be comfortable writing code and supporting mission critical university-wide production systems, as well as having the skills to work on smaller, innovative technology efforts, as the job will require a mix of both small and large scale efforts.

Core Responsibilities:
● Perform software development efforts for ITLS meeting deadlines for deliverables.
● Work collaboratively with other teams to meet project goals and organizational objectives.
● Provide technical guidance and mentoring for other team members.
● Designs and implements solutions for our most challenging application areas.
● Troubleshoot complex application problems and implement root cause fixes.
● Provide maintenance code changes for developed production applications.
● Provide customizations to integrate, enhance, and maintain vendor software and enterprise systems based on end-user needs.
● Use industry-standard best practices in all ITLS application development to ensure security, compatibility, and supportability.
● Document all work thoroughly in a way that others can rely upon.

● Master's degree in Computer Science, or bachelor’s degree with training and experience that would equate to a master’s degree
● Professional software development experience with a modern procedural, object-oriented, or functional programming language using an IDE - examples of languages desired: Java, Ruby, PHP, Python
● Experience building, deploying, and maintaining standards-based web applications in a highly available (24x7x365) and scalable environment
● Understanding of relational databases and experience working with databases in web based applications (solid SQL skills needed)
● Experience using cloud-based hosting environments such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud
Skills using source code management systems such as Git, Subversion, or CVS
● Working knowledge of unit testing frameworks such as pytest
● Committed to supporting and promoting a diverse and inclusive community

● Experience in requirements elicitation and management
● Demonstrated skills in developing application “front-ends”, including skills with HTML, CSS, JQuery, and JavaScript
● Experience as a developer in higher education
● Experience and expertise in developing accessible software that meets WCAG 2.1 requirements and is fully responsive
● Practical experience using agile development methods in a production environment
● Demonstrated in-depth knowledge and experience with learning management systems and/or online collaboration systems
● Proficiency working with a variety of operating systems including Linux, MacOS, and Windows

Regular

Commensurate with experience, up to $95,000

11/19/2024

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

This is a remote opportunity, but sponsorship will only be available to candidates residing in the Blacksburg campus area, Virginia.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance.  These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.