Job Description
The Web Developer collaborates with other digital communications professionals to develop front-end web components, templates, and functionality that advance UBC’s core digital brand assets and web properties in a systematic way. The position plays a lead role in collaborating with project members to find solutions that both meet project requirements and also augment UBC’s core digital brand assets in the form of code contributions, testing, and documentation. As a member of the Digital Communications team, the Web Developer also supports core team operations in the delivery of digital communications services.
Organizational Status
The Web Developer reports to the Manager, Digital Communications, Brand and Marketing, and works with other members of the Digital Communications team as well as the broader Communications portfolio, and staff from various academic and administrative units. The Web Developer may, on occasion, also work with external vendors, agencies, and internally-hired contractors or students.
This role is responsible for providing web development expertise and building web assets with a focus on standardizing styles, UI elements, page layouts, and templates in a systematic way across multiple web properties, CMS platforms and online marketing channels in support of UBC’s digital web framework.
Web development
- Contributes towards Brand and Marketing’s digital communications web standards and code repositories
- Analyzes requirements from multiple stakeholder groups and develops and maintains reusable web components for use in web applications
- Works in tandem with other project team members to review existing web layouts and functionality, with the aim of consolidating disparate web properties into a cohesive design system and cataloguing web components through a pattern library
- Contributes code/markup/styles to the design system and writes public documentation
- Integrates front-end components into templates for websites, HTML emails, and other web-based formats
- Submits, reviews, approves, and merges code commits to team code repositories
- Ensures code integrity, reuse, optimization, and organization follows digital communications team standards; identifies and resolves performance and scalability issues
- Participates in multi-functional team meetings by providing subject-matter expertise in web development
Web CMS Development
- Maintains the codebase for the department’s WordPress websites, including themes shared on a central WordPress platform, as well as child themes and plugins handled on a per-site basis
- Consults with stakeholders to determine CMS software needs, and develops CMS components, themes, and functionality (e.g. blocks, plugins) in a scalable and systematic way within a multi-site web application environment
- Builds new websites from a common base design system, and contributes new code/markup/styles to the underlying design system
- Joins project teams to implement new website builds, building the website to achieve designated standards, and preparing the website for handoff to website maintainers
- Provides feedback on technical feasibility of design concepts, and offers solutions to deliver on service requests
- Collaborates with other project team members to gather use cases for new web components and layouts
- Participates in multi-functional team meetings by sharing knowledge in CMS development, configuration, and usage
Web operations and digital communications service delivery
- Provides backup and overflow support for core operational activities across the team including the management and maintenance of existing web properties such as UBC’s top-level website, https://ubc.ca, as well coverage for campus notifications, bulletins, advisories, and broadcasts
- Provides product management support through documentation, training, and end-user support to web content creators
Preferred Qualifications
- Undergraduate degree or diploma in a relevant discipline. Minimum of three years’ experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience required.
- 3+ years of full stack web development experience with a demonstrated understanding of semantic HTML, CSS, Javascript/ES6, and PHP, and the ability to continue learning new technology skills required. Experience working with frameworks such as Gatsby, NextJS, jQuery, React, Vue.js, node.js an asset.
- Demonstrated experience developing themes and plugins for web content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress required; Experience developing with headless CMS solutions, SaaS solutions, or other hosted web platforms considered an asset. Familiarity with using web services to build cross-platform integrations a plus.
- Experience working with browser APIs and optimizing front-end performance required; experience with continuous integration with writing quality assurance automated tests an asset.
- Knowledge of systems administration in cloud-based web infrastructure (e.g. AWS, Azure) and experience working with serverless backend systems (e.g. Netlify, Gatsby Cloud) an asset.
- Experience working with centralized version control systems (Git) in a professional/workplace environment with a solid attention to detail required. Experience with code optimization and quality assurance testing an asset.
- Experience developing responsive cross-platform web templates to design specifications required. Experience with design systems an asset.
- Experience developing to WCAG Accessibility standards an asset; proficiency to learn new coding conventions to meet WCAC Accessibility standards required.
- Demonstrated ability to write or contribute towards end-user and technical documentation is required. Ability to review and edit documentation written by others, a definite asset.
- Experience working both independently and collaboratively in a cross-functional team environment required. Demonstrated service orientation in previous work experience with a client-facing role a definite asset.
- Good interpersonal communication skills with the ability to give and receive feedback required. Experience working in teams with diverse representation of background experiences, communication and learning styles a definite asset.
- Evidence of professional development in areas of communication, collaboration, leadership, equity, diversity and inclusion, is highly valued.