Full Stack Web Developer (Contract)
Remote
Budget: $1,000/month for basic maintenance and up to eight hours of work; additional work on a project basis

Words Without Borders (WWB) seeks an individual or agency to manage technology needs for its website, wordswithoutborders.org. Reporting to the digital director and working closely with the education editor, this role will help develop innovative solutions and technology strategies to drive WWB’s mission of growing the audience for international literature via its digital magazine and its online education program, WWB Campus.

Founded in 2003, Words Without Borders cultivates global awareness by offering unparalleled access to international writing in English translation. Reaching readers around the world, our website provides a vital platform for today’s international writers and literary translators. Our programs include our Whiting Literary Magazine Prize–winning digital magazine for international literature that publishes daily, our online education program that helps teachers bring world literature into the classroom, and public literary events held virtually and in New York City.

See attached addendum for additional information about WWB’s digital operations.

Responsibilities

• Manage and perform maintenance for WWB’s website, which is built on WordPress and incorporates various plug-ins and integrations
• Build out projects that meet the needs of WWB’s editorial and education departments
• Perform regular maintenance and upgrades to address day-to-day issues, including keeping plugins and other integrations up to date
• Develop visually appealing front-end website architecture
• Design engaging user interactions on web pages
• Develop back-end website applications
• Create servers and databases for functionality
• Ensure cross-platform optimization for mobile devices
• Ensure responsiveness of applications
• See through a project from conception to finished product
• Design and develop APIs
• Meet both technical and user needs
• Stay abreast of developments in web applications, educational technology, and programming languages to ensure that WWB’s online offerings remain current

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field
• Excellent knowledge of front-end web programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and AngularJS, with ability to render server-side and client-side content
• Excellent knowledge of one or more back-end programming languages (PHP, Java, jQuery, C#)
• Familiar with common programming design patterns and best practices
• Experience with common web development tools and services
• Track record of planning and developing projects start to finish
• Experience working with and building APIs
• Ability to communicate clearly with technical and nontechnical stakeholders
• Extremely organized, reliable, and proactive
• Demonstrated success completing multiple projects at once
• Ability to provide dependable project estimates
• Excellent fundamental understanding of programming concepts and methods
• Passionate about their work, motivated to learn, and constantly looking to improve; enjoys problem solving and challenges
• Excellent knowledge of Google Analytics setup and integrations
• Knowledge of Google Ad Manager and Google Search Console Tools; digital editorial products; the online education space; and education platforms such as Google Classroom (preferred)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Able to advise on best practices and tools to ensure WWB website remains on the leading edge of innovation
• Past successful working relationships with clients in the fields of arts, education, or digital literary publishing (strongly preferred) and demonstrated ability to work productively with clients over the long term

Job details
This is a contract position requiring availability during US eastern working hours.

Not sure if you meet all the requirements? Consider that research has shown that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, yet women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to apply only if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply.

Words Without Borders does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, marital status, parental status, military service, or disability. We are committed to pursuing equity and inclusion in our organization and seek candidates who bring diverse backgrounds and new perspectives to our work. Individuals from groups who have been historically underrepresented in the field of publishing are especially encouraged to apply. Permission to work in the US is required.

To apply
Interested candidates may email a résumé and cover letter indicating how this position aligns with their skill set and career goals by 11:59 pm eastern time (ET) on January 6 to jobs@wordswithoutborders.org with the subject line “WWB Website Vendor RFP.”