Web Developer(s)

Description

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (a public sector agency in Boston, MA) seeks Web Developers to support and build digital tools to help create a more sustainable and equitable region. We are looking to hire multiple individuals to meet the range of development and digital infrastructure needs. We want to learn what skills you bring to the table and how you can contribute to the MAPC team.  

Developers are part of MAPC’s Data Services Department, a team of planners, analysts, researchers, programmers, and IT professionals dedicated to using data and technology to support informed decision-making. Developers will work in a collaborative, respectful environment using modern web technologies and open-source frameworks. The team has already established a diverse portfolio of successful products (mapc.org/learn/data-tools) to engage diverse stakeholders, visualize complex information, improve planning processes, and modernize municipal operations. The topics we address include housing, transportation, public health, social equity, climate and clean energy, economic development, and many other issues of concern to the region’s communities. The tools we build and maintain serve a variety of purposes: crowdsourcing critical information about the region; serving up data and statistics to a wide range of stakeholders; harvesting data from online sources to create new insight; and enabling meaningful participation in remote meetings. To learn more about our work products, view our repository at github.com/mapc.

We are looking for developers who can support projects with either front-end or back-end skills. We are interested in adding capacity across a range of areas, from design and development to data analysis and digital infrastructure management. As part of a small, interdisciplinary group, you will be involved in all aspects of the product delivery cycle and will have the opportunity to engage directly with partners and clients to develop valuable relationships with municipal planners, government officials, community members, and other technologists. You will have opportunities to learn and develop your skills in software development, user-centered product design, delivery, and deployment, and we offer many opportunities for professional development. This is an ideal position for someone skilled in technology, interested in public policy, and seeking a mission-driven organization where they can apply their skills.  

About MAPC
MAPC is the Regional Planning Agency serving the people who live and work in metropolitan Boston.  Our mission is to promote smart growth and regional collaboration. We are guided by MetroFuture: Making a Greater Boston Region, our regional policy plan for a more sustainable and equitable future, which was adopted in 2008.  We are currently working on a successor regional plan, MetroCommon2050: Shaping the Region Together, which we expect to complete by mid-2021. MAPC's staff includes approximately 100 full-time employees located in downtown Boston in a transit-accessible and bike-friendly office.

This is an opportunity to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, and innovative environment with professionals who are committed to building a more sustainable and equitable future for everyone who lives and works in Greater Boston. The vast majority of our staff are working remotely and will continue to do so until it is safe to return to in-person work. MAPC is open to the prospect of this being a remote position going forward, with occasional in-person interaction with colleagues or public officials, if feasible.

We encourage all of our staff to develop new ideas to make MAPC's planning and policy work more relevant and impactful, and to adapt to changing times.  We strongly support the professional development of each and every staff person, believing their growth to be consistent with the best interests of MAPC and the region.  For more information about MAPC, MetroFuture, and MetroCommon, please visit mapc.org.

Examples of Duties

While the digital team has a broad set of responsibilities and tasks, our goal is to hire multiple candidates with complementary skills. We are looking for candidates who have the ability to become familiar with and navigate an existing, mature code base with relative ease. The right candidates should be able to identify and mitigate potential risks with code changes, as well as provide thoughtful solutions to integrating existing and new services. As a developer at MAPC you will work in close collaboration with other teams (researchers, planners, policy analysts) to help visualize and communicate impactful research and data. The work of the team entails transforming concepts, sketches, and ideas into effective data reports and tools that support decision making; and leveraging technical skills to support the hosting and management of our data and application infrastructure. Core to supporting MAPC’s work is the ability to manage the seamless movement of datasets between applications, supporting the team’s research and analysis. Since we are hoping to hire multiple staff with complementary skills spanning the range of work, please tell us which of these responsibilities and tasks you are best suited to support.

Digital Team’s Programming Responsibilities  
 

• Builds defined features.
• Writes testable, maintainable code to solve problems in a team environment.
• Performs analysis and provides feedback on reported defects and implements solutions.
• Performs thoughtful code reviews and provides constructive, positive feedback with the interest of improving code quality, performance, and building the team.
• Provides architectural guidance and feedback and implementation support.

Collaboration and Critical Thinking Tasks
 

• Communicates effectively through emails, Slack, video meetings, and in person.
• Gives proactive status updates with the ability to identify blockers.
• Presents structured fact-based arguments.
• Thinks about what colleagues need and work to support them.
• Values collaboration with their own team and others.
• Balances short-term needs with long-term goals to help define project requirements.
• Thinks about what could go wrong and how we can mitigate the risk.
• Operates with an open-source mindset and values learning new technology.

Typical Qualifications

The following are required qualifications for the position:

• Experience designing consumer-facing web services for use by diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated proficiency with web markup, including HTML and CSS.
• Proficient in JavaScript and familiar with front-end frameworks such as React or Ember.
• Experience with open-source version control, preferably using Git and GitHub.

The following are preferred for the position. 

• Experience working with Ruby on Rails. 

• Understanding of web and mobile user interface design and best practices 

• Experience with data visualization libraries such as d3.js  

• Experience working with small teams on software projects. 

• Experience working in an agile development environment. 

• Experience designing and implementing web services/APIs is preferred. 

• Demonstrated experience applying cartographic design principles to digital products is preferred. 

• Experience working with geospatial data (geoJSON, Shapefiles) and geospatial software tools (Carto/Mapbox/Leaflet/PostGIS/QGIS/ArcMap). 

• Familiarity with urban planning topics, public policy, and regional planning issues facing Metro Boston communities; knowledge of the Metro Boston region and the structure and operations of municipal governments.  

Supplemental Information

Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time exempt position.  The starting salary ranges from $75,000 to $90,000 annually depending on qualifications and experience. MAPC offers excellent Massachusetts state employee benefits as well as a flexible, supportive, and family-friendly work environment and a commitment to ongoing professional development.
 

How to Apply 

Apply online at www.mapc.org/jobs. The position is open until filled, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Please read the qualifications carefully and apply only if you meet the minimum requirements. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume with links to active (deployed) online projects, noting your role in producing them. If available, please provide a link to your GitHub (or similar) account or attach samples of your code. If you are interviewed, you will be asked to submit 3 references. 
 
Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the USA and a valid driver's license and/or the ability to arrange transportation to meetings in different parts of the region. A Criminal Offenders Records Information (CORI) request must be completed if offered this position. However, a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment but will be reviewed in relation to the job applied for.

MAPC is an EOE/AA employer.  
MAPC takes pride in the diversity of its workforce and encourages all qualified persons to apply.