Location: New York
URL: www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins
We are upgrading the custom content management tools for our award-winning Science Bulletins web site (www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins) and kiosk, and need an experienced Ruby on Rails developer to finish the job. A foundation has been built using Rails and ActiveScaffold, and is already being used to publish a portion of the site.
We need to fill in the remaining pieces. The complete system will incorporate about eight simple resource editing tools that upload assets and publish XML, JSON, and XHTML files for the video players and web page manager; working versions of some of these editors exist in the previous CMS. The new CMS foundation must be extended to incorporate those resources and publish XML and JSON story data files, playlist XML file, and player configuration XML file. The kiosks are updated via podcast subscription, and so RSS feeds must be produced. And we want to produce KML files for frequently updated layers of Science Bulletins content in Google Earth.
This is a full-time, temporary contract position, starting immediately. We would like to complete this work within the next three months, and we would like to be your top-priority—preferably only—project. We will work with viable candidates to define the scope of the work and the contractor’s bid, which will be a flat, work-for-hire fee.
You should have experience picking up existing code and developing the understanding and confidence to take ownership and move it forward. (We have basic familiarity with the codebase and can help orient you to get started.) We prefer candidates in the New York Metro area, and will require at least one day a week on-site (we can provide desk space) for regular review of the work and successful handoff. (We need to continue to have basic familiarity with the code in order to maintain and extend it ourselves.)
Successful candidates will have proficiency in
• Ruby on Rails
• ActiveScaffold (or AJAX, script.aculo.us, prototype, and ability to pick up ActiveScaffold quickly)
• Javascript
• PHP/MySQL (previous tools were written in PHP)
• XML, RSS, JSON file formats (KML experience a plus)
• producing professional quality production code for high-visibility, high-traffic web sites
You will be working with a small team of experienced digital media developers who are very passionate about providing new and better ways to get current, authoritative science content to the public. When a freelance contractor works out well the first time, we very often go to them again for more; a number of our freelancers have been working with us off and on for years.
Send your information to gano@amnh.org. Please include examples of or links to your recent work, details of your development experience with the required technologies, and a brief paragraph about why the work interests you and how well you think you are qualified. If you are not able to begin immediately, indicate when you will be available.
To apply: Send a resume and work examples to gano@amnh.org