Associate Director, Web Development and Technology
Employment Type : Full-Time
- Requisition no: 523560
- Work type: Full Time
- Location: Morningside
- School/Department: School of Professional Studies
- Grade: Grade 13
- Categories: Information Technology, Other, Pubs/Printing/Graphic Design, General Administration
- Job Type: Officer of Administration
- Bargaining Unit:
- Regular/Temporary: Regular
- End Date if Temporary:
- Hours Per Week: 35
- Salary Range:
Position Summary
Supervised by the Director of Design and Web Development (DDWD) within the Web and Creative Services team, the Associate Director, Web Development and Technology (ADWDT), will be responsible for the development, management, and ongoing maintenance of SPS’s public websites. SPS sites serve as the primary channel through which SPS markets its programs, provides information for applicants, and communicates with various constituencies inside and outside of Columbia University.
The ADWDT is responsible for maintaining the technological integrity of SPS websites by delivering and maintaining highly functional and high-performing sites. They will manage web development operations (dev-ops) for the school, work directly with site code, and also act as a key SPS liaison with internal and external constituents and vendors. The ADWDT will collaborate with the DDWD to set and execute a school-wide vision for SPS’s use of web technology, in support of the school’s marketing, enrollment management, and academic strategies.
Responsibilities
Web Development Operations
- Lead and oversee website building and development
- Define web development processes, enforce, and document them
- Support an outstanding user experience for target audiences in collaboration with the design team and vendors
- Provide solutions by analyzing and gathering requirements, conducting a competitive analysis of websites, and contributing to the process of Drupal website and web application design and development, documentation, demos, and quality assurance
- Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to build storyboards, proof-of-concept mockups, demos and prototypes of proposed and planned applications and features
- Contribute to and assist in developing test plans and provide technical support in all phases of testing and QA and implementation
- Lead efforts on integration between external and internal web applications
Website Management
- Manage in collaboration with the editorial team the continuing and iterative improvement of web functionality and content including routine daily, weekly, and periodic major updates of online text, photographs, and forms
- Build back-end experiences that support the work of editors and admins in the CMS
- Provide user training and support
- Ensure security risks are adequately managed, regulations are complied with, and Columbia University policies are followed
- Contribute to policies and procedures documentation
- Recommend and implement changes to existing code to fulfill technical requirements and end-user goals and needs
- Maintain website navigation and architecture to ensure continuity and standardization ease of updating across the site
- Work with Web and Creative Services team members on multimedia integration
- Ensure that websites are cross-browser and cross-device compliant
- Support social media integration and optimization efforts
- Serve as the point of contact for web vendors and services related to website function, performance, and up-time
Website Marketing and Analytics
- Work with internal and external constituents to build a robust platform for gathering marketing and business intelligence to drive program growth
- Contribute to Communications, Marketing, and Admissions teams’ efforts to use analytics to sustain competitive advantage over other institutions, leveraging student and prospect data to improve web experiences and increase barriers to the competition
- Collaborate with content team members on incorporating best practices for executing SEO, marketing, and enrollment management initiatives
- Ensure that site analytics are in place and functioning (e.g., Google Analytics) to enable reporting on user behavior, site performance, and traffic sources
- Support regular reporting to measure the effectiveness of the website’s technical implementation, including recommendations to support and drive decision-making for continued quality improvement
Collaborate and develop relationships within the school and university related to web technology and related initiatives
- Collaborate with members from different groups in the organization and bring people together to improve internal processes and optimize operations
- Provide strategic and tactical support to leaders in other departments, sharing best practices and expertise that will benefit other teams at SPS
- Build relationships with departments and schools across Columbia University to improve existing partnerships or create new ones to support excellence in web-based initiatives
Performs other duties as assigned or requested
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required; Advanced degree desirable
- Four (4) years of related professional experience required
- A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted to be considered for the position
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree preferred
- Familiarity with web hosting and vendor management
- Familiarity with CRMs and marketing automation (email)
- Familiarity with related Columbia systems and regulations a plus
- Keen understanding of web standards, privacy, usability, and accessibility
- Experience working with faculty and administrators at a major research university
- Experience improving site visibility using SEO, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics
Other Requirements
- Proficiency in building responsive accessible websites using Drupal 8 or 9 CMS, HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, jQuery; knowledge of ReactJS and/or other JS frameworks
- Demonstrated experience as a technical lead
- Experience serving in a lead role in managing collaborative projects that span across multiple departments and teams
- Experience in Git version control system
- Experience creating web pages using scripting and markup languages (JavaScript, CSS, XML, JSON, HTML, and PHP)
- Familiarity with Apache and web server technology; managing MySQL databases
- Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills required
- Exceptional attention to detail, strong organization and time management skills, and the ability to perform non-routine work with changing priorities is required
- Ability to manage other employees on complex technical projects
- Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects
- Proven ability to build consensus and work effectively within cross-departmental teams
- Interest in and knowledge of social media, new media and their technical requirements for integration into websites
- Familiarity with WCAG accessibility standards
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
Applications open: Mar 07 2022 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close: