Job Posting: Drupal Developer Needed

I am assisting in the search for a Drupal developer for one of my projects.

We are seeking a mid- to senior-level Drupal 6 developer to help finish and launch an application which lists Horse show events and allows for online registrations and payments. This is an entirely new application for a start-up company based in northern Virginia; this is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a totally new concept and to contribute to decision-making and overall success of the project.

The system is approximately 75% complete - major remaining components include eCommerce integration and custom administrative functions. The initial architect/developer will be available in a consultancy role, however the selected candidate must be skilled enough to work independently with almost no technical supervision.

The ideal candidate will possess solid skills across the entire lifecycle, from (lightweight) requirements definition, to architecture, to development, to unit testing, to deployment. Both back-end (modules) and front-end (theme) skills are required.

The production hosting environment is expected to be sourced via a 3rd party; the selected candidate will have the opportunity to recommend and implement a hosting solution. To that end, we do not require a specific OS-level administration expertise (i.e. Linux vs. Windows), but we do expect experience with higher-level concepts such as Apache .htaccess and MySQL administration.

Initially, the position is contract-based but once the application is launched there is potential for conversion to a Full Time position. The selected candidate must be interested in continued maintenance and feature enhancement past the initial launch date, in some capacity. Essentially, we are looking for someone dedicated to the business concept and who is interested in contributing to the growth of the product. An interest in competitive horse shows or horse riding is ideal, though not specifically required.

The minimum acceptable workload dedication is for 20 hours per week (part-time), but full-time level workload (40+ hours) is preferred, so that the application can be finished as quickly as possible. Telecommuting within the U.S. is allowed, but preference will be given to candidates within a few hours driving distance of northern Virginia (metro Washington, DC) to facilitate occasional in-person meetings as needed. The contractor must provide their own development environment and tools.

Compensation will be competitive, based on experience.

Staffing agencies are welcome to inquire, however we are interested only in contracting with an individual directly and are NOT looking for an on-going agency relationship.

General Responsibilities
- Maintain overall responsibility for all development and deployment; recommendations and implementation of architecture, features, hosting and maintenance
- Ingest a knowledge transfer of the completed portions of the application and then analyze unfinished components, to then design and develop to completion
- Work with a graphic designer to conceptualize and implement a custom theme
- Plan and implement a production hosting environment (via 3rd party hosting provider) which optimizes performance, availability, and security
- Adhere to industry and Drupal best practices for architecture and coding
- Provide initial technical support to the application; hours are extended to support all U.S. timezones and occasional weekend support may be required after launch
- Perform unit testing, including cross browser compatibility
- Submit invoices and status reports on a weekly basis

REQUIRED technical characteristics
- 5+ years general web development experience
- 3+ years PHP development experience
- 1+ year Drupal 6 development experience, specifically writing custom modules and themes
- Solid understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and web server-client architecture
- 3+ years JavaScript experience
- 1+ year MySQL experience, including schemas and SQL queries

PREFERRED technical characteristics
- PHP certification and/or a college degree in Computer Science or a similar discipline
- 1+ year using jQuery for advanced UI effects and functions
- Familiarity with translating graphic design concepts (i.e. Adobe Photoshop mockups) into HTML/CSS

PERSONAL characteristics
- An independent self-starter who can work with minimal supervision, complete tasks on time with a high degree of quality and who has a genuine interest in following the project through past deployment
- Have made contributions to the Drupal community
- Fluent in English
- Legally authorized to work in the United States

How to Apply
Submit a brief cover letter using my Contact Form telling me why you are interested. Be sure to include your email address so I can respond - I will request a full resume and portfolio from qualified candidates.