Research Programmer
Mobile/Web Applications Developer
Visiting Academic Professional Position
University Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Position Available: This position is available immediately. This is a 100%-time, twelve-month appointment Visiting Academic Professional position.

Duties and Responsibilities: The successful candidate will be appointed to support a digital library grant-funded research project being conducted at the Undergraduate Library. The appointee will report to the respective grant project's principal investigator (PI) and will be a member of the University Library's Software Development Group. Specifically, this position will support and be funded by the following grant project:

The Student/Library Collaborative: Toward Transformative Mobile Library Service, funded by The Institute of Museum and Libraries National Leadership Grant.

This grant funded position will provide an opportunity to participate in design, development, and testing of innovative, cutting-edge mobile applications. The successful candidate will collaborate with experienced Research Programmers in the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center and the Library's Office of Information Technology Planning and Policy to design and implement an infrastructure and middleware to support the creation of the mobile applications. 

The responsibilities of this position will include:
* developing and/or customizing APIs generated by library data; 
* designing an infrastructure to support these APIs; 
* using and/or customizing of commercial APIs; 
* leading training in using these APIs and developing additional ones; 
* applying APIs to mobile applications; 
* troubleshooting, and writing documentation for the process;
* developing Web, Windows, and Linux applications and tools; 
* installing, maintaining, and administering of Web services and other networked applications; 
* database design, and programming; 
* collaborating with student groups on mobile application development;
* and providing technical assistance to and consultation with Library and other University faculty and staff collaborating on the project.

As an Academic Professional, employees are expected to use "investigation time" to pursue areas of interest, not directly in support of an immediate program need, in accordance with the University Library's policy on Investigation Time for Academic Professional Employees.  Some investigations that originate in this manner may evolve into regular work assignments or production activities.  See http://www.library.illinois.edu/administration/human/resources/investigationtime.html

Environment:  The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library is a leader in the delivery of user services, and active programs in information, instructional, access, and scholarly services help the Library to maintain its place at the intellectual heart of the campus. The Library also holds one of the preeminent research collections in the world, encompassing more than 12 million volumes and a total of more than 23 million items. The Library is committed to maintaining the strongest collections and service programs possible, and to engaging in research, development, and scholarly practice - all of which support the University's missions of teaching, research, and public engagement. The Library employs approximately 90 faculty members, and more than 300 academic professionals, staff, and graduate assistants. For more information, see: http://www.library.illinois.edu/
 
Qualifications: Required: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related field; 3+ years of experience with object oriented programming; experience using modern Web-server development frameworks for creating 'restful' AJAX web services; Experience with source control tools: e.g. git, SVN; Knowledge of XML and XSLT; demonstrable LINUX or UNIX experience; demonstrable knowledge of relational database design principles and programming using SQL; ability to work in a collaborative team environment, and successfully handle multiple priorities; good oral and written communication and customer service skills.
Preferred: ALA-accredited Master's degree in library and/or information science (or equivalent); Experience designing and developing mobile apps for either the Android or iPhone platforms; experience in a library IT unit or working with library-specific applications; experience leading technology training; experience with metadata schema including MARC, Dublin Core, RDF, etc.; knowledge of library standards such as MARC, Z39.50, OAI-PMH, or OAI-ORE; experience using web APIs, such as the Amazon, Google Book, or Hathi Trust APIs; experience administering Windows or Linux servers, including web servers; experience applying web application security best practices.
Salary: Salary is commensurate with credentials and experience.  

Terms of Appointment: Twelve month appointment; 24 work days of vacation per year; 11 paid holidays; 12 days annual sick leave (cumulative up to a maximum of 240 days) plus an additional 13 days (non-cumulative) per year if necessary; health insurance, requiring a small co-payment, is provided to employees (coverage for dependents may be purchased); participation in the State Universities Retirement System is required upon appointment (8% of member's salary is withheld and is tax exempt until retirement); newly hired university employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security, and are subject to its deduction.

 Campus & Community: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs 2,000 faculty members who serve 26,000 undergraduates and 10,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receive campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu. The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: http://illinois.edu/about/community/community.htmlor http://www.ccchamber.org/. 

Apply: To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest, resume, and contact information including email addresses for three professional references.  Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered.  For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.
Deadline:  In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by March 14, 2012. Interviews may occur before the closing date; however, no decisions will be made prior to the closing date.

Illinois is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu)