AD&T Committee Software Developer Position Description - otwcode/otwarchive GitHub Wiki

Position Title: Accessibility, Design, & Technology Software Developer

Organization: Organization for Transformative Works

Project: Archive of Our Own (AO3)

Committee: Accessibility, Design, & Technology (AD&T)

Reports to: AD&T Committee Chair(s), AD&T Committee Senior Volunteers

Minimum time Requirements:

• One (1) pull request per month for an issue of at least medium difficulty and priority
• Starting three (3) months after training is complete, two (2) pull request reviews per month (if there are unreviewed pull requests available)
• Testing one (1) Jira issue during release QA (except in cases where there are not enough issues in the release)

Term: 1 year

Role Overview: Software development volunteers work on the otwarchive software, which powers the Archive of Our Own (AO3). This involves writing code for features and bug fixes in alignment with priorities established by Chairs and Senior Volunteers, as well as performing QA on new otwarchive releases, reviewing open pull requests, assisting in writing release notes, and maintaining committee documentation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop features, fix bugs, and write automated tests in accordance with priorities set by AD&T Senior Volunteers
• Review pull requests in the otwarchive repository
• Participate in manual QA for new otwarchive releases
• Assist in maintaining AD&T documentation, including release notes
• Participate in committee chat spaces and review meeting minutes to stay informed of AD&T projects and priorities

Skills, Experience, and Attributes:

Required:

• At least 18 years of age
• A minimum of two (2) pull requests – at least one for an issue with medium or higher difficulty – submitted to the otwarchive GitHub repository and deployed to production prior to applying for the software developer position (Please note: this requirement only applies to external candidates)
• Prior experience developing web applications
• Experience with a server-side programming language (e.g. Java, Python, or Ruby)
• Motivation to learn unfamiliar technologies through self-study and mentorship from fellow committee members
• Familiarity with AO3 or other archives that deploy the otwarchive software
• Must not be a current member of more than two other OTW committees

Helpful, but not required:

• Experience with Ruby and Ruby on Rails
• Understanding and familiarity with databases, both relational (MySQL/MariaDB) and non-relational (Redis and Elasticsearch)
• Knowledge of automated testing frameworks (RSpec and Cucumber)
• Experience with Docker for local development
• Experience with frontend development in HTML5, CSS, and jQuery
• Understanding of how to use GitHub and Jira

Candidates are encouraged to apply even if they do not meet all of the requirements above. If you wish to gain more experience with any of the technologies listed, do not yet meet our age requirement, or can’t currently commit to the time expectations described above, you can still participate in AO3 development as an otwarchive contributor.

Training Requirements:

New volunteers will be trained in the tools and procedures for their role, through both tutorial-based self-study and one-on-one guidance in chat. During the training period, volunteers are expected to participate in chat with the rest of the committee at least once a week for informal, ongoing support while they familiarize themselves with the otwarchive code base and AD&T committee processes.

Date of Position Description Review: annually at the end of term