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NEADS Hiring Web Developer and Technical Support Analyst - Applications Requested by January 31, 2013

Organization: National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS).
Website: www.neads.ca
Part-Time Contract Position:  duration 1 year with possibility to continue (flexible hours, minimum twenty and up-to thirty hours per month).
Hourly compensation: $40 - $60 per hour, commensurate with experience.
Location: Anywhere in Canada.
Start date: Position will commence in February 2013.

About NEADS:
Since its founding in 1986, the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) has had the mandate to support full access to education and employment for post-secondary students with disabilities.

NEADS is a charitable organization focused on responding to the educational and employment needs of post-secondary students with disabilities through specific projects, resources, research, publications and partnerships. A significant component of how we deliver services and information is through our bilingual websites http://www.neads.ca and http://www.disabilityawards.ca, both of which represent the most thorough disability-related resources in Canada for college and university students and recent graduates with disabilities.

This position requires candidates to work virtually (i.e., with your own computer, internet access and phone access). NEADS operates in a Windows PC-based environment. Our office is located in Ottawa, with board members throughout the country, therefore, a level of flexibility to accommodate occasional evening and weekend conference calls is required.

General description
The Web Developer and Technical Support Analyst is responsible for all aspects of designing, developing, testing  and implementing accessible and usable web-based solutions to support the organization’s initiatives; maintaining existing internal systems; as well as providing direction and support in all technology related issues. The successful candidate will possess both front-end and back-end web development experience, as well as knowledge of database design. This candidate must be comfortable working with individuals of varying technical skill levels.

In addition to maintaining existing systems, the Web Developer and Technical Support Analyst will work closely with staff and the board of directors on providing web solutions for new projects, which will include a membership portal and accessible webinars.

Responsibilities
• Responsible for design, development, and testing of the association’s web sites and applications, assuring that they reflect requirements, follow a common look and feel, and conform to accessibility guidelines (WCAG V2.0 at the AA Level).
• Work with staff and board of directors to clarify and prioritize technical requirements to support the organization broadly, and for specific projects.
• Maintain organization’s intranet and e-mail systems.
• Design, develop, implement, and maintain an online Membership Management System.
• Own and manage disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
• Ensure technical problems are resolved in a timely manner.
• Monitor performance of applications and systems, and resolve any failures.
• Provide training and support to Board of directors and staff on the association’s applications and systems.
• Establish, monitor, and report on web analytics that measure the traffic of the association’s web sites.
• Identify and recommend appropriate information technology that supports both the association’s internal and external operations, including evaluating and recommending new, accessible technologies.

Required skills and knowledge
• A minimum of two years experience implementing web accessibility standards and techniques in web sites and/or web applications
• Skilled in HTML, CSS 2/3, PHP and MySQL
• Demonstrative experience with various accessibility testing tools and techniques that take into account multiple browsers and adaptive technology
• Experience with AJAX and Javascript
• Skills in software graphics manipulation and web programming
• Experience working virtually
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Communicates professionally at all times including when under pressure
• Ability to adapt and pick up new techniques and technology
• Must be thorough and precise in your work
• Ability to work with individuals of varying technical skill levels, including being able to explain highly technical items/issues in plain language
• Ability to work independently or in a team to meet tight deadlines
• Ability to multi-task
• Experience working for a non-profit (asset)
• Experience with responsive web design (asset)
• Experience captioning online content (asset)
• Ability to create accessible documents such as PDFs (asset)
• Experience working with APIs such as Instagram, Twitter, etc. (asset)
• Experience in accessible webinar design (asset)
• Experience with accessible mobile app development (asset)
• Experience with a CMS (asset)

Education and Qualifications
• Certificate/diploma/degree in Computer science, IT, software engineering, web development, programming or other related field, or minimum of five years of web development experience
• Certification in PHP web development, graphics and software programming (asset)
In order to apply for this position, please email your cover letter and Curriculum Vitae to Frank Smith, National Coordinator by January 31, 2013 at frank.smith@neads.ca with the subject line: Web Developer and Technical Support Analyst

In your cover letter, ensure you address the following:
- describe a web project you have completed that included accessibility requirements. In your description, include lessons learned and how you approached accessibility testing.

NEADS supports full access to education and employment for people with disabilities. Candidates with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.