The Chicago News Cooperative is currently looking to hire a Senior Developer and a Web Designer. Both jobs are full-time in our downtown Chicago office. If you are a developer or a designer who cares about making Chicago a better, more-informed city and believes that smart technology can improve journalism and through it, society, then please consider the postings below. You will get to come to work each day knowing that what you did contributed to the public good and was a lot of fun to pull off, too.
Senior Developer
We are looking for a talented, driven and creative coder to lead our development efforts.
You will play a key role in shaping the design and implementation of back-end and middle tier features of a forward-thinking and fast-paced news site, work closely with reporters and editors to generate applications to mine and present data in engaging and original ways, and be encouraged to pitch and pursue your own projects and ideas for the site. You will also maintain the CMS and develop forward-thinking news apps.
Ideal Skills:
*Has implemented and maintained a non-trivial CMS, ideally for the online publishing world
*Extensive development experience in Python and Django
*Solid experience with JavaScript, Ajax and XML
*Experienced with version control systems, ideal code practices, optimizing for scale and performance, the latest in web software architecture, etc.
*Cloud familiarity w/ EC2, Google App Engine, etc.
*Strong database management skills and experience w/ local and remote replication, primarily w/ MySQL
*Well-versed in the Semantic Web and metadata
*Experience with social networking applications
*Experience delivering video & audio, live, on podcasts and in archives
*Experience developing mobile applications
*Has developed RSS and other data syndication feeds/tools
*Has developed schemas for taxonomical tagging & search
*Solid skills in XHTML / CSS development and cross browser compatibility testing
If this sounds right for you, send your resume and a cover letter explaining why — and any other crucial supporting info — to jobs[at]chicagonewscoop.org (please put Senior Developer in the subject line).
Web Designer
We are looking for a creative web designer with diverse talents to play a crucial role on our team.
You will help lead the front-end design of our main site and other experimental content platforms, work closely with reporters and editors to conceive of ways to present information, news and video in engaging and original forms, and be encouraged to pitch and pursue your own projects and ideas for the site.
Regular work will also include developing infographics, flash widgets and charts, cutting and coding graphics, creating custom illustrations and collages and helping to determine the look of a frequently-changing, oft-updated news site. The ability to respond intelligently and creatively on the fly is essential.
Ideal Skills:
*Extensive web and graphic design experience
*Ability to conceptualize and help design interfaces and infographics for stories
*Strong experience and skills in Adobe Creative Suite – Photoshop, Illustrator, etc
*Video production experience, including Final Cut
*Flash development skills, including web data driven interactive Flash
*Solid skills in XHTML / CSS development
*A strong grasp of UX and ability to articulate UX issues as they relate to design
*Experience with data visualization
If you’re a talented web designer with strong graphic and multimedia experience, email your resume and a cover letter explaining why you’re right for the gig to jobs[at]chicagonewscoop.org (please put Multimedia Designer in the subject line).