This position is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and support of software applications developed in-house; leading the development of technical requirements, design & data specifications for applications; reviewing/directing work of developers for projects; and working with survey staff, project managers & members of other IT groups to develop technical logistics for projects.

DEPARTMENT: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

NORC's Information Technology program provides technology services to our staff and clients. Given the critical role technology plays in our day-to-day lives, we are committed to providing professional, high-quality solutions in order to further our collective goal of advancing social science research.​

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide projects and project teams oversight in the design, development, and support of software solutions while making significant contributions in development tasks of increasing complexity
• Develop specifications for software applications.
• Work under minimal supervision, lead and mentor teams of 2 to 5 members
• Perform a leadership role for reviewing the work and coaching less experienced engineers on the team.
• Perform the most complex programming tasks in an application or system and take an active role in recommending improved software development policies and procedures
• Consult with both internal and external clients in proposal development and planning stages for major systems efforts
• Provide expertise to developers as they plan development activities and software releases, to support staff as they identify trends and problem patterns and plan software patches, to Business Analysts while they develop requirements, Quality Analysts as they develop test plans and do QA testing
• Prepare work estimates and manage task assignments, assist in technical planning and assessing cost, risk, scalability and technical feasibility of solutions for major systems efforts
• Act as first checkpoint to ensure quality control standards are being followed
• Take an active role in developing software development policies and procedures under the guidance of the department manager
• Contribute to and maintain process improvements

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Master’s preferred) or equivalent relevant expertise 
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience required (7+ years preferred) in all phases of software development, including requirements, design, implementation, support and the product release cycles. Experience in database management and object-oriented programming
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with SDLC, including requirements, design, implementation, build and release/deployment, and production support
• Full stack development, back-end; Java, Hibernate, Spring MVC, SQL
• Full stack development, front-end; JSP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, jQuery
• Software development methodologies; Scrum/Agile, Waterfall, Kanban/Lean, XP
• Apache Tomcat, Eclipse IDE, Git/Stash version control
• RDBS such as SQLServer, or Oracle
• Open source participation, and/or code management with overlapping and concurrent release schedules of different code branches
• JavaScript library/frameworks such as Bootstrap, Angular, React, Vue.js preferred
• Python, Django, C#, .NET, PostgreSQL DB preferred
• Familiarity with Survey or Market Research preferred

WHAT WE DO:

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

WHO WE ARE:

For over 75 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

EEO STATEMENT:

NORC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values and actively seeks diversity in the workforce. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other legally- protected characteristics.