Job opening: Software engineer, ground-level startup

[catskillz.livejournal.com]

Posting on the behalf of a friend whose startup is looking for a software engineer. Job description and contact information below:

Job Title: Software Engineer
Location: Boston's South End, next to Washington St.

Background/comments on this job: "Looking for a software engineer who can
wear many hats. This is a ground floor start-up opportunity with a
seasons management team and a real product ... we have a beta client
testing out the application right now and if that goes well we are poised
to expand rapidly from that point."

"We're looking for that person who can manage systems as well as do
software development. The person will literally be the first tech
employee of the company and will help shape the direction and the culture
of the company."

Company website: www.designblox.com (placeholder site at the moment)

---

Skills
- Platform - Linux (Redhat Fedora 5, Redhat Enterprise server)
- Languages - Must be fluent in Python, SQL, JavaScript, PHP, CSS and
HTML, must be able to pick new languages up quickly.
- Familiarity/experience with Ruby and Rails is a BIG plus.

Job Responsibilities
- Implement functionalities from specification and insert them into
existing ruby on rails framework
- Work with flash files and modify actionscript for net communication as
needed
- Create logging, reporting and statistical reporting scripts in python
and be versed in system and db level
- Creating, maintaining and enhancing SOAP gateway scripts in PHP
- Write dynamic AJAX JavaScript code for front end of application and UI
development
- QA, debug and optimize application performance when needed
- Create mockups of upcoming functionalities in HTML from spec
- Pushing changes in application out to production environment and make
sure it works the same as on Development
- Help with production environment IT issues and do some system
administration when situation arises

Requirements
- Able to wear many hats (it's a startup after all)
- Self-motivated, creative but able to take direction at the same time
- Must have a clear understanding to DOM, CSS, JavaScript and HTML and
how they all interrelate/interoperate with each other.
- Have to have a good foundation in computer science concepts and can
pick up new languages as needed.
- Work in a team environment

If you are interested in this job, please send email to
jobs@designblox.com

Comments

[catskillz.livejournal.com]

Seasons - good catch! I'll report this to my friend who's circulating the job listing. That needs to be corrected.

Languages - what would you recommend for a more tech-specific term? "Programming languages"? "Programming skills/background"?

[ceo]

You have a product in beta, but you're looking for your first tech employee? Am I missing something here?

[phoenixy.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiosity, which one(s) aren't languages? (I agree that they're not all programming languages.)

[ratherbclimbing.livejournal.com]

There are 3 people who founded the company and we put together a prototype together and found a beta client. Now we're looking for our first employee.

[nowalmart.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough, two of them have "Language" in their acronym (Structured Query Language and HyperText Markup Language)

Python, PHP, and JavaScript are all best described as scripting languages, but languages nevertheless.

And, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets),

In computing, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in a markup language.

That about rounds out the list.

I have worked in all of the languages listed (not as much CSS or JavaScript, but I can futz around with them), and I would say that all are languages. CSS is the only I would be less than 100% on, but...

Besides, if the person writing the description knew everything about them, they would likely not be hiring for a Jack of All Trades software engineer.

I do agree with the next poster, though - you have a product in beta and you are hiring your first and only software engineer? Where did the previous one go?

[nowalmart.livejournal.com]

Throwing them all into a category "languages" is incorrect, especially when there is no actual programming language in the list.

Good thing they did not say they were "programming languages", then.

As I point out in my other post, though, they are all languages.

But SQL is a database

No, SQL is the language standard used to run queries on a database. MS-SQL, mySQL, and PostgreSQL (as a few examples) are the actual database products (which, I suppose if you want to get technical, still are not the actual databases, since you create those yourself using SQL on one of those products...)

and CSS and HTML are document formats

Funny, HTML even has the word "Language" as part of its acronym.

I have worked as a programmer in the past, using all of the languages listed, and I did not see a problem with listing them like that. I have seen them listed different ways on other job descriptions, and I have seen them listed as "languages". You can go either way.

[ratherbclimbing.livejournal.com]

Let me expand on this - we wrote a working version of the application and it's up and running in a production environment hosted by Rackspace. We have met with one of the top 10 advertising agencies in USA and that has been very successful and have lined up meetings with 2 potential clients who have revenue in the high 9 figures. So right now we have one person going out to set up meetings with potential clients and trying to sign them, one person manage clients/doing web design stuff and one person doing system development/administration/etc. We have a large enough feature list that we need at least one developer to work on it to begin with - we can easily have more as the system develops. The president of the company has over 20 years experience in the business and was part of senior management of a major corporation.

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

SQL = Structured Query *Language*