Short Description:
The contractor’s primary responsibilities will be to work in a team environment to assess, design, develop, enhance and maintain the Department’s Application Development Web projects
Complete Description
Microsoft .Net/HTML5/Visual Source Safe/SQL Server consultant will provide implementation support for the Department’s use of the Microsoft .Net framework and XML solutions for creating accessible public and private web sites. The Department adopted Microsoft .Net application development technologies and is using the .Net framework and software solutions to integrate all public and private application web sites into 508 compliant front-end sites.
The Application Developer consultant will be a member of the systems development team that will be responsible to maintain or develop and deliver systems from their inception to production. The consultant will work with agency information technology staff to define systems requirements, assist with development, perform system testing, assist with data conversion, and participate in the preparation of procedural manuals and system documentation. Work will be assigned by the appropriate Unit Chief and performed independently with initiative and reviewed upon completion.
This resource will use a variety of graphical tools that include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Flash, and other related tools to create accessible web site designs that are to support the DPW application development team.
This resource will also be supporting our fast-moving Mobile team. This position will require the selected resource to wear many different hats as we build out the next web or mobile application. It will require the resource to be involved in everything from early brainstorming through to execution and refinement. You'll be working collaboratively with our developers and product managers to come up with ideas.
Required Qualifications:
• Solid understanding of user-centered design principles, excellent visual design skills, great technical know-how, and a proven expertise in interaction design.
• Ability to produce great ideas and can express them in a variety of different ways, be it a whiteboard, Adobe, Paper & Crayons, Wire frames, etc. You'll also be able to interpret the team’s ideas and translate those into presentable documents.
• Creative eye has a keen sense for color, typography, layout and usability.
• Ideas and approaches as diverse as the clients we bring.
• You have the ability to come up with ideas and UI's that marry business problems, customer needs and innovation all in a useful package.
This request is for a contracted resource to augment and mentor existing state staff. Current staff is allocated to other work projects or lack the needed skills, and they are unavailable to handle this assignment.
With recent BIS staff cuts further limiting staffing recourses skilled in Open Systems technologies as well as diminishing training and travel funds, integrating staff augmentation SME with DEA development teams provides a win-win for both our staff and the program offices we serve. Without this integrated resource mentoring and supporting our development teams, the level of program support would significantly diminish and the sourcing strategy would then change requiring work to be completely outsourced.
The objective of this engagement is to assist in the development and implementation of highly complex ASP.NET MVC web solutions for the DPW. These solutions, using Microsoft and other mobile technologies, will meet the Department’s requirements to support public and internal facing applications. In addition, the consultant will assist Systems Engineering in Infrastructure issues, assist in the development and support of application architectures and assist in mentoring and transitioning state application developers to assume the primary support role for the developed solutions.
Contractor Skills and Experience Requirements
The contractor will possess:
• HTML5, CSS3, JQuery Mobile, JSON, XML, or other Mobile specific tools.
• Knowledge of the .NET Framework, MS Visual Studio, ASP.NET web application development, and Structured Query Language (SQL) are a requirement for this position.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• An ability to produce appropriate sketches, wireframes, navigation models, highly-polished look and feel drawings, illustrations, diagrams, etc. in a very iterative environment.
• Have a passion for design, user experience, customer service and mobile.
• Proven experience defining, developing, and documenting UX design and interaction requirements/specifications.
• A strong understanding of modern web practices to create an efficient user-experience.
• Mastery of color, layout and typography.
• An eye for detail and a proven track record producing consistent clean icons, graphics, and layouts for web and applications.
• At least 2 years of experience developing accessible web site applications and web site content following the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and U.S. Section 508 requirements.
Specific work items for the contractor include:
• Work in a team environment for production and implementation support for the Department’s highly complex Web Applications:
o Oracle Universal Content Management (UCM) System
o Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange
o And any others where advanced technical knowledge is needed for support
• Work on mobile team projects.
o Analyze business needs, design, and develop mobile solutions in a team environment.
o Build DPW knowledge base and experience with both HTML5 Mobile friendly sites as well as native appellations to support both Android and IOS platforms.
• Work on the team project to expand the highly complex DPW intranet
o Convert current intranet content over to the new UCM format.
o Meet all W3C and 508 accessibility guidelines as directed by the DPW.
o Work with the network and security teams to create secure areas for some of the intranet sites.
Work on the team that develops and tests all Internet accessed web applications and web content to ensure compliance with OA and DPW standards referencing the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and U.S. Section 508 requirements.
• Participate in teams to evaluate new technologies as part of the Advanced Technology Section within DPW.
Work with Sr. Application Developers to identify and resolve highly complex problems in an assigned area and conducts preliminary analyses of complex and multi-faceted business systems to help determine nature of requirements, systems development strategies. Also mentors lower-level developers to help them develop their skills in this area.
• Identifies and evaluates alternative design options for highly complex business systems supporting multiple applications, evaluating the technical feasibility of each alternative and develops and presents and advises clients and higher level managers on recommendations for systems parameters, plausible outcomes, risk/impact assessments, including proposed schedule and projected level of efforts for development.
• Reviews and recommends applications for migration to production, installs and field tests applications, and provides leadership and technical assistance to project teams and customers.
Specific work items for the contractor July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014 include:
• Knowledge Transfer
• Successful knowledge transfer to state employee(s) which will be documented in employee performance review by immediate supervisor.
• Vendor will work with DPW to implement a KT plan for any work project that clearly documents learning milestones across the life of the project and a report card detailing the level of success.
• Work on mobile team projects that analyze business needs, design, and develop mobile solutions and build DPW knowledge base and experience with both HTML5 mobile friendly sites as well as native applications to support both android and IOS platforms. Mentor state staff in the newest mobile technologies to increase their skill level in this new and rapidly expanding technology.
• Work on the team project to support the highly complex DPW Oracle Universal Content Management (UCM) project. (Based on historical program office requests, asset development requests are made in an ongoing manner based on many factors to include legal, business, and public need. Acceptance is based on resource availability. These requests usually are submitted and solutions implemented within a 30 day period.
• Work on the team project to support the highly complex DPW Web Application project. (Based on historical program office requests, web application development requests are made in an ongoing manner based on many factors to include legal, business, and public need. Acceptance is based on resource availability. These requests usually are submitted and solutions implemented within a 30 day period.
• Work on the team project for Accessibility Support for App Development. (Based on historical program office requests, web application development accessibility support requests are made in an ongoing manner based on many factors to include legal, business, and public need. Acceptance is based on resource availability. These requests usually are submitted and solutions implemented within a 30 day period.
Skills:
Skill
Required / Desired
Amount
of Experience
HTML5, CSS3, JQuery Mobile, JSON, XML, or other Mobile specific tools.
Required
2
Years
Knowledge of the .NET Framework, MS Visual Studio, ASP.NET web application development, and Structured Query Language (SQL).
Required
3
Years
Ability to produce sketches, wireframes, navigation models, highly-polished look & feel drawings, illustrations, diagrams in iterative environments.
Required
2
Years
Proven experience defining, developing, and documenting UX design and interaction requirements/specifications.
Desired
2
Years
A strong understanding of modern web practices to create an efficient user-experience.
Desired
2
Years
Mastery of color, layout and typography.
Desired
2
Years
Proven track record producing consistent clean icons, graphics, and layouts for web and applications.
Desired
2
Years
Exp developing accessible web site applications & web site content following W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and U.S. Section 508 reqs
Desired
1
Years
Excellent oral and written communication skills (Client may request writing samples).
Desired