CONSULTANT: DRUPAL DEVELOPERS AND ARCHITECTS

CONSULTANT: DRUPAL DEVELOPERS AND ARCHITECTS
Location :	New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Application Deadline :	11-Feb-11
Type of Contract :	SSA
Post Level :	International Consultant
Languages Required :	English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)	14-Feb-2011
Duration of Initial Contract :	12 month Long Term Agreement (see Additional Information below)
Expected Duration of Assignment :	12 months, renewable based on performance
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Background
The Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) provides the foundation for UNDP’s global substantive practices. BDP provides the tools, analysis and capacities that country offices need to make a real difference in UNDP’s practice areas. Accordingly, BDP is the corporate sponsor of Knowledge Management for UNDP and is responsible for ensuring that knowledge created at any level of the organisation will be made available to all staff to enhance organisational effectiveness. It does this through the Knowledge Management Group which provides a corporate service delivering a core set of knowledge sharing solutions to the entire organization. All activities of the KMG will support the goals and outcomes established in UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2008-2011. A core element of UNDP’s Knowledge Management work is “Teamworks”, a secure, web-based, globally-integrated knowledge sharing and social networking platform that will enable UNDP and external partners to leverage the collective knowledge of communities, individuals, programmes and projects in the most useful, cost-effective manner. Teamworks is built on the popular open source social networking engine Drupal. Drupal platform has been customised through standard platform configuration, adoption of existing modules, and modifications to existing modules and to the core Drupal code to cater to UNDP’s requirements. The Knowledge Management Group in UNDP is seeking expert Drupal developers and architects to undertake various functions including: 1. auditing the current code base (with a view to enhancing performance and efficient integrations; 2. further customising the platform based on the feedback from users; 3. integrating Teamworks with other non-Drupal platforms; and 4. addressing a backlog of bugs and minor enhancements coming from our user-driven change request system. Additional Information for applicants The Knowledge Management Group is seeking to fill 2-3 positions through this notice. Technical tests and/or interviews will be required of applicants meeting the initial criteria listed above. Applicants are requested to include their professional daily rates quoted in United States Dollars, for these services. Financial proposals should cover all necessary costs, since no additional per diem or other extra costs will be covered beyond those foreseen in the initial proposal. Physical presence is not required on site throughout the consultancy, although ability to attend in person at UNDP Headquarters in New York for initial briefings would be beneficial. Successful candidates will be issued Long Term Agreements (LTAs) for up to 12 months, with possibility of extension based on satisfactory performance. LTAs do not imply any financial commitment on the part of UNDP, and during the course of the LTA period as deliverables become necessary, LTA holders will be issued with Individual Contracts (or if contracted through an institution or company, they shall be issued with Reimbursable Loan Agreements) to deliver the agreed services at the rates established through the LTA. Payments for deliverables will be made on a monthly basis according to actual days worked.
Duties and Responsibilities
Advising and assisting UNDP internal team members on best practices in software development, web application design, PHP, and Drupal architecture and development Analyzing the impact of the modifications made to Drupal core of the application Developing new features and changing current functionality of the platform based on user feedback Fixing bugs reported by users in the current platform Engaging with end users to understand desired features and recommending best approach using the Drupal platform Developing new Drupal modules according to agreed specifications Customizing platform functionality through Drupal administration Advising UNDP team members on optimising the overall performance of the implementation Mentoring PHP developers on Drupal development Reviewing the current code base and advising of any areas of concern Troubleshooting end user issues escalated from the helpdesk Modifying and creating new Drupal Themes, including a mobile specific interface Supporting migrations of content from other platforms to Drupal Installing new Drupal instances and deploying the Teamworks application configuration and code base Maintaining and enhancing a Drupal/Sphinx integration Tuning new and existing code for high performance in low bandwidth locations Advising and guiding users during all the steps of development process in order to achieve a product that will have a positive and significant impact Performing testing of new features in non-production environments Create automated unit tests for delivered code Performing manual changes to the Drupal database to effect systematic changes that can not yet be managed through the Teamworks/Drupal administration interface
Competencies
Core Competencies: Builds and maintains effective strong relationships – establishes lasting relationships and substantive dialogue with users Manages projects effectively – consistently ensures timeliness and quality of work carried out Communicates clearly and effectively- creates an environment for open communication and exchange of ideas Actively listens to users and team members Functional Competencies: Designs and develops Drupal applications according to users’ expectations Broad understanding of web technologies in order to support end to end troubleshooting and resolution of system issues Experience with the development of social networking features Self sufficiency and ability to develop to specification as well as interactively in collaboration with business users
Required Skills and Experience
Bachelor's degree in information technology, computer science, or a related field Zend certification in PHP is preferable At least 10 years of Web Development experience At least 5 years of development experience in php and focused on social networking features Demonstrate a solid portfolio of Drupal work; preference will be given to candidates who are active contributors to the Drupal community Expertise in all aspects of creating a Drupal application, including installation, administration, module configuration, forms creation, theming, and extending through custom development (forms, modules, and core, with special attention to Views, Panels, Organic Groups, and Notifications). Strong understanding of object orientated methodologies in PHP 5 and database optimization / normalization techniques In depth knowledge in LAMP Experience in developing with AJAX, RSS, JSON and RESTful APIs Strong understanding of Web 2.0 concepts, including social networking applications