Wisconet Web Developer

Over the past three years the University of Wisconsin-Madison has led the expansion of the Wisconsin Environmental Mesonet, or Wisconet (wisconet.wisc.edu), a network of 80 weather and soil monitoring stations. We are looking to hire an experienced meteorological web developer to continue the development of our award-nominated website, explore phone app development, and ensure our weather and soil data are easily accessible and useful to a diverse group of end users. Wisconet’s website is a one-stop-shop for Wisconsinites to access weather and climate data and weather-based risk reduction tools for agriculture and outdoor activities.

The developer will work with Wisconet staff and other UW scientists to gather requirements and develop implementation plans for improvements to the Wisconet website. They will ensure that the website meets WCAG AA accessibility standards and explore development of a phone app to further the reach of Wisconet’s capabilities to new end users. Further work would include outreach and education of Wisconet’s web presence to producers, allied industry stakeholder groups, and other key end users.

We are looking for a team player excited to learn more and grow their capabilities every day!

Additional Details:

This position is full-time, 100%, and is considered terminal, with a scheduled end date of December 31, 2027. This position may have the possibility to be extended or converted to an ongoing appointment based on need and/or funding.

This position will primarily work onsite and have the ability to work up to two days per week remotely. Remote work requires an approved remote work agreement (RWA). AN RWA requires the successful candidate to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. Per University policy, transportation between home and assigned work location is not payable/reimbursable and will be at the expense of the employee.

• Serves as a subject matter expert, consultant, and main point of contact for internal and external stakeholders regarding website and application options, design, maintenance, and support

• Investigates, resolves, and recommends solutions to website problems and performance issues such as speed of access

• Contributes to website strategy and recommends changes to leadership

• Monitors website use and trends, status of projects, and reviews work for completion/quality

• Evaluates and implements open source and commercial products to meet project needs

• Designs, develops, and deploys web applications and integrate databases based on relevant website coding scripts

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Wisconsin Energy Institute

Starting salary will be based on experience and skills. Well-qualified applicants can anticipate receiving a minimum offer of $75,000. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

• At least 18 months building web applications using React and Tailwind CSS for a mesonet or other environmental measurement network

• At least 18 months experience creating weather and environmental data visualizations

• Experience with RESTful APIs and other data acquisition techniques to retrieve data from providers

• Experience with frontend mapping tools like MapBox

• Experience with frontend data visualization tools such as Recharts, D3, or HighCharts

• Knowledge of user-experience (UX) and user-centered design

• Familiarity with versioning applications such as Git or SVN

• Experience developing websites to meet WCAG AA accessibility standards

• Experience engaging with stakeholders

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail

• Fascination with learning new tools, languages, philosophies, and workflows

Associate’s Degree – Preferred Minimum

Bachelor’s Degree in Atmospheric Science, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Hydrology, Meteorology, Soil Science, or a related field is highly preferred.

Click the “Apply” button to start the application process. You will be prompted to upload the following documents:

• Cover Letter

• Resume

Applicants are required to attach both a cover letter and resume detailing their training and experience relating to the required and preferred qualifications referenced in the position description. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine which qualified applicants will advance in the recruitment process.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. 

The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial criminal and/or caregiver background check.

Heather Heimbecker, HR Manager, [email protected] 

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. 
 
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). 
 
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.