Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 130-plus worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com.
We are seeking candidates for the position of Technical Development Manager in our Silver Spring, MD office.
POSITION SUMMARY
Position plays a key strategic role in the design and delivery of company’s Corporate Education Partnerships. Specifically, the Technical Development Manager will lead project management and ongoing maintenance of new and existing partner program websites, applications, and initiatives designed to support the revenue objectives of Discovery Education’s Corporate Education Partnerships business. This position requires a technical development background. This individual may contribute coding to help meet deadlines, debug, etc.
Our group maintains 20+ program microsites and launches 5-10 new sites per year. Existing sites are Cold Fusion while newer sites are being built on a cloud-based Drupal platform. This position will manage front/back end development and interface with client program managers to define development and delivery expectations. Individual will also play a key role in setting the group’s technology strategy going forward, including mobile/video/etc.
RESPONSIBILITES
1. Technical Development Management:
a. Partners with the Corporate Educational Partnerships Team on the conception, development and maintenance of sponsor-supported sites.
b. Serves as technical liaison between internal and external web developers to define technical specifications for outsourced projects, review vendor proposals, provide access to development environments, and field technical questions.
c. Responsible for the development of an overall program management plan to ensure appropriate resource allocation and availability.
d. Develops and oversees timeline deliverables for individual projects to ensure timely launch of websites (utilizing Jira ticketing system and project mgt platforms).
e. Ensures that appropriate communications and processes exist to facilitate an effective and efficient workflow for development, design, release, and QA.
f. Compiles project status reports, coordinates project schedules, manages project meetings, and identifies and resolves technical problems.
g. Identifies and analyzes systems requirements and refines project scope, requirements, and deliverables.
h. Provides primary project management for new cloud-based Drupal sites, managing version control and code migration through admin console.
i. Provides occasional backup coding when needed (depending on area of expertise)
j. Works with VP Product Development to plan platform strategy, new features, and staffing priorities
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Weekly Release Management
a. Manages the Weekly Release process for updates to existing sites.
b. Manages issues through the existing ticket management system (Jira).
c. Provides appropriate metrics and updates to the Corporate Educational Partnerships Team on the status of tickets moving through the process
d. Manages release of new Drupal sites through Acquia control panel -
Contract Developer Management
a. Responsible for the management of several contract developers in front end development and backend coding -
General Responsibilities
a. Demonstrates exceptional interpersonal, organizational and presentation skills.
b. Understands new technologies and industry trends and be able to speak to how they impact Discovery Education.
c. Proactively shares information with department that you’ve learned in the field to support sales meeting their objectives.
d. Demonstrates a “problem solving- solution oriented” approach.
e. Maintains clear & completes files (ensuring ease of information sharing).
REQUIREMENTS
* Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Software Engineering or related field
* Minimum of 5 years overall development experience (front or back end: HTML/CSS, Javascript, Flash; or PHP, Cold Fusion, MySQL, etc. Drupal experience a plus)
* Minimum of 2 years Project Management experience in a software development / technical environment required.
* Strong negotiation, interpersonal, presentation, organizational and verbal/written communication skills required.
* Attention to detail and the ability to manage a diverse workload.
* Ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
* Candidate must be willing to travel (10%).
* Must have the legal right to work in the United States.
To be considered for this position, please visit: http://careers.discovery.com/ and where indicated, input requisition number: 5707
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Discovery is committed to being an employer of choice. Not just a good place to work, but a great and inclusive place to work. Discovery values the unique point of view each employee brings to the workplace. We strive to recruit and maintain a workforce that meaningfully represents the diverse and culturally rich audiences we wish to attract and serve.
Discovery Communications and its affiliates are Equal Opportunity Employers