Front-End Developer
Four Kitchens is searching for a full-time, highly motivated front-end developer with a passion for open-source technologies and making cool, innovative stuff for the web.
- Open: December 12, 2011.
- Close: January 2, 2012.
Responsibilities
- Work with designers, themers, and developers to provide technical expertise on browsers of all types.
- Work with designers to produce mobile-first, responsive websites. We are doing a lot of work with mobile web development.
- Experiment with JavaScript libraries and other techniques to solve cross-browser compatibility issues. Issues related to CSS/HTML would probably be handled by a designer or themer.
- Bring user-friendly interface designs to life. This includes interfaces for touch devices, low-end phones, and desktop browsers.
- Stay on top of the rapid, ever-changing browser landscape.
- Audit and optimize websites to minimize load times, reduce page weight, and perform other technical tasks to improve user experience.
About Four Kitchens
(tl;dr: We make BIG websites, we contribute tons of code to open-source communities, and we're doing lots of forward-thinking stuff in the mobile space.)
We are not your typical web shop.
First, we only work with open-source software. Why? Because open source is the future, and setting knowledge free makes the world a better place. Software should be free to use, modify, and distribute so that people all over the world, regardless of economic status, can have access to technology and a better future.
Second, we're a lot of fun. And we have style. We not only do cool stuff on the web -- we do cool stuff in real life, too. Four Kitchens is home to the Web Chefs, some of the most talented and interesting people you'll ever work with. Our hobbies include cycling, rock climbing, music, sketch comedy, yoga, writing, and home brewing. We also actively participate in various charities, community meet-ups, and volunteer activities.
Third, we deeply value our coworkers. We believe in the power of individuals coming together to do something bigger than they could ever do alone. Four Kitchens is not just a company -- it's a closely knit team. And although we work hard, we strive to maintain a good work-life balance. This is why we have an unlimited paid leave policy, encourage time off, and look for fun, creative, projects outside of client work to learn new things and expand our abilities.
We do everything in-house: design, usability, development, information and systems architecture, performance tuning, and project management. Though we're all in Austin, Texas, our clients are located across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. While our largest clients are companies, we also serve a number of charities and non-profits. Our projects are mostly large-scale, and they require extensive client collaboration and occasional on-site work.
Though we handle (very) big projects, we're small enough that our team members go by names, not numbers. Everyone at Four Kitchens -- including the owners -- is primarily a contributor, not a manager. Our Web Chefs bring much more than their professional skills to the kitchen, and we encourage everyone to help guide the direction of our company. Everyone has a strong say in what we do and how we do it.
We hope you'll join us.
- Website: http://fourkitchens.com
- Our work: http://fourkitchens.com/projects
- Our team: http://fourkitchens.com/about
Benefits
- Unlimited paid leave.
- 2,000 annual professional development and education budget. This can be spent on conferences, seminars, classes -- anything that advances your professional goals.
- Flexible scheduling and occasional telecommuting.
- An excellent working environment filled with smart, funny people who love what they do.
- 50% paid medical insurance.
Qualifications: Required
- Experience writing HTML/CSS by hand.
- Experience with at least one JavaScript framework (such as jQuery).
- Experience with or interest in mobile web development.
- A professional, yet personable, demeanor. You must be able to represent yourself and Four Kitchens to our clients, other members of your team, and to open-source communities at large.
- Enthusiasm for open-source philosophy and community involvement.
- Intellectual curiosity and passion for making really cool stuff for the web.
Qualifications: Preferred
- Experience with plain JavaScript (i.e., without a framework).
- Experience building websites for multiple devices and interactions (such as desktops, touch devices like smartphones and tablets, and simpler devices like feature phones).
- Experience auditing or optimizing for web page performance within a web browser.
- Previous work on open-source projects and adhering to coding standards.
- Bachelor's degree or higher. (Why preferred rather than required? Because we don't believe that college teaches people how to be good at what they do. Experience and passion are more important, and being a constant self-educator is essential.)
Qualifications: Super-duper bonus points
- Experience with a distributed version control system. We use Git and Bazaar.
- Desire to solve browser issues that don't have drop-in solutions.
- Experience with or interest in client-side templating languages like Mustache.
- Experience with or interest in advanced JavaScript development tools like node.js or backbone.js.
- Experience developing for Drupal.
- Experience working with large, high-performance websites.
Contact us
Please email the following materials to work@fourkitchens.com:
- Cover letter. We'd like some insight into your personality, hobbies, and interests beyond work.
- Resume/CV.
- Code samples. If you cannot show us actual code, please be prepared to describe your coding philosophy and standards in detail.
- If you have a background in design, please send us or link to some design portfolio examples.
Though we would prefer to hire Austin residents and those willing to relocate, we are willing to consider remote employment for those with sufficient Drupal or open-source experience.
Because we're very busy, please do NOT call or visit us in person. Email is the best (and only) way to contact us.