EnStream: Software Solutions Architect

EnStream is looking for a Software Solutions Architect:

We are seeking a Software Solutions Architect to lead the design and development of a cutting-edge mobile commerce platform. He/she will lead the full lifecycle of software development from conception, analysis, design, implementation, testing and deployment.

The candidate must have a strong background in Java at an architectual and solution design level, both on the server side (J2EE) and mobile device side (J2ME). The candidate should also have a strong portfolio of services that they’ve launched in their past careers, with experience working with a large wireless carrier.

EnStream is themselves a little interesting:

EnStream is a joint venture company owned by Bell Canada, Rogers, and Telus - Canada’s three largest mobile communications companies. EnStream is developing a breakthrough mobile commerce platform. EnStream is seeking driven individuals who can help make mobile commerce a reality in Canada.

The Good
Mostly, this just sounds like an interesting opportunity.  Three big carriers, working together on mobile payments, and they want somone to lead the effort, front-end to back-end.  Sounds interesting

The Bad
The usual: gaps in the available information.  We know a little about the carriers, but not EnStream.  What’s the mobile payment platform in support of?  What’s the compensation, the process, the location (55 University?).

YMMV
Your mileage may vary when it comes to the idea of the carriers co-operating.  This is the sort of venture that either becomes a company that is ensured success by virtue of being supported by all the big members in a small market, or becomes a company that dies a terrible painful death of a thousand cuts by trying to be everything for a group of companies who fundamentally don’t want to work together.  It’s hard to tell at this point, but it’s an interesting proposition.

In Summary
If you’d like to do both server and client-side Java in the mobile space in Toronto, this seems like a unique opportunity to be part of a joint venture from all three major players in the Ontario mobile space, and probably the three biggest telecom companies in Canada, not counting people like Nortel (I don’t have the data to back up that assertion, but, well, we can all agree they’re big).

RD Group: Scam?

I hope none of you have had contact with the RD Group, nor is that in your future, but if you do end up hearing from them, beware.  They seem to be operating in Toronto and targeting new Canadians, as far as can see.  Basically, what people are reporting is that they contact you as if they’re an employer or recruiter, interview you, then imply they can get you a much better (highly paid) job, if only you pay their fees ($5k).

Now this is all hearsay for me, I can’t verify any of it.  But I will say that anyone who wants you to pay them to find you a  job is probably just looking to take your money.

Manulife: Director, Technical Leads and Architects

My access situation has gone from bad to worse.  An A/C adapter I ordered from Laptopcharge.ca arrived promptly, only to highlight that a case fan had died, leaving the system prone to regular overheating and abrupt shutdown.  Lovely.

Still, life goes on.  Speaking of life, Manulife is looking for a Director, Technical Leads and Architects:

The successful incumbent can expect to be involved with investigation of technology, working with technical teams to assess best practice needs and combining this information to deliver sound solutions that adhere to sound Architectural methodologies, and SOA standards and adhere to the compliance standards at Manulife.

The Good
Seems like a pretty senior role.  A ‘director’ position with this kind of responsibility in a big company like this could put you on a career path to VP and CTO positions in the long run, if that’s your bag.  It might also be an opportunity to make a bit of a difference in a company this size, although practically speaking, I think you should probably accept that ‘making a difference’ in a big company is the job of a patient employee.

What’s there seems reasonable, for the most part.  There’s a reference to “continual integration”, to Subversion and to refactoring, which might imply a reasonable toolset.

The position seems to be one of responsibility, where someone with experience could continue to grow and learn while sharing the knowledge they’ve already won.

The Bad
The role is well-defined, but the work is not.  What kinds of work does Manulife develop in-house, and what part of that are you likely to be directly involved with?  How much might one expect to get paid?  Where in Toronto is this position?  Is the process painful and convoluted, or does the reference to continual integration imply a bit of agility?  Is the WebSphere and SQL Server references a sign that they buy into vendor marketing a little too easily, or just a sign that they’re willing to pay for their software solutions?

YMMV
They’re not a nimble startup ($200B assets under management!)  If you want to get things done, you may have to fire the paperwork in triplicate and wait for the quarterly board meeting where such things are decided.  But, then, some people are definitely more comfortable in the big-company environment, so that may be you.

In Summary
You’re going to have to accept that you’re a cog in the machine, although it may be a well-placed cog.  I’d like to imagine that they have their head screwed on straight with respect to compensation and benefits, but I have no first-hand knowledge of that, and they’ve obviously elected not to say.  That said, it’s a pretty senior role and there aren’t too many red flags in the posting, so it seems like a good opportunity for someone interested in a big-company ‘director’ position.

Rewind: Logitech: Senior Manager, Software Program Management

Apparently Logitech hasn’t found the Senior Manager, Software Program Management they were looking for.  The position has re-appeared on dice.com, and in addition to the previous information, has compensation listed at $120k, which seems reasonable for the role.  Unfortunately, my best guess still puts this in Mississauga and doing .NET.

Switching Jobs at a Loss?

An article on eWeek implies that some software developers are having to take lower salaries than they used to, particularly those fresh out of school.  The Toronto job market still seems pretty hot to me, but with sub-prime and the cascading effect on the economy, it wouldn’t surprise me if this has an impact, either now or in the months to come.

That might imply that this is either a good time to hold on to your hat and wait out the rain, or to make a switch to something ’stable’ now before things get worse.  Of course, if it were that easy to pick stable companies, everybody would be doing it.

Workplace Experiments: 37Signals and Atlassian

It’s interesting to see both 37signals and Atlassian taking up workplace experiments.  It’s nice to see companies that are willing to go that extra mile to find out what works well for them and their employees.

I’m not aware of any Toronto software companies taking similar steps.

“Web 2.0 Shop”: Java/Ruby Developer

A company who describes themselves as a “Web 2.0 Shop” is looking for a Java / Ruby developer:

You will be developing web 2.0 type applications for the web and mobile handsets using Java/J2EE/J2ME and Ruby on Rails primarily in an Agile (paired-programming, test-driven development) environment. You will also be using other new technologies such as AJAX in order to deliver the richest user experience possible.

The posting describes the company as follows:

a small, growing Web 2.0 development shop that also has a venture fund component to their business. They are investing in, and helping clients/partners rapidly bring products to market

The Good
What’s actually there sounds reasonable. A startup environment, Java/Ruby technology. Venture-funding might imply there’s backing finance.

The Bad
There’s not a lot of information here. Agile rates a mention, but it doesn’t go much deeper than that. The posting seems to have been written by someone who’s aware of a variety of technologies, but it’s not clear how GWT and Ruby on Rails would be assembled into a single application in a useful way (it can be done, but I’m not entirely sure it’s a good idea). There’s literally no clear reference to the company, the compensation or the work.

YMMV
Not everyone wants a startup, and not everyone’s fond of J2ME. Those are areas you’ll want to ponder. There’s also a mention of 25% travel, which could be quite a bit (e.g. a week a month, or a day or two per week).

In Summary
If you’ve got Java and Ruby expertise and want to exercise it for a “Web 2.0″ startup, I guess you might want more information. If that sounds like you, contact the original poster. For the rest of you, there’s just not enough there to give this a strong recommendation.

Telus: Software Specialist

Telus is looking for a Software Specialist with both Ruby and Java experience:

a Web Application Developer to design, develop, implement, test and document a enhancements and bug fixes for the Assurent Vulnerability Research Portal (VR Portal). The VR Portal is a key component of the VR service delivery infrastructure and is accessed by our global customer base which includes leading security product vendors, software and high-tech manufacturers, telecommunications providers, and large enterprise customers.

The Good
There aren’t a lot of big companies that are posting opportunities to work on both Java and Rails, and here’s an opportunity where experience in both is a positive.

The Bad
Despite the fact that Telus is looking for someone with some leadership experience, they use the roles “web developer” and “specialist” and are only looking for five years experience, all of which tend to be cues that they don’t intend to pay a lot of money. If you’ve got a fair amount of experience, you might find this doesn’t have the compensation you’re used to, so talk to Telus about the compensation before you waste too much time.

There isn’t much information on the role and there’s basically nothing on the compensation, location, process.

YMMV
Some of you would probably love to work for a big company like Telus, others amongst you were probably ready to move on to the next listing as soon as you saw the name. I don’t know anyone who works for Telus, but not everyone wants to work for a big company.

They mention Altova. Every time I have to use an Altova tool, I break out in hives, although some of my past colleagues seemed enamoured by XML Spy in ways that I don’t entirely understand.

In Summary
If you’d like a job with a big company, but still be able to do development in both Java and Ruby, Telus may be the company for you. Talk to them about Salary before you get too deep.

Apptastics: Ruby on Rails Developer

Apptastics is looking for a Ruby on Rails developer in Philadelphia, PA, San Francisco, CA, or remote:

We’re currently operating in stealth mode. We are looking for 1-3 full-time developers who are well versed in ROR who want to immerse themselves completely into our apps and help lead the development.

Ideally you should have strong experience developing with Rails, have successfully deployed a publicly accessible rails based website, have expertise in relational database design and optimization, experience with deploying and scaling production Rails applications, a detailed approach in design, coding and testing, familiarity with a broad range of web technologies including ajax, javascript, CSS, XML, open APIs.

Experience with social networking app implementations is a bonus.

Their idea of remote might be still be in the United States of America. Canada might be more remote than they have in mind. That said, if this sounds like your opportunity, there’s no harm in asking, right?

CBC’s Senior Applications Manager Details

CBC is still looking for their Senior Applications Manager, and this nexstaf posting provides some details that weren’t visible elsewhere, notably the 90k maximum salary and a little bit about the technology environment:

This is a multi technology platform environment including: UNIX/Oracle, Windows, .Net, JAVA, etc.