Telecom Team Lead

This posting has made the rounds in a few different forms, which makes me a little wary, but it’s interesting nonetheless.  A number of people seem to be trying to help some kind of telecommunications firm get a team-lead on board.

The Good
This is supposedly a large telecom company, which could be good — it could be well-paid, for instance.  To be honest, without knowing which large telecom company, it’s hard to read into this.  The technology’s interesting: Ruby, PostGIS, Java, JBoss Rules, Hibernate, Multi-threading, JUnit … sounds like it could be an interesting mix, if you’ve got the right background.

The Bad
Aside from some major gaps in information, what worries me most is that this position has ‘been around’ (monster/brainhunter ).  I just don’t see that very often, and when I do, I’m suspicious.  It might be nothing, but it makes me a little nervous.

YMMV
Your mileage may vary when it comes to working a contract position.  Or it might vary when it comes to full-time employment.  This position seemingly offers both, which is probably the worst of both worlds for some.

In Summary
To be honest, trying to find someone willing to take on a contract but also interested in switching to a full-time employment scenario is probably a tough call, so if that doesn’t bother you, this might be a job worth further investigation.

Morbid Curiosity: Endur / AVS

If you’re even remotely tempted to move to Atlanta to help Endur by developing in AVS (”proprietary C like language”) and helping them migrate to Java at some point in the future, I invite you to consider that working for Endur might not be that different from coming down with the MUMPS.

Unspecified: Manager, Application Development

This posting reminds me of one I’ve seen before and linked to CPNI, although CPNI’s current job listings don’t seem to support that theory.  That said, sometimes these things happen when you get into exclusivity clauses with recruiters, so it may still be valid.

Ultimately, I think there’s too much detail missing to give a full review, but if you’re interested in a senior role in a company that does payment processing with what sounds like a Microsoft/Java technology mix, it may be worth trying to learn a little more.  And when I say a little more, I really mean the basics, like “Who are you?  Where are you located?  What does this job pay?”

ONESTOP Media Group: Java Developer

ONESTOP Media Group is looking for a Java Developer:

Onestop Media Group is looking for a creative, problem solving developer. This position requires an individual with experience taking a significant role in several past projects. You will be expected to design, build, document and test your solutions in a team environment. The company wants your input on software development processes and system design.

The Good
Actually, the primary thing that attracts me to this posting is humor, the visible human nature behind it.  This isn’t the HR-sanitized posting, or the carefully phrased list of role and requirements of a big company, it’s a simple posting with a little humor:

Please apply with a cover letter describing why you would fit into our company. They are read, and it’s a good way to differentiate your application from the dozens of bots who will also apply for this job.

The dual-head workstation and coffee sound good, too.  The location’s a good one, down by Metro Hall, pretty central and pretty lively.

The Bad
They don’t sound like they’re looking for a terrifically senior candidate.  The mix of PHP and Java would not be surprising in a professional services environment, but it’s a little less obvious in what looks like a kind of product company.  But the biggest flaw is the pervasive one: there’s not very much information to go on.  We don’t know much about the work, the process, the compensation, and so forth.  Just because you’ve got a simple posting doesn’t mean you have to leave quite so much stuff out.  So, as usual, if you’re interested, you’ll have to talk to them.

YMMV
Because they haven’t specified, I can only make assumptions about the compensation, but based on the experience they’re looking for and the overall tone of the posting, I’m assuming they want someone with decent skills and ambition, but not a great deal of experience, and are going to pay accordingly.  Maybe a $60k job, for instance?

In Summary
If you like what they’re doing, or you think what they’re looking for sounds like you, this might be worth further investigation.

Fiver Media: Technical Team Lead

So far, no WWDC announcements of new mac-book pros, so I may have to choose between the great high-res screen of the large 17″ MBP and the less-great, but less-expensive screen on the reasonably-sized 15″ MBP.  Once that happens, posting rates should uptick again.

Fiver Media is looking for a Technical Team Lead:

Design, develop, and manage all technical aspects of the project, including:

• Development and review of technical requirements
• High-level design and architecture
• Assignment of work to team
• Coach and mentor other developers
• Conduct performance reviews
• Represent team in management meetings
• Code reviews as well as doing some coding yourself

Fiver Media seems anxious to portray themselves as fun:

There was a small team that tried “dress-up Thursdays” and that only lasted a few weeks!  The last thing we want is a working environment where eight bosses are asking for “TPS” reports, like yesterday. Fiver is professional, but never corporate. In fact we don’t even like saying that word. It’s evil. We laugh and play hard, but always work harder

The Good
Companies that work hard to be fun are often, in fact, fun places to work.  I’ve worked at a few, and I enjoyed many aspects of that environment.

There’s not a lot of information on the technology, but this employee testimonial from their website implies they might be doing some interesting things:

“I find myself working with things I had only read about and never expected to use, like massively virtual environments and extreme density blades.”

Then again, the only hit on ‘extreme density blades’ is their website, so perhaps that testimonial doesn’t go as far as I’d like, even if blade density is something that vendors talk about.

They’re located over by Wellington/Simcoe, which is both pretty central and yet still in a nice area for shopping, food, etc.  They’re on the 16th floor, so they may have nice views.

The Bad
The thing that stands out right away is that their website is directed to the potential employee.  They don’t talk about their clients, and they don’t talk about the work.  That’s often indicative of an industry that not everyone wants to work in (e.g. gambling, porn).  I don’t know what Fiver Media does, but I’m suspicious of anyone who isn’t busy trying to tell me what they do.  Looks like it’s a gaming shop, affiliated with bodog with all that entails.

There’s not much information.  The role is reasonably well described, the work, the compensation are barely mentioned, and the process, while it does rate a mention, doesn’t get much more than that.

YMMV
Your mileage will definitely vary when it comes to working for a gaming company.  I know people who are dead-set against it, and others who don’t really know what they think.  I’ve heard my share of war stories from a colleague who used to work for a company that did online poker.

Some companies work hard to be fun because they’ve elected to use that, rather than cash, as a motivating factor.  As a result, some of those companies don’t pay very well compared to their corporate brethren.  Other companies work so hard to be fun that they’re willing to continue to employ people who aren’t getting the job done, which can be frustrating.  I don’t know that Fiver Media is or isn’t like that, but those are some areas where your mileage may vary.

Ultimately, as a gaming shop, my first instinct is that they pay reasonably well and are a reasonably fun place to work in an industry that’s a little sketchy and not to everyone’s taste.

In Summary
If working for a company involved in online gambling doesn’t bother you, Fiver Media might be your thing.  They’ve got a nice location, and they imply that they’re a fun place to work.  There’s not a lot of detail, but if that much sounds good, you could certainly inquire about the rest.

“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.

“International Investment Firm”: Development Manager / Architect

Pencom is helping a ‘Major International Investment Firm’ look for someone that they can call a ‘senior software development manager / architect‘:

• Build, maintain, retain and grow a strong development team
• Set technical architecture direction and vision for the development team
• Partner with IT Mgmt and Business to deliver eCommerce projects on-scope, on-time and on-budget and contributes to evolve an effective strategy
• Lead development of technology solutions to automate and support critical business processes and strategic plans

The title’s quite a mouthful, but the posting is reasonable, although I’ve seen this one before in other forms. In addition to the technical skills, they’re clearly looking for someone with a background in fixed-income securities (aka bonds) and messaging:

• Experience with electronic trading aspects of the Global Fixed Income business, such as current and emerging new markets, connectivity, auto-quoting, distribution, etc.
• Experience with full trade lifecycle events, and it’s technical and operational support

The Good
The salary is listed as ‘open’, which might be good. Investment banking is supposed to be an industry where there’s money to be made, although I’m not sure if that’s true for the development manager / architect types.

Certainly, there’s something appealing about the firm logic of financial markets and software development. They seem well-suited for each other, and because investment banks are a rarer bird than retail banking, the work might be more exciting.

The Bad
They don’t seem especially familiar with the adage, “on time, on budget, on quality: pick two.” That may simply be using industry boiler-plate for “looking for someone who won’t screw up our plans”, or they may be have-their-cake-and-eat-it types who refuse to acknowledge that software development is difficult to predict.

Those I’ve met who do work for retail banking are either very bored or very well paid, sometimes both. If investment banking isn’t more exciting, then you could be in for a dull ride.

Ultimately, the biggest problem here is the usual: lack of information. Who’s the investment firm, and are they on the verge of topping over in the sub-prime mess? What exactly is the work? Where is (or will be) the office? What are the details fo the technology? What’s the compensation, other than ‘open’? Are you building a team and a product from scratch, or working with an existing team and product? And so on.

YMMV
Your mileage may vary with respect to the aforementioned ‘open’ salary. Does that mean it’s well-paid, or simply that they’re not sure how much they’re willing to pay you until they meet you?

In Summary
If you’re looking to make a move and a development manager / architect role in investment banking sounds like fun to you, this might be an interesting opportunity, but the only way to find out is to respond.

N/S: Java Team Lead

Some unspecified “boutique consulting firm with blue-chip clients” is looking for a Java Team Lead:

• Work with stakeholders to define, design, and implement software technology
• Participate in the software development process from design to release
• Investigate, review and integrate third party technologies
• Provide assistance to other developers on and off-site
• Provide assistance to customer support, documentation and quality assurance as needed

The Good
It’s a pretty simple description of a job, not overflowing with unnecessary technical skills, stuffed with process terminology.  And there are some key phrases in here that I’d consider green flags.  In particular, the desire to do what’s best for the customer (not a part of every consulting organization), simple technology lists that don’t overemphasize vendor solutions.  No reference to overblown processes.

I guess the posting reads like it was written by someone who wants to hire someone to get some work done and get it done well, rather than someone who wants a buzzword-heavy, white-paper friendly person who can talk about total cost of ownership ’til the cows come home, but has trouble writing and deploying code.

The Bad
The description doesn’t say much about the company, the process, the technology, the compensation, the location or the work.  Mostly, it talks a little about the role.  What’s there sounds pretty decent, but what isn’t there is quite a bit, so you’d have to fill in the blanks by talking to them.

The security and financial checks sound onerous to me.  While I imagine most of you would be able to pass these checks, some of you might not want to work for an employer where these kinds of restrictions are necessary.

YMMV
Travel - up to 25%.  The posting isn’t clear if that’s a theoretical maximum, where most weeks won’t involve any travel, or if that’s a regular expectation of travel.  Regardless, some people would find 25% travel (one week in four, or 2.5 days every two weeks, for instance) to be pretty taxing.

In Summary
I’m not sure how to conclude.  What’s there sounds pretty decent, but there’s so much missing that it’s hard to form much of an opinion.  I guess if this sounds interesting to you, you’ll want to talk to them, and beyond that, I can’t add much.

Sr. Developer (’Multinational Investment Bank’)

A “multinational investment bank” is looking for a Senior Developer:

This position requires the ability to come up with independent ideas and work effectively within a global team to rapidly implement solutions and deliver production quality applications that are highly supportable and maintainable.The goal is to implement a scalable solution, which is responsible for connectivity to external ECNs, low-latency electronic trading and global inventory distribution. The candidate should be able to easily translate business strategy into scalable technical solutions, which could be leveraged globally.

The tech (Swing/RCP, Message Queues, JUnit, Ant) sounds reasonable.  But who is this, where are they located, what are they paying?