CTVglobemedia / The Globe and Mail: Systems Integrator

CTVglobemedia is looking for a Systems Integrator for The Globe and Mail (TGAM):

• Analyze business and technical requirements with Partners who want to build or enhance web and data integration solutions;
• Engage Developers, Data Analysts, and QA to build, modify, install, deploy and manage components of data and web solutions using a variety of technologies including HTML, XML, JSP, and possibly Java and Oracle as appropriate;
• Maintain integrity of interface definitions (API’s) between the Globe and Mail and Partners.
• Monitor implementations where Partner sites have integrated Globe content for reliability, integrity, and performance;
• Represent Partners within Globe QA and change control notification processes;
• Provide first or second level support of Partner solutions in conjunction with Customer Support Representatives.
• Identify opportunities whereby the Globe and Mail can leverage common development to the benefit of Integrated Solution Partners and Globe public sites such as reportonbusiness.com.

The Good
The Globe and Mail is a well-respected newspaper, and some of their staff (e.g. Mathew Ingram) are clearly in tune with the kinds of technologies cultures they’re going to need to survive the turmoil of the newspaper industry.  Integration is increasingly a part of many enterprise applications, and that’s true in the media world as well, so this could be a good opportunity to make a real impact at The Globe if they’re serious about integration.

The Bad
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve heard the newspaper industry isn’t in great shape, and television looks like it’s going through some challenges as well.  This may not be the best of times at CTVglobemedia.  And, despite some of their more recent digital features, I’m not sure the Globe is well-known for it’s APIs.  The technologies they describe are pretty basic; that could be good or bad depending on your viewpoint.

What’s Missing?
What kinds of integration is The Globe doing right now?  It sounds like at least some of it will be financial/securities, although it’s not clear if that’ll be most or all of it. How does it expect to continue to expand the integrations it offers and consumes?  Does your role offer a chance to have an impact on that?  Would you be the first of your kind, or part of a larger team?  What approaches and technologies are they using for integration right now?  How is this role likely to expand within The Globe?  What does The Globe pay for a Systems Integrator?

YMMV
Your mileage may certainly vary when it comes to working in media, and particularly the newspaper industry.

The Location
Unclear.  Could be Queen & John, which is a great building, a fun area, and pretty easy to get to; could be front and spadina, not a bad area, easy to reach by vehicle and not totally off-the-grid for transit riders.  Could be something else entirely.

In Summary
If you’ve got a background in integration, this might be an interesting opportunity to focus on it in a challenging industry.

Rypple: Software Engineer / Developer

I haven’t talked about Rypple since they were a stealth startup looking for a ‘star software developer‘ and, later, a ‘star developer and front end ninja‘.  They’re no longer stealth, and they’re looking to hire a Software Engineer / Developer:

If you have a proven track record of building successful software (e.g. people love what you create), then we want to talk to you. If you don’t think its crazy to build both scalable, high-quality applications and release early and often – then you’ll like it here.

At Rypple, you’ll:

• Join our dev team to design and build our online apps and the infrastructure we run our business on.
• Regularly deal with users, customers, and our industry partners. You’ll be expected to come up with new ideas to create value and then implement and improve on those ideas
• Be a generalist with technology but a specialist with building world class applications.
• Be highly adaptable to technical challenges and thrive in an adaptive environment.
• Be disciplined and get stuff done.

The Good
The founders are entrepreneurs with a good track record at Workbrain, and I found them to be impressive in person.  They believe in agile processes.  Their product is in an interesting space and a space they know well.  Initial feedback on their product seems to be positive.  Because it’s a public application, you can take a look at it and see if it’s something you’re interested in being a part of, which is always a big plus.  The technology stack is a good one — GWT, REST, Hibernate.  They claim to be agile.

The Bad
Workbrain had a bit of a reputation as a sweatshop.  I haven’t heard the same vibe from Rypple, but ultimately that’s something you’d want to assess for yourself.

What’s Missing?
What’s the size and composition of the team, and where would you fit into it?  What’s the compensation like, from ‘generous pay’ to vacation and benefits?

YMMV
When last I spoke to the Rypple founders, they were believers in Peter Thiel’s hypothesis that low pay is a predictor of startup success — that members of a startup need to be hungry and committed to the success of the company, and that high pay prevents that from happening.  It’s an interesting hypothesis, but your mileage may vary when it comes to the specifics of how much Rypple is willing to pay you to join the team.  You won’t know if you don’t talk to them.

Your mileage may also vary when it comes to working for a startup.  It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

And finally, I’m increasingly irritated by job descriptions that mention things like ‘nunchaku skills.’  I know it’s intended to be humor, but my mileage does vary.

The Location
Yonge and Eglinton.  It’s not great if you’re coming from far out of town, in particular by GO, but it’s pretty accessible by Subway from most parts of the city.  There are lots of restaurants and shopping, particularly if you include Bayview Village and Mount Pleasant.  It’s neither the perfect location nor a bad one, to my eye.

In Summary
A development position for one of Toronto’s more visible startups.  If doing Java development for a startup sounds interesting, then you should probably talk to Rypple.

I Love Rewards: Java Ninja

I Love Rewards is looking for a “Java Ninja”:

We want great Java Ninja’s [sic] to join our rapidly-expanding development team. You want to work on hard problems and be recognized and rewarded when you go above and beyond (which is often!). You want to work for a small company big on attitude and character, and you’re motivated by making an impact. Most importantly, you want to be in a place that’s full of people like you- A players who are fiercely intelligent, share a passion for their work, and know how to have fun!

• Write code from scratch that builds major features and squashes convoluted bugs for the _I Love Rewards Express_ web platform
• Optimize and refactor our services using Amazon’s EC2, S3, and EBS cloud based architectures
• Work with passionate and talented individuals in a startup atmosphere, producing customer facing functionality in short iterations in an Agile environment

The Good
I Love Rewards is a relatively well-known and fast-growing company in their space, as far as I can tell. They’ve got lots of listed awards for things like ‘top employer’, ‘fastest-growing’, etc. They’re obviously doing something right.

The technology is both decent (Spring, Hibernate) and interesting (Amazon web services). They claim to be agile. The posting seems to be written by someone who understands technology.

Rumor has it that vacation policy may be four weeks.

The Bad
Word on the street is that their pay scale is decent but not spectacular, and most of the team is pretty junior. If you’re interested, you can verify some of those facts for yourself.

What’s Missing?

What are they expecting to pay? What’s their process really like? What’s the size and composition of the team, and how would you fit into the organizational structure? What is the generous vacation policy?

YMMV
Your mileage may vary when it comes to what you’ll be developing. Having worked on loyalty and incentive systems before, I have to say that it’s a slight detractor for me. That said, if everything else is right, it wouldn’t be decision-dominating.

Your mileage may also vary when it comes to being called a ‘Ninja’. To be honest, I’m happy to be a technologist or software generalist, I don’t need to be a ninja, a rockstar, or any of the other “trying too hard” cool titles that some companies throw around.

I Love Rewards projects the image of ‘having fun’. Sometimes, companies that try hard to project that image give of a faint ‘cult’ vibe, which ILR does for me. That said, it probably is a fun place to work.

Some companies that say things like “Nine to Fivers need not apply” are basically just trying to make it clear that they’re looking for people with passion for the work, who aren’t just there to clock in and out and get paid. Others are trying to make sure you’re up for hard slogs, long hours. Your mileage may vary, although you’ll want to probe to understand what they’re looking for.

The Location
This is one of the bigger stumbling blocks. I love rewards is buried deep in Liberty Village. Basically, if you’re not already in the west, or possibly south-central, or driving in from the west and/or north-west, then this might be a deal-breaker. Getting out to Liberty Village from the east end or after taking a GO train is probably not everyone’s cup of tea — it’s not mine.

In Summary
Interesting technology in the west end, with decent vacation and possibly a fun working environment.

Call Genie: VP Product/Software Development

Call Genie is looking for a VP of Product/Software Development:

Call Genie (www.​callgenie.​com) is looking for a client-facing/​business-focused/​hands-on Product Development Executive to inspire and lead a global development team through the object-oriented design and development phases of creating, enhancing and delivering Call Genie’s CG Suite of current and future generation of solutions that utilizes enterprise level Java, web, speech recognition, SMS, mobile, advertising and database technologies.

• Take sole ownership to ensure successful development of all Call Genie’s products/​solutions with our customers as per the expected profit margins.
• Sit on the Steering Committee on all solution delivery engagements.
• Act as a single point of contact for Call Genie’s Development Teams, and other stakeholders such as CILs, the sales organization and clients by establishing a close relationship with both technical and business primes with all parties.
• Champion and actively promote the use of development best practices, methodologies and standards throughout the global development organization.
• Ensure and lead as required, collaboration between the development leaders, Product Managers, Infrastructure Architects, Data Architects, QA Architects and Customer Implementation Leaders to gain understanding of customer requirements and features.
• When appropriate (or if required) be prepared to lead the global development team(s) through product development challenges for vital accounts.​  This would include hands on work, coaching, mentoring and/​or actions to:
  • Assist with the analysis and architectural design of Call Genie’s commercial applications and translate them into proven Java based solutions.
  • Provide strong technical, hands-on leadership and oversight to developers working on development and implementation projects.
  • Lead the planning of development activities and work with the team to create and maintain estimates of efforts required to meet development and implementation objectives.
• Develop and maintain a broad theoretical understanding of current hardware and software technologies.
• Develop a high performance culture with pillars of professionalism, respect, performance, team work, quality and client satisfaction.

The Good
It’s a very senior role, as vice president in charge of product development / software development.  They’re purportedly an agile shop.  The technology stack seems reasonable from what I can tell, and the voice-recognition side lends some interesting technical challenges.

The Bad
CallGenie looks like they’re facing some hard times, financially.  They’re down to a $0.07 stock price from $2.50 around mid 2007, or $0.67 a year ago.  That’s a pretty steep decline, even in the current market.

What’s Missing
What’s happening with CallGenie’s finances and stock price?  How are they reacting to the current market situation?  What does the software and product development team look like (size, composition, breakdown), and how will you fit into it?  What are the immediate and the long-term challenges facing someone in this position?

YMMV
Your mileage may vary when it comes to joining a company that’s having such a tough time when the economy seems like it might still have some bumps in it.  Then again, challenges are opportunities, and this might be an opportunity to make a real difference in Call Genie’s trajectory, and in so doing, your own career trajectory.

Your mileage might also vary when it comes to filling both the product development and software development side of the role.  These can have some pretty orthogonal concerns.  I’d want to know that there is at least one senior person who can take the lead in each of these areas on your team, since I’m not sure that one person can do a great job of championing both at once.

Finally, you may or may not be excited by their product line.

The Location
CallGenie is located northeast of Scarborough town centre. It’s basically out of the question for someone not already in the east end and, most likely, driving.  If you were in Scarborough, Markham, or points east, this location might not be terrible, but many candidates will discard this opportunity on that basis alone.

In Summary
If you’re looking for a role this senior, you’ve got a background in product and development, and you’re willing to work out by Scarborough Town Centre, this might be your opportunity.

Comverse: Director – Development

Comverse is looking for a Director – Development:

Responsible for the development of products and applications including design and implementation guidance for web based products.​ Provides prototypes of key functional implementations and oversees and provides leadership for all technical approaches.​ Provides technical leadership and mentoring to the Front End development team on technical implementations including web server and portal based multi-tier applications.

• Work closely with the Product Architecture and the FE Design team to define technical architecture.
• Responsible for design, development, and testing of applications and products
• Provide decision making for software engineering and development, sensitive to the constraints and needs of the business.
• Monitor technology trends such as emerging standards for new technology opportunities
• Work within software engineering plans/​schedules, providing technical designs and guidance.
• Ensure adherence to technical architecture standards and practices to ensure reproducible development and high quality.
• Engage in hands-on, in-depth analysis, review, design and implementation of applications
• Provide employee coaching and mentoring.

The Good
Sounds like a pretty senior position at a telecom company with a 1B market capitalization.

The Bad
Ultimately, the fact that Comverse is down very significantly in stock price year over year is a bit of a concern.  The markets haven’t been kind to anyone, but Comverse looks harder hit than many.  The financial results restatement may have had something to do with that, based on a quick scan.  You might want to do a more detailed probe into their financial health and ask some probing questions of your potential employer.

They’re looking for someone with good Java and C++ experience; this is a fairly rare combination these days, although certainly there are some of you out there with both.  That said, given that it’s a director-level position, they’re probably looking for someone with enough experience to lead well, rather than someone they expect will be writing C++ and Java code.  And, far as I’ve seen, Java ‘portal’ technology is a bit of a dead end, so I’m surprised it still comes up.

What’s Missing?
Is this position located at University and Dundas, which is the only location I’ve found for Comverse in Toronto?  What’s the technology mix like?  What are the sizes and composition of the teams that you’d be directing, and what products and solutions does Comverse build in Toronto?

YMMV
Although I’d say that most senior tech positions require decent negotiation skills, the fact that this opportunity calls it out so directly implies that you might have a struggle ahead in terms of conflicting priorities.  I’ve worked in environments where the biggest challenges were getting a set of product priorities in place, and it can really distract from the effort of building the product.  Your mileage may vary as to whether or not this is something you want to take on.

The Location
Comverse seems to be located at University and Dundas, which isn’t a bad little neighbourhood.  There are a pile of Chinese restaurants to the west, a fair number of restaurants on both University and Dundas, and it’s not far to Queen.  There’s not a ton of shopping right there, but the Eaton Centre’s not far, and likewise Queen street.  The subway’s right there, although it’s a bit of a walk from Union if you’re taking the Go, and it’s not a great area for parking.

In Summary
If you’re interested in being a director of development and you’ve got a background in telecom, this might be the opportunity for you.

Toronto Rehab: SIMS Technical Specialist

Toronto Rehab is looking for a Technical Specialist for their Shared Information Management Services (SIMS) , and their requirements have really triggered my curiosity:

• Extensive database transaction-processing experience.
• Informix, Ruby on Rails, Oracle, Sybase or MUMPS (?!)
• Unix, Windows or Novell (?!)
• Java / .NET
• Extensive use of computers, software and peripherals, including Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project
• Experience with computer hardware/software vendor processing? (Soylent green is made of vendors, apparently).

And, from the sounds of things, the goal of this position is to migrate an HP-UX/Informix project to “current technologies”, whatever that means given the above list.

Toronto Rehab sounds like a somewhat interesting organization:

Toronto Rehab is Canada’s largest rehabilitation hospital and the University of Toronto’s fully affiliated and specialized teaching hospital dedicated to adult rehabilitation and complex continuing care. We are at the forefront of one of the most important and emerging frontiers in health care today — rehabilitation science.

But I’m not sure that’s enough to get me through the job posting, which has left me pretty thoroughly baffled as to who and what they’re really looking for.

Unspecified: Software Architect, Java

An unspecified startup is looking for a Software Architect (Java):

We are a software start-up based in downtown Toronto looking to build our core team as part of a new venture we are getting ready to launch in the fall of 2009. The company is targeting one of the most exciting online market opportunities available today. We’ve got our plan developed and now it’s time to start building out a world-class technology team. 

If you have a strong background in Web 2.0 in a Java environment, passion for using cutting edge technology and solving interesting customer problems AND improving people’s lives, our little company is the right place for you. We provide a positive and supportive work environment, interesting and challenging work and a ringside seat to witness and contribute to the explosive growth of online media in the 21st century. Our team is passionate about their work and our vision to secure an enviable position of what is today a $100Billion industry. If this sounds like you, then please read on. 

We are looking for an Application Architect with a passion for technology coupled with great communication skills. We are seeking a hard-working, adaptable problem solver, who loves to solve technical challenges and feels comfortable working directly with marketing, product, creative and other teams. This is a fast-paced, open environment where innovation and participation is encouraged through blogging, custom tool development, hack-day events and other out-of-the-box techniques. 

As the “Application Architect” must be highly analytical and have exceptional hands-on technical skills in Java. You must possess the skills needed for successful technical leadership and motivation of high performance team of developers, including: open source committers, framework architects and expert software engineers. 

The Good
It’s an early stage to get involved with a startup, and if they do in fact have a good idea in a lucrative market (big if, of course), then it could be an excellent time to get involved.  The way the posting is written implies people who have at least a reasonable understanding of technology and development and approach, which are all good signs.  They also seem flexible about the work arrangement (contract, full-time, telecommute).  The technology stack seems like a reasonable one.

The Bad
It’s an early stage startup.  That could mean long hours and limited pay, not uncommon for a startup environment where they’re banking on the startup success being valuable to all of the participants.  Then again, they seem open to the idea of contract work, which might imply at least reasonable pay.

What’s Missing?
What’s the startup?  What do they do?  What’s their big idea, and  how are they going to get a toe-hold in a $100B industry?  How did they get as far as a plan without having an architect-type-guy in mind?  What are their expectations in terms of compensation — salary, equity, etc for contract or otherwise?  Who’s already on board the startup?  How are they funding this effort, and how long will that funding last?

YMMV
Not everyone is sold on working for a startup.  It’s a very different vibe from a large or even small-to-medium established company.  There’s usually a lot to do and not very many people to do it, which means wearing a lot of hats, rolling up your sleeves and typically working hard.   

The Location
Well Yonge and College isn’t terribly specific, but it’s not a bad little area.  There’s a food court and grocery store in college park, some decent restaurants on Yonge and over on Church, as well as nestled in the side streets.   It’s pretty accessible by subway.  On the other hand, if you’re driving in or you’re taking the GO train, this might not be your first choice, as it’s a bit of a walk from Union and somewhat painful to reach by city streets.

In Summary
If you’ve got a strong background in Java, architectural experience, and some willingness to either join a startup or do some contract work for one, this could be an interesting opportunity.  You’d need to know more to get really interested, but what’s there seems solid.

Red Hat: JBoss AS Integration Developer

Red Hat is apparently looking for an Integration Developer for the JBoss Application Server:

JBoss Application Server is a certified platform for developing and deploying enterprise Java applications, web applications, and portals. As one of the integration / core developers on the JBoss Application Server Team, you will be responsible for the development, integration, support, and maintenance of the Application Server and the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform.

You will play an active role in the open source community surrounding JBoss Application Server and will also collaborate with the developers of other JBoss projects and open source communities [for integrationpurposes].

The Good
Red Hat is pretty well-known in the open-source world, and their JBoss application server, is also pretty well-known in the Java open-source community.   As a result, it’s a rare opportunity to work in paid-for open-source Java.  It’s probably interesting work as well, although it’s hard to know what you’d be likely to work on within the JBoss AS.

The Bad
The form is pretty ugly, like it’s been configured badly.  ”Contact comments” is a required field, for instance.  I was curious to learn a little more, so I submitted an application, even though I’m probably tied up during the timeframe they’d want to hire.  I got CGI errors while registering, while submitting an application, and while just trying to view the job on occasion.  Their HR Smart application is obviously in distress, although perhaps it’ll be fixed when you try and look at it.

What’s Missing?
What areas of JBoss AS would you likely be working on?  Where’s the meaning of “integration”, as mentioned in the position title?  Where would you be working, at home?  At yonge and eglinton?  Why are they looking in Toronto specifically, are there client-facing obligations?  What are the travel requirements likely to be?  What’s the compensation like?  Why GWT instead of, for instance, JBoss Seam?  

YMMV
Your mileage  may vary on working for a company that can’t get its recruiting site to work.  Some also feel that JBoss, before and after the Red Hat acquisition has … well … let’s just say a particular mindset that not everyone likes.  Then again, I’ve heard some positive things about JBoss from the JBoss Rules guys, so it’s really up to you.

In Summary
Frankly, if you’d like to work in Java and open source, there aren’t a lot of publically posted positions out there, so I’d snap this up.  Sounds like it could be an interesting position, particularly if you’re able to apply for it.  If you’ve got a Java background and you’re interested, perhaps you could dig up a contact at Red Hat who can help you get connected.

Manager, Application Development at Direct Energy

Direct Energy is looking for a Manager, Application Development:

This position is responsible for managing the performance of a team of technical staff in an assigned function(s) of application support and development. The incumbent works to ensure that resources are in place to identify and provide business application systems in support of assigned function(s).

• Sets a framework for the provision and support of solutions covering areas such as resourcing, program and project management, development standards, etc.
• Responsible for overseeing the effective use of strategic processes as they pertain to this group
• Negotiates IT project requirements (i.e. deadlines, budgets, resources, etc.)
• Manages a team of IT professionals responsible for system analysis, application software, and programming
• Establishes performance plans for staff, reviews individual results on a regular basis.
• Identifies individual and organizational developmental needs/career goals and ensures developmental efforts are put in place to support them

The Good
It’s a senior role at a big company, and the energy sector is likely to do well, with ups and downs, for years and years to come, given the fact that there are only so many fossil fuels, and we’ve got a strong desire to use ‘em.  Direct Energy seems to be owned by Centrica PLC, with a $14B market cap.  There’s a reference to Agile, but it’s just a reference.

The Bad
The role is described in a very matter-of-fact “these are the skills we want” sort of way, without any attempt to convince you of the value of working at Direct Energy.  That’s not always a bad thing, but it’s lacking in points of interest.

What’s Missing?
Where’s this located?  What’s the compensation like for a manager at direct energy?  What applications does Direct Energy develop, other than the billing application?  How many teams are there, what size and composition?  What are the details of their technology choices, and what’s the Java / .NET Platform mix like for them?

YMMV
Your mileage may vary when it comes to the Java / .NET mix — some people know the one and not the other, and would like to stay that way.  It may also vary when it comes to working for Direct Energy.  Personally, I’d have a hard time taking a role at Direct Energy, because the sales tactics at the street level in my neighbourhood by lots of individual employees have been, what I would call … misleading at best, if not close to fraudulent, and very, very aggressive.  I don’t know that they’re employed directly by Direct Energy, and I don’t know whether or not that culture goes deeper than the sales organization, but I am personally very wary of them as an organization at this point.  That said, many of you may have no history with Direct Energy or positive experiences, so don’t let my bias ruin your chance at getting a job.

The Location
Their main office seems to be up at Yonge and Sheppard, so I’m guessing that’s where the job will be.

In Summary
There’s not a lot to latch onto, but if you like the idea of managing a development team for Direct Energy at Yonge and Sheppard, you could inquire to learn more.

University Health Network: Java Programmer/Analyst

The Unversity Health Network (UHN) is looking for two Java Programmer/Analysts:

The Systems Engineering team at SIMS makes software to serve the health care community. We work directly for a large partnership of Toronto area hospitals, community and long term care organizations, understanding the needs of front line caregivers and tools to make them more effective.

This is an entry level position, appropriate for new graduates through roughly three years of industry experience. You will get broad exposure to enterprise systems development in the health care environment, and the satisfaction that your work is directly improving peoples’ lives.

Candidates must be able to program in Java, with J2EE and/or web application development experience a plus.

The Good
It’s health-related, which I know interests some people; UHN is a joint effort of several hospitals of pretty high reknown.  They’re in the top employer list for the 6th year in a row.

Health, and particularly e-Health, is expected by many to be a growth field, particularly as the baby boomer population ages.

The technology list also seems relatively sane, and possibly even interesting, although there’s not really much there to latch on to.

They’re also looking for more than one candidate, which helps to increase your odds.

The Bad
They’re not looking for much in the way of experience — they’re willing to take new grads, and the upper end of their experience range is three years.  That’ll knock a lot of you potentially out of contention.  Then again, if you’re new to the field, this might be an interesting position.  Rumor has it that UHN isn’t a terribly well-paid gig, although that’s third-hand, so I imagine that if this is of interest to you, you should talk to them and get a better sense for the pay yourself, if that’s a potential concern.  But then, if you don’t have much experience, then pay might not be the immediate concern.

What’s Missing?
All sorts of things.  What would you be working on?  What’s the compensation like?  Are you going to be on a team, and if so, what’s the size and composition of the team?  How does the technology list break down; is it mostly Java, or is there a fair amount of the mentioned dynamic languages as well?

YMMV
They’re not looking for much experience.  Your mileage may vary by the experience you have — if you’ve got a lot, this might not be the right fit. 

The Location
Looks like it’s basically behind Toronto General, on Elizabeth, by  University and Gerrard (or College, if that’s easier).  It’s not a bad location, pretty central, pretty easy to get to by transit.  It’s not ideal if you’re driving or taking the GO. 

It’s not a total wasteland, but it’s also not a hotbed of great restaurants and food.  Then again, it’s not too far to walk to Baldwin, Chinatown, and the Eaton Centre could be reached without too much of a walk, so it’s not totally out of range either.

In Summary
This is probably most interesting if you’ve got a Java background, not a ton of experience, and you’re interested in doing something related to health.