Are you floored by the recent Supreme Court decision unleashing corporate contributions to political campaigns?
Have you always suspected that voting in Congress is influenced by the contributions of interest groups, but never had the data to prove it?
Does a chance to work magic with that data to develop sophisticated tools to support high-profile research fill you with glee?
MAPLight.org, a cutting-edge non-partisan research organization located in Berkeley California, is looking for the right stuff in a PHP/MySQL developer. We need someone who speaks in SQL and dreams in PHP. Someone who can look at gigabytes of data and quickly develop innovative strategies for getting the most out of our research and analysis tools.
Responsibilities:
* Work in a small, dynamic team to develop new web-based tools to support a talented research team and an audience of millions.
* Help to develop and optimize database schema and queries.
* Develop and improve processes to glean data from a wide range of data sources that is the backbone of our research.
* Enhance our Web 2.0 applications with top-notch PHP coding and client-side scripting.
Qualifications:
* 5+ years web development, with a strong focus on LAMP and open source tools.
* 5+ years database experience in MySQL or Postgres.
* Very strong SQL skills.
* Expertise with PHP, DHTML/CSS/Javascript, XML.
* Knowledge of Drupal development a plus.
A knowledge of the American political system (or a desire to learn) is preferred, as is a passion for openness and transparency.
This is a full-time position with salary and benefits commensurate with experience. MAPLight.org is located in downtown Berkeley, California (close to BART). Telecommuting is an option for exceptional candidates.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to eric [at] maplight [dot] org. Please include code samples and URLs to your online work.
About MAPLight.org MAPLight.org, a groundbreaking public database, illuminates the connection between campaign donations and legislative votes in unprecedented ways. Elected officials collect large sums of money to run their campaigns, and they often pay back campaign contributors with special access and favorable laws. This common practice is contrary to the public interest, yet legal. MAPLight.org makes money/vote connections transparent, to help citizens hold their legislators accountable.
MAPLight.orgs small, effective team has won numerous awards, including a 2008 Webby award nomination for best Politics website. Learn more at http://www.maplight.org.