Sr. Application Developer

Shedd Aquarium•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Application Developer collaborates with developers, designers, the Digital Product Manager, and the Director of Application Development to develop and maintain Shedd Aquarium’s website and other applications across its product portfolio. This experienced full-stack developer designs and develops back-end databases and implements new front-end features and enhancements. As an active member of the Scrum team, the Senior Application Developer contributes to planning, reviews work in progress, and helps shape future sprints. The role also leads projects by providing technical recommendations, requirements, and solution designs. The position emphasizes continuous learning, active listening, clear communication, and effective collaboration across the organization. The developer works primarily with Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, React, and other software libraries, and may support .NET/C# applications and other web applications as needed. The role contributes throughout the software lifecycle, from design and development through deployment, monitoring, support, and documentation. It also supports application modernization, quality assurance, continuous delivery, and the evaluation and use of approved AI tools and emerging technologies. This is a full-time, exempt position based in Chicago, Illinois, with a hybrid work arrangement. The salary range is $100,000–$120,000.

Requirements

Any combination of education and training equivalent to a bachelor’s degree that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties and responsibilities; advanced coursework in a computer technology field is desirable.
At least 5 years of experience developing full-stack web applications using Ruby on Rails, React, Node.js, and relational database systems.
Experience with modern JavaScript or TypeScript frameworks and component-based front-end development.
Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs, web services, asynchronous integrations, or event-driven services.
At least 2 years of experience designing high-level system architectures and developing technical specifications.
Experience maintaining web applications over time, upgrading components in the Ruby/Rails/React/Node stack, and addressing breaking changes.
Experience building mobile-first responsive websites.
Working knowledge of quality assurance methodologies and tools, including load/performance, security, and end-to-end/regression testing.
Working knowledge of technology infrastructure, hosting architecture, DevOps practices, and tools.
Working knowledge of project management and software development methodologies, including Agile/Scrum.
Working knowledge of business analysis and user experience best practices, methods, and tools.
Ability to work collaboratively across teams with different roles and expertise.
Ability to manage relationships, understand incentives, and think creatively to solve business problems.
Self-starter with strong self-management skills.
Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities.
Willingness to adapt and learn new skills.

Nice To Haves

Advanced coursework in a computer technology field.
Experience using the Cypress test automation framework.
Experience with C# and .NET.
Experience developing applications with additional web frameworks.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain Shedd Aquarium’s website codebase using Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, React, and other software libraries.
Translate business requirements into scalable technical designs, requirements, user stories, and implementation plans in collaboration with team members.
Develop intuitive and accessible web interfaces in coordination with UI/UX designers and accessibility specialists.
Apply and promote engineering best practices for reliability, scalability, observability, security, and maintainability.
Participate in peer reviews, code reviews, design reviews, and architecture discussions.
Develop and maintain unit, integration, and regression tests and other automated quality checks; manually test new features and enhancements.
Diagnose and resolve defects, integration failures, performance issues, and production-support concerns.
Support Scrum activities, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily standups, demonstrations, and retrospectives.
Provide accurate estimates and identify technical risks, dependencies, assumptions, and implementation constraints.
Support application modernization, refactoring, technical-debt reduction, and replacement of obsolete components.
Support development of .NET/C# applications and other web applications as needed.
Build API solutions and define service contracts, payload schemas, and OpenAPI/Swagger specifications.
Contribute throughout the software lifecycle, including deployment, monitoring, support, and documentation.
Develop and maintain technical documentation for new and existing features.
Support continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines.
Help deliver customer-focused products with a product ownership mindset.
Use approved version-control practices, including branching, merging, pull requests, tagging, and release management.
Evaluate emerging technology and AI trends to inform solution design, architectural standards, and strategic system modernization.
Use approved AI tools and technologies, such as GitHub Copilot and Microsoft Copilot, to streamline workflows, automate tasks, improve code quality, and enhance engineering delivery efficiency.
Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission, and values.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Competitive compensation packages and opportunities for professional growth within the organization.
Medical insurance, including FSA and HSA plan options.
Vision insurance.
Dental insurance.
Accrued paid time off.
Up to 12 paid holidays.
Life insurance.
Parental leave.
Adoption assistance.
401(k).
Discounted parking and public transit subsidies.
Employee Assistance Program.
Employee wellness program, including a Preventive Care Incentive.
Employee discounts.
Employee tickets.