Do you have solid ASP.NET, Ajax, Javascript, and CSS skills? Are you a web development guru? If you are, this might be your workstation. Data Transfer Solutions is hiring in our Fort Collins Colorado office, and we need someone who can do some serious web development. We’re an agile development shop and we’re looking for a web developer that will fit well with our existing team. Experience with agile development practices and geographic information systems are a plus but are not a prerequisite. If you’re a web developer and you’re looking for a new place to sit, drop me an email using the Contact link above.

Yesterday we sent out a press release via Chris Spagnuolo's GeoScrum blog. Thus, I think it's now ok to say that my entire team and I are now with Data Transfer Solutions.

 

The team is super excited about the new opportunities this change brings (the blazing workstations, "green" servers and build out, IKEA workstations, great chairs, and a strong interest in adopting agile methods doesn't hurt either!).

On the technology front, we are still sticking with .NET and ESRI for the most part. We expect to be doing much more web work than in the past, and with the release of Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 this will be very cool. I expect we'll be working with ArcGIS Server / tile caches on the back end, as well as Virtual Earth and Open Layers for the client UI. Mix in some unit testing, and it should be lots of fun.

We're also going to be adding some new capabilities - specifically Agile Consulting and Coaching. This is still in the early stages so I'll be posting more about it as things develop, but I'm very excited about some things we have planned, and the opportunity to share our experiences, methodologies and practices with others.

I'll wrap this up by saying that I'm also very excited to work with the existing DTS development team. Although I've only met a few of them, and only very briefly, but their depth and breadth of skills are pretty amazing -- I heard that someone wrote some ArcGIS Desktop tools using Boo (scratching your head - here's a hint: Boo is a Python-like scripting language for the ECMA CLR implementations such as .NET and Mono.)  I think they will be keeping us on our toes!

I'll be posting more about starting up an office, and getting things rolling over the next few weeks. Some tasks on our current backlog - order & setup some servers, get a firewall (advice welcomed!), move out of Chris's living room into our "temp" space, finalize the build out plans for our "real" space... fun!

The Sanborn GIS Development Team is expanding!

At this time, we are looking for two full-time ArcObjects developers to help us build enterprise GIS systems. These are entry to mid-level positions, with plenty of opportunity for growth. You'll be working with a relaxed team of professional developers who strive to build the best damn GIS software solutions out there. These positions will be working on both desktop customizations and back-end ArcGIS Server component development. Current projects include an ecosystem managment toolset for the Marine Corps (ArcGIS 9.1 + .NET 2.0), and a state wide forest managment system for Pennsylvania (ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop & Server + .NET 2.0).


What is the job?
Developing enterprise scale applications with ArcGIS and .NET - these are end-to-end systems, typically involving multiple technologies - ArcMap, ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE, ArcIMS, smart client, winforms, web forms. 

When I look at positions, one thing that I always ask about is the tools, so here's what you'll be working with:

• Microsoft Team System - Source control  project managment
• ArcSDE on Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle
• Visual Studio 2005 - VB.NET or C#
• MSDN subscription
• ESRI EDN Subscription
• Dual flat-screen workstation (3+GB RAM, 3+Ghz CPU)
• Citrix farm for client test access
• Good desk and chair - sorry no aerons. (yet!)

Who will fill it?
Are you the go-to person on your team? Are you sick of the general 'hacking' nature of GIS development? Do you know ArcObjects like the back of your hand? Interested in a more 'agile' approach to development? Can you whip out winforms apps? Dig web services and smart client applications?  Are you applying Unit Testing to your GIS applications? We want to hear from you!

Regardless of the laundry lists of skills in the formal postings, we are really looking for quick learning, self directed team players who really give a rip about producing quality software, and staying on the leading edge of software development. And if you blog, all the better!

Where is it?
These positions are located in sunny Fort Collins, Colorado - I've been here 10 years, and love it, but don't just take my word for it -this year Money Magazine rated it the #1 place to live in the US.

When can I start?
We are looking to fill one position by early November, and the second by early January. Check out the detailed position descriptions and then email me (dbouwman AT sanborn DOT com) your resume.

While catching up on my blog reading, I ran across a series of articles by Joel Spolsky that talk about

• "Finding Great Developers",
• "A Field Guide to Developers"
• "Sorting Resumes"
  

These are very timely articles, as we are about to open two "GIS Software Engineer" positions (I'll post more details when the positions are formally "open"), and it's always been a challenge to locate top talent.

Joel argues (and I'd tend to agree) that "great developers", the cream of the crop, just are not out in the marketplace. This is because their employers recognize this, and do what it takes to make sure they don't even think about looking for another job.

On top of this, the market is pretty tight these days. A quick search for "software engineer" at ESRI's careers site lists 59 openings. Just here in Fort Collins, Miner & Miner have at least one developer position open, Riverside Technologies is looking for an ArcIMS developer, and I'm sure that the various other staffing agencies which service the USDA are also looking for people. Add to this the high-growth rate of the geospatial industry, and it's clearly not an easy task to find experienced geospatial developers.

Which leads to the question of how to get top talent?

In his "Field Guide to Developers" article, Joel lists a number of things he believes developers care about at a job:

• Private Offices
• Good Chairs
• Great Computers
• Being treated well within the company
• Not being micro-managed
• Lack of useless office politics
• Working on cool projects with cool technology

At the end of his list, he states that compensation - as long as it's on par with industry standards - is less important than these other factors. Here's the actual quote - which I think is brilliant.

That doesn’t mean you can underpay people, because they do care about justice, and they will get infuriated if they find out that different people are getting different salaries for the same work, or that everyone in your shop is making 20% less than an otherwise identical shop down the road, and suddenly money will be a big issue. You do have to pay competitively, but all said, of all the things that programmers look at in deciding where to work, as long as the salaries are basically fair, they will be surprisingly low on their list of considerations, and offering high salaries is a surprisingly ineffective tool in overcoming problems like the fact that programmers get 15" monitors and salespeople yell at them all the time and the job involves making nuclear weapons out of baby seals

So assuming reasonable pay - what else would draw you to an organization?

• Opportunity to use different tools/technologies (i.e ArcGIS Server 9.2)?
• A Herman Miller Aeron chair?
• Working with people who are passionate about what they are doing?
• Stock options?
• Working on a large scale, multi-user system? 
• Opporunity to hone / expand your skill set? 
• Quad-screen, 2x dual-core system with 4GB or RAM?
• A chance to make a difference?
• Location?
• Opportunities for career advancement?

Other ideas? What brought you to your current job? What keeps you there?