Web Developer at St. Paul’s University

Purpose of the job

The position holder will be responsible for ensuring that the university websites and all related landing pages and applications are functional, visually appealing and aligned with the university’s brand identity, user-friendly, secure, and consistently updated to always provide the best possible user experience. He/she will work closely with various teams across the university to develop and implement strategies for website improvement and growth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES/JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

Strategy and Planning

• Participate in preparing long-term and short-term digital strategies for the university that encompass best web development
•  practices, digital marketing and social media management based on the institution’s objectives.
• Prepare accurate reports on need basis and Administration, automation and maintenance of the staff portals.
• Track and evaluate new standards, technologies and trends in website development, design, and delivery.
• Identify, recommend, and prioritize implementation of new web features and applications.Administration, automation  and maintenance of the staff portals.
• Periodically analyze user needs, scenarios, and personas to develop strategies and content that meets the needs of our end users.
• Conduct research on best practices in web development regarding presentation of content, look and feel, and functionality, and make recommendations for the improvement of the institution’s website.

Web Design, Development and Management

• Design, develop and maintain visually appealing, user-friendly, fully functional, secure and responsive main university website.
• Develop new functionalities on the websites or completely new applications whenever a need arises and upon approval by the Deputy Corporate Affairs Manager.
• Identify and analyze user requirements before incorporating them to the website.
• Optimize website navigation and layout for ease of use and accessibility.
• Implement responsive design techniques to ensure compatibility with various devices and screen sizes.
• Ensure a consistent look and feel across the websites by promoting uniform fonts, formatting, icons, images, and layout.
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of the university websites.
• Optimize and monitor websites’ performance, including speed, uptime, and security.
• Implement updates, patches, and upgrades to ensure the websites are running smoothly.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues as they arise.
• Provide user support to all website visitors.
• Coordinate with hosting providers and domain registrars to ensure optimal website performance and timely renewal of domains and SSL certificates.
• Participate in the development and integration of content including graphical and multimedia components e.g audio and video into the websites.
• Assist in management of the university blog

Social Media Management

• Assisting in management of official university social media handles by regularly posting updates, promptly responding to client queries.
• Create appealing content including graphics and video.
• Sponsor social media campaigns using Google Ads.

Performance Analysis

• Utilize web analytics tools e.g Google Analytics to track and analyze website performance metrics.
• Participate in the definition of key performance indicators (KPIs) and generate reports on websites’ performance, citing areas for improvement.
• Conduct A/B testing and other experiments to optimize website performance and conversion rates.
• Track and analyze performance of social media handles with the aid of social media analytics or any relevant other analytics tools.

KEY COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:

• Proven experience as a Webmaster or in a similar role.
• Ability to do both front-end and back-end development Proficiency in front-end development web programming languages such as HTML and CSS, and JavaScript.
• Proficiency in server-side languages like PHP.
• Experience in database management systems.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite or any other design software.
• Experienced in content Management Systems.
• Experienced in payment integration.
• Up-to-date experience with international web protocols, standards, and technologies.
• Working knowledge of best SEO principles and practices

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

•  A degree in Computer Science, IT, Software Engineering in education or a related field.
• 2-3 years’ work experience in a similar role.
• Experience of creating visual collateral and /or audio outputs for web, digital advertising, social media, print, events.
• Good communication and customer service skills.
• Good writing and editorial skills.
• Extensive knowledge of photo editing.
• Experience in graphic design will be an added advantage