Description:
The Massachusetts Historical Society is seeking a software engineer fluent in PHP for a myriad of contract work, from legacy code cleanup to API design. While our projects are all web-based, these projects are not about building web pages, but rather helping to build/refine tools that staff use on the backend. You will be building new classes to replace legacy procedural code, or refactoring old classes to make them more modular. We will also be exploring CMS options other than Wordpress and Drupal, so experience in that area is a plus.
We are the nation's oldest research library, housing foundational documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the papers of the Adams presidents and others, and the largest set of Jefferson's papers outside of the Library of Congress. We hold abolition portraiture, WWII photographs, Civil War diaries, and much more. Our collection extends into the present century, and includes millions of item, a small but growing set of which are found on our website. See our highlights: www.masshist.org/highlights

Qualifications:
The ideal person knows how to code solid OOM in PHP without frameworks; you'll just be using PDO and a few classes we've developed in house.
Other skills that would be a plus: BASH scripting experience - cleanly organizing SASS (again, without frameworks) - vue.js - newer JS, such as ES6 classes.
We strongly prefer candinates who are within a few hours drive of Boston, so that occasional in-person meetings (1 or 2 per project at most) are possible.

How To Apply:
Candidates should email a cover letter to our lead developer, Bill Beck (bbeck@masshist.org), describing which of your skills and experience are applicable to the areas described above; please attach a resume. In addition to an interview stage, we will also require:
1) completion of a 5 minute code test, in which you will run a short PHP script, and be asked to examine the code and rebuild in OOM.
2) examples of your code from real-world projects that went to production use.
For candidates that we are interested in, we will reach out to discuss possible projects, scope, rates, deadlines. Hourly rates will begin at $75/hr, with the potential to increase substantially depending upon candidate skill/experience and estimates for specific project hour totals.

Apply by:
February 14, 2022

Salary:
$75

About this Organization:
The Massachusetts Historical Society is an independent research library that collects, preserves, makes accessible, and communicates manuscripts and other materials in order to promote the study of the history of Massachusetts and the nation - a mission it has pursued since 1791. 

*The Massachusetts Historical Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We aim to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. Candidates of all backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to apply. We are committed to creating a work place free from harassment and discrimination on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religious creed, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, or any other category protected by law (also known as membership in a "protected class"). We offer a competitive benefits package and salary commensurate with experience.*