Lead Fullstack Developer

Ithaca College•Ithaca, NY

7d•$83,000 - $87,000

About The Position

The Lead Full Stack Developer (Web / Drupal) is the senior-most technical role responsible for the design, stability, and long-term sustainability of Ithaca College’s web ecosystem. This position serves as the technical steward of the College’s web platform, sharing platform ownership jointly with Marketing and Communications. This role provides hands-on technical leadership while serving as a trusted technical advisor to Marketing and Communications, IT leadership, and campus partners. The Lead Developer plays a critical role in balancing institutional priorities with platform discipline, data-informed decision-making, and long-term architectural health. The Lead Developer plays an active role in early design and solution discussions, partnering with Marketing and Communications to translate creative concepts into technically efficient, scalable implementations. This includes identifying opportunities where modest design or structural adjustments can significantly reduce development effort, cost, or long-term maintenance while preserving the intended user experience and strategic goals. This role blends deep technical expertise with strategic thinking, stakeholder partnership, and roadmap leadership to ensure the College’s digital presence evolves intentionally, responsibly, and in alignment with institutional goals.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in web development in Drupal/WordPress or similar.
Demonstrated experience building and maintaining custom Drupal modules, themes, and integrations
Strong full-stack development experience (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP)
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tools (e.g., CircleCI or equivalent)
Strong understanding of web performance optimization, security best practices, and accessibility standards
Proven ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences using data and impact analysis
Excellent problem-solving, documentation, and systems-thinking skills
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent professional experience

Responsibilities

Platform Leadership & Development Serve as the technical owner and steward of the College’s web platform, with primary responsibility for architectural integrity, sustainability, and long-term maintainability
Lead the development and maintenance of Drupal-based websites, web applications, and integrations
Design, build, test, and maintain clean, secure, accessible, and well-documented code
Establish and enforce platform standards, development patterns, and governance practices that promote consistency and reduce technical debt
Evaluate and recommend improvements to the web platform based on performance metrics, accessibility requirements, security posture, and institutional needs
Strategy, Governance & Decision Support Partner with Marketing and Communications, where Marketing defines digital strategy and content priorities and IT leadership and this role jointly establish platform standards, technical priorities, and architectural direction
Provide data-informed analysis and recommendations when proposed initiatives introduce significant cost, risk, or long-term maintenance implications
Support institutional decision-making by explaining technical tradeoffs, constraints, and impacts in clear, accessible language
Contribute to ongoing evaluation of CMS evolution, including Drupal sustainability and future platform considerations
Accessibility, Security & Compliance Support and apply digital accessibility best practices in web development, including awareness of WCAG standards, and partner with institutional accessibility leadership to promote sustainable implementation.
Partner with IT Security to follow secure development practices and support compliance with applicable security standards.
Monitor platform performance, reliability, and risk indicators, and proactively recommend improvements to enhance stability and sustainability.
Operations, Support & Incident Response Support structured intake, prioritization, and roadmap planning for web initiatives in collaboration with IT leadership and Marketing
Participate in after-hours incident response for critical web issues impacting institutional operations, including homepage availability, admissions launches, and enrollment campaigns. Such incidents are rare given our Pantheon-hosted platform.
Ensure appropriate documentation, continuity planning, and knowledge sharing to reduce institutional risk
Collaboration, Vendors & Mentorship Manage and coordinate third-party vendors, including defining scopes of work, reviewing deliverables, and ensuring alignment with institutional standards
Provide technical direction and mentorship to developers, student employees, and external partners as applicable
Foster strong working relationships across campus through clear communication, partnership, and shared accountability
Institutional Values Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as core institutional values
Promote a respectful, collaborative, and inclusive environment when working with faculty, staff, students, and external partners