Drupal Technical Lead (Melbourne based)

We’re looking for a Drupal technical leader to contribute to and be responsible for major digital projects in government; someone who will design and drive technical solutions and approaches that enable governments to be more open, more connected and more consolidated.

Position Opening

The role of a Technical Lead is to be the technical authority on design and implementation of assigned projects as well as being a champion of approaches (processes and tooling) that deliver ‘fit for purpose’ results for clients within acceptable budget constraints in line with Salsa’s standardised environment.

The role may also include other duties that may be required from time to time, which do not fall within the remit of other staff roles, and that may be reasonably linked to the broader operations function.
As with all roles at Salsa, you will support and build a positive and productive culture in accordance with company Values.

About Salsa

Salsa Digital is a Melbourne-based agency with a 15+ year legacy in open source. Currently Salsa Digital is made up of approximately 25 Salsarians.

In more recent years, Salsa Digital has become a key contributor to helping governments become more open, more consolidated and more connected.

Salsa Digital is entrusted by the Australian Government as the exclusive delivery partner for the next generation GovCMS platform. Salsa has also been entrusted by the Victorian Government as the implementation partner for the Single Digital Presence platform.

On behalf of the Victorian Government, Salsa Digital also manages the open data platform (data.vic.gov.au) designed, built and hosted on CKAN (open source data management system).

Salsa Digital is a values-driven agency with a strong open source and transparent ethos. Our open source ethos extends beyond Drupal to open data, open platform and open design systems.

Salsa is recognised as an open source - digital platform - leader in government at state and federal level. Salsa has earnt this reputation via delivery of high profile programs of work and also via the production of thought leading content.

Salsa wishes to continue this momentum with a heightened strategic focus.

Salsa Technical Leads are key pillars in delivering value for clients. The ideal person for this role will have the technical expertise, energy and vision to be a key part of this push.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Pre-sale & Discovery Responsibilities

• High level Solution direction / technical blueprint

• Development estimates using Salsa’s standard estimation tools and models

• Technical Risk Assessment

• Technical Issues

• Technical Assumptions

• Pre-requisite standards compliance

• Client facing technical communication, written and/or verbal

• include Project Managers on communications

• seek permission before communicating directly to client; RM/PM’s can also step in to cease comms mid stream if needed

Project Execution (incl. Discovery)

• Sprint planning and technical delivery approach

• Review Functional Matrix

• Review & comment on design packs

• Collaborate on Storyboard

• Discovery Workshop participation/lead

• Solution Direction incl. write project technical specification

• Tool & process selection and implementation e.g. Github, processes etc

• Tailoring relevant templated checklists for the project e.g. environment setup, Go Live etc

• Grooming Stories & finalise Acceptance Criteria

• Onboarding Development team

• Development Estimates / Planning Poker (as a participant)

• Challenge estimates as part of estimate grooming process

• Be accountable for groomed/agreed estimates

• Conduct Code Reviews

• Client facing technical communication (written and/or verbal)

• Escalation point for developers

• Release notes/plan

• Routine timeline/resource estimates on request

• Lead the development team and and hold self and team accountable to Salsa values

Retrospectives

• Help embed high priority findings into Salsa technical core

Solution Design

• Accountable for solution direction documentation to guide developers

• Accountable for integration solutions where applicable

• Creation of standard technical design/solution documentation that leverage Salsa best practice

• Consideration of custom frameworks and reusable modules

• Represents recommended solutions, and options, to clients

Development & project delivery

• Software development of code utilising best practice and adhering to Salsa development processes

• Other required implementations (e.g. installation, configuration, customization, integration, data migration)

• Communicates with project/SCRUM management when project deadlines are at risk of not being met

• Internal documentation of authored program code

Salsa Digital Marketing Contributions

• Prepare for and present at conferences, events and meetups as needed

• Represent the Salsa Digital brand and values in all external facing interactions

• Network and create constructive relationships with the public and clients

• Identify sales opportunities (professionally) and pass on sales leads to Business Development Managers

Drupal Community Contributions

• Create an open source community contribution culture with all Salsa developers

• Evangelize and contribute to a DevRel culture in establishing a relationship with external developers

• Maintain an active Drupal profile

• Maintain Salsa’s Drupal profile

• Represent Salsa at Drupal meetups and other forums via presentations and attendance

• Make and coordinate contributions on an ongoing basis with attribution to yourself and Salsa

• Encourage team contributions from all other developers

• Actively monitor and contribute to relevant community ‘places’ (eg GovCMS) including slack, etc.

Maintain Up-to-date Drupal Knowledge and Skills

• Keep informed on the latest relevant dev tech news and developments

Drupal Training Sessions (if Required)

• Take responsibility for the preparation, running and follow-up actions required for each training session

• Modify presentation and student manual material as needed

• Represent the Salsa Digital brand and values in all client/student facing interactions

• Network and create constructive relationships with clients/students

• Identify sales opportunities (professionally) and pass on sales leads to Business Development Managers

Infrastructure, DevOps, Patching and Automation (if required)

• Design, build and maintain salsa hosting environments and services

• Lead and maintain consistent DevOps processes around deployments, etc

• Lead and maintain consistent DevOps processes and automation around patching

• Lead and maintain consistent test frameworks, automation and test libraries to lower the barrier to deployments, increase agility and overall quality of continuous delivery.

Requirements

Must Haves

• Melbourne based

• Exceptional communication skills both verbally and written

• 5-10+ Years demonstrated experience in the delivery of open source enterprise digital solutions, using Drupal as framework

• 2-5+ Years of demonstrated experience in the technical leadership of enterprise digital solutions using agile delivery methodologies

Nice to Haves

• Established footprint within the open source community

• Industry Infrastructure, DevOps, Automation experience. Any of: Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, containerised architectures well regarded.

KPIs

• Target an average 75% billable utilization per quarter (this is aspirational and open to be reviewed in consideration of other non billable activities)

• Coordinate community contributions per quarter (reasonable metrics to be co-designed and agreed)

• Coordinate and/or author 2 deep technical white papers per quarter

• Coordinate and/or host 1 technical webinar per quarter

• Identify tools/processes to scope and prioritise for implementation. These tools and processes will have varying impact to quality and efficiencies which, together with the leadership team, evaluate and prioritized.

Model Salsa’s Values

A big part of Salsa’s culture can be attributed towards it’s 7 key values it genuinely lives by:

Rigour - what we do, we do well
From the work we produce to how we run the business, we strive to meet the highest standards of quality and are dedicated to a process of continual improvement.

Mutual Respect - we respect people and are sensitive to diversity
We show respect in the way we treat everyone - our colleagues, managers and clients. Everyone around us should be made to feel empowered!

Transparency - we communicate openly and honestly
We talk to each other if we have praise or problems to share, in all aspects of our work. Transparency is the key to trusting relationships both with clients and colleagues.

Personal Growth - we foster a learning and nurturing environment, equipping people to thrive
It’s everyone’s responsibility to provide opportunities for peer learning, experimentation and professional development wherever possible. We thrive by being challenged to step out of our comfort zone to learn something new in a supportive environment.

Accountability - we take ownership and are highly responsive to requests
We take responsibility and ownership for the quality of the work we do. We stick to the commitments we make, following through by setting realistic expectations, keeping stakeholders informed of changes and delivering on promises.

Commercial Outcomes - we deliver value for all stakeholders
Think like you would if you owned the business when assessing time and money for a task or a project. We provide outstanding value for the client without underselling ourselves or the company. Win-win outcomes build good long-term relationships and foster trust and goodwill.

Fresh Thinking - we seek innovation and evolution in the small and the big things
Always take a moment to step outside the box and think of something new - a new approach, design or process. We strive to create an environment where the floor is always open for fresh ideas to be shared and discussed, for calculated risks be taken and initiative to be used.

Interested?

If this role excites you and would like to explore further apply below or call Paul Morriss (Director) on 03 9910 4038.