Digital Scholarship Developer

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Digital Scholarship Developer

Job Profile Title

Librarian C

Job Description Summary

The Research Data and Digital Scholarship (RDDS) team at the University of Pennsylvania facilitates data-driven and data-literate research and scholarship and fosters critical and ethical data communities of practice across the disciplines at Penn. Our team has expertise in text and data mining, public scholarship, digital humanities, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, data visualization, open science, and GIS.

The Research Data and Digital Scholarship (RDDS) team at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries is looking for a candidate to be the technical consultant and developer on digital scholarship projects.

As a digital scholarship project technical consultant, this candidate will demonstrate excellent knowledge of various methods and techniques necessary in digital scholarship projects and a willingness to explore and develop new skills as necessary. Expected areas may include web-development technologies and frameworks (Javascript, CSS, HTML5) suitable for static-site generation; relational and NoSQL databases; Python; and/or machine learning techniques and AI. 

As a patron-focused member of a service-oriented library team, they will have a demonstrated ability to explain complex ideas to a variety of stakeholders and have an interest in developing training and workshops for similarly broad audiences.
The position is integral to a small Digital Projects, Publications, and Partnerships team that works to create lightweight web applications, digital humanities tools, and digital projects in collaboration with Penn faculty and students. On this team, this candidate may serve as a project manager for some projects and, therefore, should be able to demonstrate sound project management abilities and experience.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Serve as technical consultant on digital scholarship projects, providing guidance and recommendations for project infrastructure.
• In collaboration with the RDDS team and others, develop and maintain open-source tools, platforms, or projects for digital scholarship use.
• Work with the Digital Projects, Publications, and Partnerships team to plan workflows, review project proposals, and assist as project manager on some projects.
• As a member of the RDDS team, provide instruction on digital scholarship methods as appropriate to the candidate’s skills and knowledge.
• In collaboration with the wider Penn Libraries, contribute technical expertise to promote collections as data initiatives.
• Remain abreast of the digital scholarship field and innovations.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

• A master’s degree in a relevant discipline and 3 to 5 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with digital scholarship projects and the ability to communicate complex ideas in an understandable way to a broad variety of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated programming skills in one or more languages (Python, JavaScript, etc.) and digital scholarship methods and infrastructure, such as static site generation, relational and NoSQL databases, and software as a service (SaaS).
• Proven ability to write clear, well-documented code and work with version control using GitHub.
• Willingness and demonstrated ability to learn new skills and technologies beyond existing areas of knowledge, including new software applications and/or programming languages.
• Experience successfully working in a collaborative team on interdisciplinary digital scholarship projects.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical capacities.

Preferred

• Experience with AI and machine learning applications in digital scholarship.
• Demonstrated informal or formal teaching experience.
• Project management experience.

Application Requirement 

• A Cover Letter and Resume/CV are required to be considered for this position. Please upload your Cover Letter where it asks you to upload your Resume/CV; multiple documents are allowed.  

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

University Library

Pay Range

$51,824.00 - $90,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and

the pay range assigned to the job profile.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay