ZigZag Education is a Bristol-based independent educational publisher. We publish photocopiable worksheets, workbooks, topic tests, practice exam papers and also digital resources for teachers of KS3, GCSE, A Level, BTEC, etc. There are approximately 50 of us across the whole in-house team, developing products we believe in.
Senior PHP Programmer required as the sole coder working on a number projects under the direction of the commissioning editor. Tasks range from the occasional large project, multiple mini-projects, adding new features to existing systems, and fixing bugs that have come to light. You need to be willing to muck in with technical support, although this isn't the main focus of the role.
Starting pay depends on amount of formal relevant experience and/or qualifications. There is the possibility of a further contract.
Further Details
Examples of recent programming projects:
- Creating a change log to keep track of changes to a key field
- Creating an online customer feedback form and integrating it into an existing web database system
- Creating a system where multiple records are logged and printed to a batch file, so they can all be printed in one go
- Working out how to automate a daily backup of an essential online MySQL database (real-time sync with development and production server), download it, and upload it to a second test website to demonstrate recovery
- Solving a drag-and-drop JavaScript script problem which works in a browser but not on iPads
- Creating a new website (micro-site)
Examples of recent bug solving (involving understanding existing code - all new projects are in PHP but we have a notable amount of legacy ASP scripts):
- Changing the mathematical calculations in a report that are giving the wrong set of percentages
- Working out why an item sometimes doesn't appear on a report
- Reverse engineering to work out why two different reports that should match give different totals
Examples of recent technical support:
- After the nightly backup failed, having a look at the backup log to see what the reason is and reporting back
- A computer isn't working - investigating to see if there is a solution before we reinstall it
As one of only three team members with an IT background, you will also be asked to get involved in other IT-experience based tasks, depending on your skills and experience. For example, you might be asked to work through a new IT publication or to write a short in-house user guide on how to use a graphics program. However we have other IT-literate staff: Glynda adds user accounts, Chris sets up our marketing webpages, Andrew solves various IT problems, Matt (external) set up our servers.
We are looking for a PHP developer to write logical, well-commented code and building on and improving existing systems. Create robust bespoke systems to increase efficiency in the business. Create intuitive and fast user interfaces – for both internal staff and external customers. Balance the feedback of users with the requirements of your manager (also a programmer), and manage your workload to ensure an appropriate balance between time, quality and budget. Work within a culture of good organisation and clear, timely reporting. And if you enjoy solving problems, you will find the work varied, challenging and rewarding - and always appreciated by the rest of the team!