Application Developer (Contractor Position)

At the MBTA, we envision a thriving region enabled by a best-in-class transit system. Our mission is to serve the public by providing safe, reliable, and accessible transportation. MBTA’s core values are built around safety, service, equity, sustainability, culture, and accessibility, and each employee performs their roles based on our vision, mission, and values.

About the Role

The Application Developer is responsible for performing application development and analysis activities for the MBTA’s enterprise transit scheduling and operations management platforms.

Responsibilities

• Perform application development activities for the full SDLC of the transit scheduling and operations management application, including requirements gathering, solution design, development, testing, implementation, and ongoing application support.
• Design, develop, modify, maintain, and support enterprise application functionality using platform-specific proprietary programming languages.
• Design, develop, modify, maintain, and support custom-built applications to supplement the enterprise application architecture.
• Design, develop, modify, maintain, and support system integrations using batch processing and application programming interfaces (APIs) with SOAP and REST web service frameworks.
• Design, develop, modify, maintain, and support business reports using Crystal Reports, Tableau, and other platforms.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation for custom-built applications, system integrations, and reports, including technical design specifications and architecture diagrams.
• Develop and maintain technical runbooks and end-user procedural documentation.
• Escalate issues to internal IT teams (Server, Network, Database, etc.) and/or software vendor, as needed.
• Coordinate with software vendor for the resolution of application issues.
• Perform environment configuration and maintenance, including release installations, release promotions, and database refreshes.
• Schedule, monitor, and troubleshoot issues with batch processes.
• Perform ad-hoc data queries and generate ad-hoc reports.
• Provide content knowledge and clarifications to QA team regarding designed behavior of application to facilitate the creation of test scripts.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information in an appropriate manner.
• Respond to each inquiry, whether from a customer, vendor, or co-worker, in a courteous and professional manner.
• Participate in the on-call support rotation, responding to emergencies on a twenty-four (24) hour, seven (7) day per week basis while on-call.
• Work any and all shifts and/or locations as assigned or directed, including occasional night and/or weekend work.
• Perform related duties and projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with comparable experience in the fields of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Two (2) years of experience in application development and analysis, including design, development, implementation, and support.
• Strong understanding of fundamental programming concepts.
• Ability and willingness to learn platform-specific proprietary programming languages.
• Experience with application programming interfaces (APIs) and batch processing.
• Experience with relational databases.
• Experience with business reporting and business intelligence platforms.
• Experience with source control and version control systems, including branching and merging strategies.
• Experience with IT service management/ticketing systems.
• Strong interpersonal skills to interact with stakeholders, vendors, team members, and end-users.
• Ability to work with many different types of professionals in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse workforce and end-user community.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams).
• Effective organizational, analytical, multi-tasking, time management, and documentation skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent customer service and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to effectively read, comprehend, communicate, and respond to instructions, orders, signs, notices, inquiries, etc. in English.
• Be at least eighteen (18) years of age, except if participating in an approved high school internship/co-op program.
• Ability to commute to assigned work locations in the Boston, MA metro area, as required by the role.
• Ability to provide internal and external customers with courteous and professional experiences.
• Ability to work effectively, independently, and as part of a diverse workforce team.
• Ability to pass a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check, comprehensive background screening, and/or medical Clinic screening, potentially including physical examination and drug and alcohol screenings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years of experience in application development and analysis, including design, development, implementation, and support.
• Experience with HASTUS or similar transit scheduling and operations management applications, such as Trapeze FX or Trapeze OPS.
• Experience or interest in the public transit or transportation industry.
• Experience or interest in public transit data.
• Experience with Git and GitHub.
• Experience with object-oriented programming languages, such as C# or .NET.
• Experience with scripting languages, such as Python or PowerShell.
• Experience with Crystal Reports or Tableau.
• Experience with Oracle or MS SQL databases.
• Experience with SOAP web services.
• Experience with Windows-based servers and architectures.
• Experience with cloud platforms, such as AWS or Azure.
• Experience with industry-specific ERP systems.
• Experience with ServiceNow.

Substitutions

• A High School Diploma or GED with an additional seven (7) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• An associate degree from an accredited institution with an additional three (3) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• A master’s degree in a related subject substitutes for two (2) years of general experience.
• A nationally recognized certification, or statewide/professional certification in a related field substitutes for one year of experience.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Available to work any and all shifts and/or locations as assigned or directed.
• Available to work as per assignment by the MBTA twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week as directed by supervisory staff for severe weather conditions, emergencies, or any other circumstances that may potentially impact service or the safety of service.