Leapfrog Online is looking for Python developers (Chicago area)
Leapfrog Online is looking for Python developers to work on multiple applications, including web sites built using the Django framework. If you know Python but not Django, this is an excellent opportunity to learn. If you know some Django bits but want to learn how to use Python in other contexts, you'll get to do that, too. You'll be working on high traffic websites that, for example, help people find broadband Internet connectivity based on their geographic location, or you may work on the constellation of business services that enable such websites.
The Software Engineer position is outlined in detail here. Leapfrog Online is looking for full-time employees, but contract employment may also be possible for exceptional candidates.
What Do We Do?
Leapfrog Online does performance-based customer acquisition, meaning we get paid when our clients get a new customer. Our software is highly configurable and collects fine-grained data so our analysts can test the marketplace and determine effective, efficient strategies for acquiring more customers. The interesting challenges we face are building high-availability websites, fault-tolerant web services, marshaling high-volume data, and accounting for tight security all along the way. As for the atmosphere, we're still a small company but we're not a struggling startup.
We Care About Using the Right Tools
We use the tools that are right for the job. Currently we use Python or Ruby for websites and web services, Python for backend tools, PostgreSQL for databases, and a customized Jira tracker for our projects. We have contributed patches to most of the projects listed above and maintain our own projects like nose, fixture, fudge, and more. We give talks at conferences like Pycon. One of our developers runs a popular blog called Softies on Rails and teaches and writes books about Rails.
Scrum: You'll Like It
We started with Extreme Programming a few years ago and have moved towards Scrum and other Agile methods as our approach to software development. We are constantly refining our process, keeping what works, discarding what doesn't. The company is on board with Scrum all the way up to the principles and we are always working to improve how Scrum is integrated holistically (a training program is in the works). We think you'll like Agile for development. We have several teams of no more than three developers who work in two week "sprints." The sprints are planned out by product owners, developers, and project managers with user stories estimated in "story points" so that the business gets what it needs in order of priority. A sprint is exactly what it sounds like -- you just work! At the end of each sprint the work is released and you attend a retrospective meeting to see what was good, bad, and ugly, and how much work you did. Nothing is perfect so, of course, there are emergencies and derailments here and there but for the most part Scrum keeps things moving at a productive pace.
You Must Test It
We are nutty about automated testing. All code must have automated regression tests so if you're not familiar with this way of writing software, you will learn. We have a fairly intensive continuous integration process running in Hudson that performs several builds of each app to ensure each code change integrates well with the complete system. As well as getting immediate feedback when a bad change is checked in, this also helps us pinpoint bugs in our dependencies before they are released. Our QA department is also different than most in that it consists of developers who are writing functional and/or integration tests in code and adding these to the build process. They are essentially software engineers like the rest of us.
Your Time Is Valuable
No one has a sleeping bag under their desk here; we work until normal business hours at a sustainable pace. Most of us have been through the death march routine at other companies so we know it doesn't work long term. Scrum helps us maintain this ethic.
No Pigeonholes
While we are currently looking for Python/Django programmers, we are always interested in meeting people who think in Ruby/Rails, PHP 5 and other open source web technologies, too. We're especially interested if you're feeling ecumenical and want to learn about and work with, say, both Python and Ruby. You might only work in one language most of the time, but we think it is important for developers to stretch themselves and understand what tools are best for the job.
Interested?
Use the form below to contact our director of software engineering.
