Web Developer at Lucas Museum of Narrative Art – Los Angeles, California
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About This Position
POSITION SUMMARY
We are seeking a Web Developer to serve as the primary internal steward of the museum's website and its related digital infrastructure. This wide-ranging role will oversee our existing managed site hosting environment, apply necessary updates and patches to our Laravel-based CMS, and manage our analytics operations. They will also perform day-to-day updates and maintenance on our CMS, particularly its API integrations into our NetX digital asset management system and the API endpoints used by our mobile application(s).
Our website’s codebase, design system, and content architecture are well-documented and established, and this position would operate within that framework. Complex new features or products will be developed in collaboration with the site’s original developers and our app developers.
This role may require occasional flexibility outside of standard working hours, including responding to site emergencies, covering operational gaps, and maintaining presence during high-activity periods such as exhibition openings, digital product launches, and high web traffic events.
Hosting and Security
Manage the museum's managed hosting environment, including deployments, monitoring, and performance optimization
Implement and maintain security best practices, including SSL certificates, access controls, and regular security updates
Manage backup systems and disaster recovery procedures
Respond to and resolve hosting-related incidents
Website CMS Management and Development
Maintain and extend the website CMS, including creating new content types, fields, and templates within established patterns
Troubleshoot content management issues and provide technical support to internal content editors
Implement updates and patches to keep the CMS current and secure
Document technical changes and maintain internal developer documentation
Website API Development and Integration
Create and maintain web API endpoints that serve content to the museum's mobile application(s)
Manage the integration between the web CMS and NetX DAMS, ensuring reliable synchronization of digital assets
Work with the mobile app development team to define endpoint requirements and deliver solutions
Monitor API performance and troubleshoot integration issues
Collaboration and Communication
Serve as the primary technical point of contact with outside app and web development partners
Triage technical requests and determine appropriate resolution path (internal vs. external development)
Participate in internal working groups managing other technical, IT, and transaction systems (such as TMS, Tessitura, Blocks Office, WaitWhile), representing the digital department's perspective and technical requirements
Participate in a structured onboarding program with the original web development team to gain comprehensive knowledge of the codebase and maintain ongoing engagement with our open source CMS’s developer and maintainer community
Document processes, decisions, and technical specifications for institutional knowledge
Analytical Rigor: Simplifies complex problems by using critical thinking to evaluate problems, gathering information, incorporating multiple perspectives, understanding causes, and identifying best-possible solutions. Invests time in planning, discovery, and reflection to drive better decisions and more efficient implementations. Adopts an audience-centric approach, understanding the needs of the audience and incorporating them, as appropriate, into the decision.
Courageous Communication: Intentionally works well with others both on the team and cross-functionally to achieve individual, team, department, or organizational goals. Values diverse input and working with others as a way to achieve the best output possible.
Collaborative Excellence: Displays courage when handling difficult conversations and genuinely and intentionally communicates. Relays key messages effectively, targeted to specific audiences. Identifies others' communication styles and perspectives, adjusting language and approach accordingly. Employs active listening to understand, rather than reply. Asks for, integrates, and values feedback from team, peers, and leaders.
Adaptive Resilience: Thrives and grows in a rapidly changing and complex environment. Displays flexibility, activates networks, and adopts a continuous growth mindset to learn from mistakes and bounce back from adversity.
Inclusive Interaction: Actively contributes to an environment in which all employees feel a sense of belonging, valued for their differences and empowered to participate and contribute freely.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or related field
- Minimum 3 years of experience in web development with a focus on back-end systems
- Familiarity with managed hosting environments and deployment workflows
- Experience with content management systems, preferably Twill or similar Laravel-based platforms
- Experience building and consuming RESTful APIs
- Experience with version control (Git) and collaborative development practices
Tools and technical proficiencies used daily in this role:
PHP and the Laravel framework
PostgreSQL databases
Command-line tools, Composer, and SSH
Git version control
Third-party API integrations
Front-end technologies (Blade templating, Tailwind CSS, JavaScript) sufficient to troubleshoot issues
Build tooling including Vite
Web analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Microsoft Clarity)
Conceptual understanding and domain expertise critical to success in this role:
API design principles and integration patterns
CMS architecture and content modeling
Caching strategies and CDN management
Web security best practices
Web accessibility standards and testing approaches
Experience with digital asset management systems and their APIs
Background in museums, cultural institutions, or organizations with public-facing digital content and experiences
Familiarity with Platform.sh/Upsun, or similar PaaS environments
$93,100 - $109,400 a year