Westar is hiring!

Westar Institute is hiring for a part-time contract Web Technician

Inquiries, Cover Letters, and Resumes to:

Dr. David Galston, Westar Executive Director (dgalston@westarinstitute.org)

DEADLINE: October 14, 2018

The Westar Institute is seeking a qualified individual to fill a flexible (8-15 hours/week), part-time, contract web technician position on a long-term basis. The individual must be self-motivated, detailed oriented, and able to work remotely at their place of residence or office. The individual will work directly with and report to the Westar Marketing Director. The position pays $20.00 per hour.

This position supports the Westar Institute’s nonprofit mission. The right person will bring her or his talents and technical know-how to help Westar share academic research in the history and philosophy of religion with the public in meaningful and engaging ways through diverse electronic formats.

The responsibilities include overseeing and maintaining www.westarinstitute.org and developing and assisting in email communications. A successful candidate will have excellent technical, problem solving, and analytical skills, will be an effective communicator, will have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and will hold the ability to employ and assist in the use of social media platforms including the creation and maintenance of email templates.

The successful candidate will hold competency with WordPress, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; will be able to troubleshoot technical issues effectively and as a team player; will be comfortable working in an environment where diverse religious and philosophical ideas are regularly discussed.

Experience with PHP, SEO, Google Analytics, Neon CRM, Constant Contact, UX, and design competencies is a plus. Front-end Responsibilities

• Identify and solve problems with a WordPress-powered website, e.g., glitches in the online store, forms, broken links, formatting issues, site speed, and accessibility across devices and browsers.
• Build new web pages and templates, e.g. online education pages (Sensei plug-in), national meeting platforms, and special projects.
• Build and maintain registration forms (Gravity Forms plug-in).
• Post new content and update existing content on the website.
• Support mailing list sign-ups, donations, sponsorship and advertising.
• Improve traffic flow across website.
• Format and send marketing and communications emails on Constant Contact
• Maintain integration between Neon CRM and website.

Back-end Responsibilities

• Maintain site compatibility across devices and web browsers.
• Maintain site compatibility with WordPress plug-ins.
• Track site performance & speed to ensure a good user experience.
• Troubleshoot—in a timely manner—complex problems with website functionality, such as a site crash, server or Internet Protocol (IP) access issues, or integration problems with WordPress plug-ins.
• Support integration of database into website in a way that protects client information with awareness of security and privacy issues.

As Marketing and Digital Education Director, Alexis Waggoner works closely with both Westar’s Marketing Committee and the Executive Director to advance the presence and value of Westar in our culture through social media and the use of digital media in public education. Alexis brings to Westar a unique blend of digital marketing and religious education experience. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary.