Technology Intern, Open Technology Initiative (Spring 2012)

The Open Technology Initiative (OTI) seeks a tech savvy, well organized, self-starter to become a technology intern. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and work well without daily management. They should have a knack for how to make useful software with usable interfaces, high standards for building quality software, and enjoy doing work for beneficial causes. The intern will be responsible for gathering requirements; writing software design specifications at an appropriate level for the project; developing well documented, intelligent code; testing software; giving assignments to other team members; presenting your projects; and, related technology work.

OTI formulates policy and regulatory reforms to support open architectures and open source innovations and facilitates the development and implementation of open technologies and communications networks worldwide. The internship offers a great opportunity to be part of a close-knit, diverse group of creative multi-talented technologists and policy experts.

The position is unpaid.

Responsibilities

Build database-driven open standard network and web applications on multiple platforms.
Create open source on-line communities.
Work on project teams with visual designers, marketing experts, product managers and more.
Collaborate using SVN and CVS, bug trackers, instant messaging and New America Foundation's suite of project tools.
Continually learn new skills and share knowledge to improve team practices.
Gather project requirements and envision creative solutions.
Design software by choosing tools, creating usable interfaces, building databases.
Give assignments to and receive assignments from other developers.
Oversee testing for browser compatibility, accessibility, and web standards.
Write documentation, manage a bug queue, and oversee code quality.

Qualifications

Ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

A strong understanding of networking systems including TCP/IP and Ethernet.
Ability to develop and release networking, web-based, and database-driven applications.
Experience developing C, C++, Java, Python, Perl, and/or PHP.
Experience developing and maintaining relational databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL.
Experience with UNIX/Linux or Windows environments, and distributed systems.
Effective organizing and communication skills.
Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
Have a meticulous, self-motivated, and friendly nature.
Excellent leadership, communication and teamwork skills.
Experience building a modern web environment with XHTML, CSS, Javascript, and AJAX.
Experience developing open source frameworks and APIs to help create interfaces to online systems.
Strong, clean visual design sense.
Strong interest in communications technologies.

Application Process

Mail, fax, or email a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample (up to six pages) to: Human Resources, New America Foundation, 1899 L St., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036. Fax: 202-986-3696. E-mail: jobs@newamerica.net. Please state “Technology Internship, Open Technology Initiative: in the email subject line. No phone calls please.