Front-End Developer (Job ID: 2023-3182)

Join one of the most influential, most quoted and most trusted think tanks!  

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.  

We bring together leading experts in government and academia from all over the world, rooted in open-minded inquiry and representing diverse points of view, who provide the highest quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis. Research topics cover a full range of public policy issues in economics, foreign policy, development, governance and metropolitan policy. 

With fair and transparent business practices, clear communication, mutual respect, and a collaborative atmosphere that offers both professional and personal development opportunities, Brookings offers an inclusive and welcoming workplace that values the efforts of all contributors. 

The Office of Communications is a centralized service unit that develops effective communications products and strategies to empower and share impactful scholar messages to wide audiences. The Office of Communications meets the daily needs of the institution through web development and publication support, convening and event support, multimedia services like video, animations, and podcasting, governance of visual design and brand systems, social media management, and institutional brand and media communications.

Position Location: Most Brookings positions are hybrid, combining regular in-person presence at our Washington, DC, office with the option of at least two days of remote work each week. We will prioritize candidates in or willing to relocate to the DC area for hybrid work, but will also consider remote applicants. Remote work applicants may not work from the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. 

Vaccine Policy: Brookings requires all staff and visitors to submit proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19 to be in Brookings buildings.   

Individuals that (i) have a qualifying medical condition that contraindicates a COVID-19 vaccination, or (ii) who object to being vaccinated based on a sincerely held religious belief, may request a reasonable accommodation.  Brookings policies on masks and other pandemic mitigation measures will continue to be informed by DC and CDC guidelines.    

Ready to contribute to Brookings success? 

The Front-End Developer handles the coding and development of custom data visualizations, interactives and landing pages to highlight research by Brookings scholars, in collaboration with visual designers and project managers in the Office of Communications. The Front-End Developer also advises staff across Brookings on website standards and best practices in front-end development, including code review, troubleshooting, and drafting of documentation for updating data visualizations, interactives, and landing pages.

Front-End Development  (80%)

• Handle coding and development of custom data visualizations, interactives and landing pages to highlight research by Brookings scholars, in collaboration with visual designers and project managers in the Office of Communications
• Scope technical work required to implement projects and create development timelines
• Work directly with nontechnical stakeholders to develop data visualizations and interactives, through tasks such as drafting functional requirements, providing guidance on data formatting, and creating templates for data format
• Advise research staff who may be building their own data visualizations or interactives on how to properly code their work and ensure that it meets brookings.edu website standards, and conduct code reviews of these visualizations or interactives before publishing on the website
• Advise research program web managers and others on best practices and proper use of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. on the brookings.edu website, and troubleshoot front-end coding issues as needed
• Draft documentation for both technical and non-technical staff for updating custom data visualizations, interactives, and landing pages, as needed
• Provide other front-end web development support to Office of Communications staff and others, as needed

General Support  (20%)

• Engage with developers at our website vendor to fix site bugs and to make other improvements to the site, as needed
• Work with our web analytics vendor to set up analytics tracking in Google Tag Manager, as needed

Ready to make an impact? In this role, you will support Brookings values of collegiality, respect, inclusion, diversity and community, and bring the following qualifications: 

Education/Experience Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree required, degree in computer science preferred. Minimum three years of work experience developing for the web. Must present online portfolio of work that shows versatile web coding ability. Experience with front-end and back-end development. Experience developing templates for CMS preferred. Familiarity with optimizing graphics for online use required.  Must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.

Knowledge/Skills Requirements: 

Thorough knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and responsive design. Familiar with WordPress and other CMS templating to maintain quality assurance on final products. Familiarity with PHP not required, but nice to have. Experience with SQL, Google Analytics, Big Query and Google Tag Manager preferred. Working knowledge of other aspects of web development and technologies. Familiarity with compatibility and cross-platform issues related to the major browsers and operating systems. Excellent spoken, written, and visual communication skills. Ability to meet tough deadlines and juggle multiple projects.

Additional Information: 

What can we offer you? Brookings provides a generous benefit package that is comprehensive and includes both traditional benefits and unique offerings. 

Brookings requires that all applicants submit a cover letter and resume. Please attach your cover letter and resume as one document when you apply. Please note: if you have applied to more than one Brookings job opening you should add a position-specific cover letter as a separate attachment. 

Successful completion of a background investigation is required for employment at Brookings. 

Brookings welcomes and celebrates diversity in all its forms.  We welcome applications that reflect a variety of backgrounds based on ideology, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, first generation college goers, and other factors protected by law. Brookings is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace.