Ideal Candidate

You are passionate about the possibilities of the Internet as a medium, and about your role in building innovative solutions and finding the right way around every obstacle. You have the voice of a strong leader, but the spirit of a great collaborator. You care as much about your code as you do about usability, you think as much about where technology is going as where it is now, and you strive to make a difference with every project. You have a pixel-perfect approach to interface work, building page templates that conform exactly to designer layouts and specs.

Your working environment and coworkers matter to you, and you enjoy sharing your ideas and sense of humour with them as you embark on new adventures. You are careful with your time and can estimate the work involved on a task with accuracy, which you then complete with precision and pragmatism. No bug is too small; you exterminate them with commitment and dedication. To you there are no “known issues,” just unknown possibilities, and discovering them is the reason you love doing what you do.

Responsibilities

You will create and document complex web-based applications in PHP and MySQL following established standards and methodologies, primarily in a Linux environment. You will be responsible for fully documenting your work both in the code (following the phpDoc format) and, where necessary, in technical and user documentation manuals.

Need-to-have Qualifications

• You have experience in assessing functional project requirements and interpreting them into technical development projects, which you can then expertly code with your mad kung fu skills.
• You must be able to hand-code PHP, SQL queries, JavaScript, HTML and CSS (perhaps even in your sleep). Experience with PEAR and phpDoc would be a great bonus.
• You are strong at writing and optimizing MySQL queries, as well as designing and optimizing MySQL database schemas. Experience with other RDBMS would come in handy, too.
• You must have experience developing PHP sites running under Apache for Linux. At HTC, we run Mac, Linux and Windows.
• Your integration work is impeccable, designers love working with you because of your keen eye for detail and faithfully built interfaces. 
• You have experience with Bugzilla, Trac, CVS and/or Subversion.
• You are dedicated to delivering projects within time requirements while adhering to established quality and documentation standards.
• IE6 isn’t dead yet: you must have a general understanding of cross-platform, cross-browser compatibility issues.

DO NOT APPLY UNLESS YOU ARE A PHP/MySQL WIZARD OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.

Nice-to-have Qualifications

You can bring a little something special to the table if you:

• Have experience installing and maintaining Linux-based web and database servers
• Possess two years' experience developing object-oriented, database-driven PHP web applications in a corporate environment.
• Are capable of developing PHP-driven web sites that work well with Internet Explorer (PC), Firefox/Mozilla (Mac, PC), and Safari Mac.
• Have experience with search engine optimization and/or search engine marketing.
• Have excellent English and French verbal and written communications skills.
• Are able to learn and adapt to change quickly and easily, and you appreciate a challenge.
• Have experience building successful mobile apps.
• Can play Guitar Hero on hard. Seriously, most of us are stuck on Medium.

Personal Qualities

If you are going to succeed with us, you need to be a:

• Hard working, career-oriented and motivated professional
• Producer of great work
• Team player 
• Strong communicator
• Fast and efficient coder
• Quick learner
• Breeze to get along with
• Keen follower of current web and tech trends

About Us
High-Touch Communications was founded in 1982 as a marketing and design company, and we’ve evolved into a Branding & Web firm that delivers results-driven, complete solutions. We like combining expertise in strategy, design and technology so we value team members you can approach our projects with a total perspective. We are located in a beautiful loft office, and we are a small, but dynamic team of Web professionals. Strong performers enjoy great perks, and initiative is greatly appreciated. 

We are also developers of high-end Web-based productivity software including IgnitionWeb (www.ignitionweb.com), Internet marketing software and a robust Content Management System (CMS) that empowers businesses to Inform, Promote and Transact online, and HourGlass (www.hourglass.ca), a time tracking and project management application for companies who bill for time and materials.