Java Technical Advisor

Role Overview 

The primary mission of the Java Technical Advisor is to support aspiring Java Developers in their learning journey to become knowledgeable in Object-Oriented design and capable of developing client/server applications using Java, Spring, and SQL-based databases as well as supporting them to become job-ready professionals and succeed in technical interviews.

The Java Technical Advisor will report directly to the Coordinator, Technical Learning Support, and works primarily with Java Learners as well as the broader Technical Advisory and Professional Coaching teams across Merit America. Learners will be taking online Java lessons from a leading advising provider but will also need direct feedback, support, and mentorship - that’s where you come in. 

Role Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Java Technical Advisor will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Manage learners’ Java skill-development and ensure their job-readiness, including:

• Reviewing learners’ completed assignments/projects and providing thoughtful feedback, including guidance on how to improve their skills. (10%)
• Hosting virtual office hours for learners to attend when they have questions, while they work through lessons or assignments/projects (30%)
• Meeting with learners 1:1 to provide personalized feedback and skill development (5%)
• Hosting weekly group (~40 participants) technical skill development and review "squad" sessions (30%)
• Responding to learners in Slack and calls to answer technical questions learners have as they work through lessons or assignments/projects (20%)
• Offering mentorship and guidance to learners about Java-related careers based on professional experiences (5%)

Shape future training and programming, including:

• Providing expertise and insight on how to best train for Java development skills and which skills are differentially critical in today's workforce
• Providing feedback and insights regarding improved learner training experience, helping Merit America to continuously improve its Java training program.
• Our focus is having the Java Technical Advisor directly interact with learners and provide the nuanced guidance and support they need that will supplement their coursework and related program activities.

Skills and Competencies

We know that women, people of color, and individuals with disabilities are often less likely to apply to a position if they don’t match 100% of the job qualifications.  Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity!  We encourage you to apply if you can demonstrate many of these skills and competencies. Below are the skills that are relevant for thriving in this role:

• Content Expertise - Java development skills: Strong Java skills and knowledge, including Object and classes, inheritance/polymorphism, overloading/overriding, exceptions, unit testing, primitive and built-in object types (e.g. Strings, Arrays, Collections), abstract classes and interfaces,, generics, Spring (Boot) Framework, etc.
• Content Expertise - Related technical skills: Strong skills and knowledge of enterprise client/server development concepts such as SQL, Agile development (and platforms such as Jira), REST APIs, 12 Factor Design, AWS deployment, and Microservices
• Social-Impact Mindset: Desire to work directly with populations with less access to opportunities and meaningfully improve their lives and career trajectories. Demonstrated passion for our organizational mission and impact and dedication to driving diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Deep Empathy: strong empathy and ability to build relationships with people from diverse backgrounds
• Communication: Strong interpersonal and verbal/written communication skills to provide learners with constructive feedback
• Operational Excellence: Ability to manage your schedule and balance multiple demands, with demonstrated success working in fast-paced environments and solving problems creatively
• Lifelong learning: Commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing personal and professional development

Details/Logistics

• Timing: This is a part-time position (10-20+ hours/week) and is not eligible for benefits
• Location: Remote. The role will require evening and weekend availability. 
• Compensation: $60/hr.

Our goal is to have competitive and equitable compensation.  We have a market-based compensation approach, which means we benchmark each role from reputable data sources. We compare our benchmarks against similarly sized non-profit organizations with comparable annual budgets and geographical areas. We pay the same rate for the same roles and adjust to comply with statutory mandates.