Academic & Emerging Technology Developer

Boston College Introduction

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,654 full-time undergraduates and 5,072 graduate and professional students. Ranked 37 among national universities, Boston College has 923 full-time and 1,336 FTE faculty, 2,822 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.9 billion.

Job Description

The Academic & Emerging Technology Developer designs and builds the applications, scripts, and integrations that Boston College Law School’s administrative departments rely on, helps departments improve the processes behind their work, and works with departments and faculty to make effective and responsible use of generative AI. The role has two principal areas of
responsibility.

In the first, the position works with administrative departments to examine and improve their administrative processes, developing applications, scripts, reports, and integrations-often to meet needs the law school cannot address with off-the-shelf software-that reduce manual work, connect separate systems, and make information easier to use for faculty, staff, and students. This work draws on generative AI where helpful but is not defined by it.

In the second, the position works directly with administrative departments and faculty to identify where generative AI can strengthen their work and to put those uses into practice, providing consultation and hands-on support. It also assists the Associate Director for Administrative and Technology Services in developing and maintaining the law school’s AI knowledge hub and related resources on the effective, ethical, and responsible use of generative AI.

The Academic & Emerging Technology Developer serves the law school community-60+ faculty, approximately 12 administrative departments, and the staff and students those departments support-with particular emphasis on administrative departments as well as the law school’s adoption of generative AI and other emerging technologies. The position works
under the direction of the Associate Director for Administrative and Technology Services. It is not responsible for a budget or the supervision of staff.

The position’s work may affect faculty, staff, students, and clinical programs, as well as operations such as academic planning, institutional reporting, and daily operations. The position collaborates closely with the Associate Director, colleagues in Administrative and Technology Resources, and administrative departments across the law school. In matters concerning AI, it operates within the strategy and governance maintained by the Associate Director and the tool decisions made by law school leadership on the Associate Director’s recommendation; the Associate Director coordinates with Boston College Information Technology Services (ITS), university AI governance bodies, and the Faculty Director for AI Initiatives (1-year position
occupied by Maureen Van Nest). The position provides technical support for the projects of the Faculty Director for AI Initiatives as directed by, and coordinated through, the Associate Director.

Salary commensurate with relevant experience $78,100 to $97,650.

Requirements

Of particular importance for this role are Applying Technology and Continuous Learning, as the position builds and supports tools in a field-generative AI in particular-that is evolving rapidly; Communication, as the position must explain technical matters clearly to colleagues with widely varying levels of technical experience, in writing, in documentation, and in instruction; Customer Focus, as the work exists to serve the departments, faculty, and staff of the law school; Decision Making/Problem Solving, as the work is frequently open-ended and demands sound judgment, particularly with respect to data security and the responsible use of AI; and Openness to
Change, as the position helps the law school adopt and adapt to emerging technologies.

Required:
* Ability to design, build, test, document, and maintain scripts, applications, integrations, and data tools.
* Proficiency in at least one of JavaScript or Python, and the ability to learn the other.
* Experience with Google Workspace, spreadsheets, forms, and structured data.
* Experience working with APIs, or a demonstrated ability to learn them.
* Familiarity with generative AI tools and the ability to help others use them responsibly.
* Ability to prepare clear written guides, FAQs, training materials, and documentation, and to explain technical concepts to nontechnical colleagues.
* Ability to elicit requirements from nontechnical users and translate them into working tools.
* Sound judgment regarding data privacy, confidentiality, security, and accessibility, and a
clear sense of when to seek guidance.

Preferred:
* Experience with generative AI APIs, prompt design, or AI-assisted development.
* Experience integrating separate systems through their APIs, including moving or synchronizing data between them.
* Experience with Google Cloud Platform or a comparable cloud environment.
* Experience developing or maintaining documentation sites, resource hubs, or training programs.
* Experience with institutional reporting, data cleaning, dashboards, or academic planning tools.
* Experience with SQL
* Experience with version control (Git/GitHub).

Familiarity with higher education, legal education, law school administration, or legal technology.
* A portfolio or examples of prior work, such as scripts, tools, documentation, or training
materials.

A Bachelor’s degree is required. Coursework, training, or equivalent experience in computer science, information technology, data analytics, software development, library and information science, or a related field is preferred. No specific certification, licensure, or registration is required.

Three or more years of relevant experience is required, in areas such as the development of tools or applications, scripting, systems integration, technology training, or documentation. Experience in higher education, legal education, the legal profession, libraries, or a comparable mission-driven setting is preferred, as is experience working directly with nontechnical users to understand their needs, develop tools, and provide training and support.

Closing Statement

Boston College offers a broad and competitive range of benefits depending on your job classification eligibility:

• Tuition remission for Employees
• Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements
• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Low-Cost Life Insurance
• Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored 403b Retirement Plans
• Paid Holidays Annually
• Generous Sick and Vacation Pay
• Additional benefits can be found on https://www.bc.edu/employeehandbook

Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.

Boston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected category, including disability and protected veteran status. Boston College’s Notice of Nondiscrimination can be viewed at https://www.bc.edu/nondiscrimination.

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