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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Programming Assistant

💰 $45,000 - $65,000

TechnologySoftware DevelopmentEntry-LevelIT Support

🎯 Role Definition

The Programming Assistant is a foundational support role integral to the success of our software development lifecycle. This position acts as a direct support mechanism for senior developers and engineering teams, handling a variety of essential tasks that enable the team to focus on complex architectural and development challenges. The role involves a blend of basic coding, script maintenance, debugging, testing, and documentation. This is a hands-on learning opportunity, providing direct exposure to professional coding standards, team collaboration, and the full scope of a project from conception to deployment. We see this role as a critical launchpad for a successful career in software engineering, offering mentorship and practical experience in a dynamic technical environment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Recent Computer Science or related degree graduates.
  • Graduates of intensive coding bootcamps.
  • IT Support or Helpdesk professionals seeking to transition into a development career.

Advancement To:

  • Junior Software Developer / Junior Software Engineer
  • Associate Application Developer
  • Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer

Lateral Moves:

  • QA Tester / Automation Tester
  • Technical Writer
  • DevOps Support Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Assist senior developers in writing and modifying clean, maintainable, and efficient code for various software applications and modules under direct supervision.
  • Provide direct support in the debugging and troubleshooting of software defects, running diagnostic tests and helping to identify the root cause of application errors.
  • Develop and maintain small-scale scripts for automation of repetitive tasks, such as data processing, build processes, or deployment steps.
  • Execute and document the results of various software tests, including unit tests, integration tests, and basic user acceptance tests, to ensure code quality and functionality.
  • Contribute to the creation and maintenance of comprehensive technical documentation, including code comments, API guides, and user manuals.
  • Manage and track assigned tasks, bugs, and feature requests using project management software like Jira or Azure DevOps.
  • Participate actively in code reviews by providing constructive feedback on peers' code and learning from the review of your own code by senior team members.
  • Help set up and configure development environments for new projects or new team members, ensuring all necessary tools and dependencies are correctly installed.
  • Convert specifications and requirements from business analysts or product managers into functional code for small, well-defined features.
  • Provide first-level technical support for internal tools and applications developed by the team, addressing user-reported issues and escalating when necessary.
  • Assist in the version control process using Git, including branching, merging, and handling merge conflicts under the guidance of a senior developer.
  • Research and evaluate new technologies, libraries, and tools that could improve the development team's efficiency and present findings to the team.
  • Refactor and optimize existing code to improve performance, readability, and scalability under the direction of a project lead.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis by writing simple SQL queries to extract information from company databases.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by helping to document data sources and flows.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements, primarily by documenting user stories and acceptance criteria.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team, such as daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
  • Monitor application performance and system health using dashboards and alerting tools, reporting anomalies to the appropriate team members.
  • Assist in the preparation of release notes and deployment plans for upcoming software launches.
  • Help maintain the team's knowledge base or wiki with up-to-date technical information, setup guides, and best practices.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Fundamental Programming: Proficiency in at least one core programming language such as Python, JavaScript, Java, or C#.
  • Version Control Systems: Hands-on experience with Git, including basic commands for cloning, branching, committing, and pushing code.
  • Web Development Basics: Understanding of HTML, CSS, and fundamental JavaScript concepts for front-end support tasks.
  • Database Knowledge: Familiarity with basic SQL for querying relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server).
  • Command Line Interface (CLI): Comfort working with a terminal or command prompt for running scripts and managing files.
  • Debugging Tools: Ability to use IDE-integrated debuggers or browser developer tools to step through code and inspect variables.
  • API Fundamentals: Basic understanding of RESTful APIs and how to make requests to them using tools like Postman or cURL.

Soft Skills

  • Strong Attention to Detail: Meticulous in reviewing code, writing documentation, and testing to ensure accuracy and quality.
  • Problem-Solving Mindset: A natural curiosity and methodical approach to identifying and resolving technical issues.
  • Eagerness to Learn: Proactive in seeking out new knowledge, accepting feedback, and quickly acquiring new technical skills.
  • Effective Communication: Ability to clearly and concisely communicate technical issues and task status to both technical and non-technical team members.
  • Teamwork & Collaboration: A cooperative spirit and the ability to work effectively within a team, supporting colleagues to achieve shared goals.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High School Diploma or equivalent, combined with a certificate from a reputable coding bootcamp or significant, demonstrable self-taught experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Software Engineering
  • Management Information Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0-2 years of relevant experience.

Preferred:

  • Internship or co-op experience in a software development or IT role.
  • A portfolio of personal or academic projects (e.g., on GitHub) that demonstrates coding ability and an understanding of software development principles.
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