Full Stack Java Web Developer

Job Description

For over 200 years, Stark Bro’s Nurseries & Orchards Co. has leveraged technology to improve its business operations and customer experiences. As we continue into the next 200 years of growth and success, the Stark Bro’s IT team is seeking an experienced Full Stack Java Web Developer to help enhance our ecommerce platform and technologies.

Do you…

• Love Java web development?
• Want to work in a casual environment without a lot of bureaucracy?
• Want to be part of a small, talented team of developers and designers?
• Want to have a direct impact on the success of the company and its employees?
• Hate being considered another code monkey or cog in the corporate machine?
• Enjoy working with multiple technologies instead of being put in a box?
• Like the idea of taking fun and challenging projects through their complete life cycle?
• Love nature, fruit, and companies that care about our planet?

If you answered YES to these questions (well… you don’t really have to like fruit :), then we want to hear from you!

Stark Bro’s is a family-owned, world leader in the development and sale of fruit trees, garden plants, and gardening supplies. We’ve got big plans and we want you to help us turn those plans into reality. You’ll work with our seasoned developers and designers to take our ecommerce and other platforms to the next level. Ideally, you have some experience in ecommerce development, but regardless, you’ll learn the intricacies of shopping carts, search, SEO, and more. We hope to incorporate your knowledge and experience to make our platforms even better!

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with our IT and Marketing teams to research, implement, and test improvements to our custom ecommerce platform and supporting systems.
• Develop efficient backend Java code on the Apache Wicket framework to improve website performance and support marketing and operations improvements.
• Troubleshoot and address issues to keep our ecommerce site in tip-top shape.
• Test and deploy ecommerce platform and related infrastructure updates and enhancements.
• Develop an in-depth knowledge of ecommerce technologies and related company operations like inventory management, shipping, payment processing, etc.
• Develop and maintain thorough project documentation.
• Help prioritize and estimate time required for tasks.

Our Technology Stack

Our ecommerce technology stack consists of Linux, Apache, Tomcat, Java with Apache Wicket, and MS SQL Server. This is the bulk of what you’ll be working in. Of course, there are lots of little add-on tech and plug-ins to spice things up. Our internal systems for ERP typically run a full .NET stack. If you’re interested in that as well, we can talk about it!

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 3+ years of experience developing web applications in Java, both front end and server-side code.
• Experience with front end languages like HTML, XML, JavaScript, JSON, etc. (HTML5 & CSS experience a bonus!)
• Experience developing applications that communicate with third-party APIs and services using REST or other web service technologies.
• Experience writing SQL queries, creating, and modifying database schemas. MS SQL Server and stored procedure experience a plus.
• Excellent analytical and written communication skills, including experience documenting business processes and requirements.

The following additional qualifications would be a plus. If not, we will teach you!

• Apache Wicket experience a huge bonus!
• Experience with other ecommerce or shopping cart platforms.
• Linux server and app server experience, including HTTPD, Tomcat, load balancing, etc.
• Knowledge of website security best practices.
• Familiarity with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)
• Mobile web development and experience with responsive website design using frameworks such as Bootstrap.
• Client-side stylesheet development including CSS, LESS, and/or SASS.
• Experience in working with JIRA Issue Tracking and other Atlasian tools.
• Experience in other server-side and web development technologies like C#, VB.NET, KnockoutJS, Single Page Application development, etc.

Credentials and Experience

3-6 years related professional experience preferred, but we are open to recent Computer Science college graduates.

Working conditions & Special Requirements

Vast majority of time spent in an office environment, though some exposure to warehouse and plant growing environments is required to further one’s education regarding the company.

Work Location

Most of our IT team works remotely from home, with occasional travel to our main office in Louisiana MO. Candidate has the option to work full time in our home office in Louisiana, MO.

If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you! Email us your resume, and please clearly state that you have Java development experience and how much. (We value JavaScript experience too, but it’s not the same thing and Java experience is crucial to this role.)