Status on NPO Accounting project: Conservancy seeks a contractor to begin work

[Bradley M. Kuhn]

Thank you all for assembling here on the public mailing list for
Conservancy's NPO Accounting software project.  I wanted to briefly
explain the reason for Conservancy's silence on this list.

As can be seen from the campaign page (at
https://sfconservancy.org/campaign/ ), Conservancy still hasn't reached
our fundraising target, and as such, our plan of hiring a full-time
staffer for one year to work on the project furthermore requires
modification.  As we promised in the campaign page:
> Conservancy is committed to doing this work described herein, but
> cannot promise to complete the work if the fundraising goal is not
> reached. If the fundraising goal is not reached, Conservancy will do
> its best to make progress on the plan above with the resources
> available.

We've been talking internally at Conservancy for about a month for how
to make the best use of the funds we've raised so far to get started.
Conservancy has decided that we'd like to hire a contractor for six
months to get the project going.  This isn't an ideal way to get a Free
Software project started, but given the funds we have available now,
this seems the best way to proceed.

The job posting is up on Conservancy's website at:
  https://sfconservancy.org/news/2013/aug/26/software-architect/

and is also included here below.  If you know someone who would make a
good candidate for this work, please ask them to review the job posting,
and if, they meet the requirements, to please apply.

Thanks in advance to the Free Software community for helping us find the
right person!
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Permalink: https://sfconservancy.org/news/2013/aug/26/software-architect/

          Conservancy Seeks Systems Analyst / Software Architect
                  for Six-Month Consulting Position

Based in Brooklyn, NY, USA, Software Freedom Conservancy is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit fiscal sponsor organization for Open Source and Free Software
projects, offering a variety of services to these projects.

Conservancy recently raised funds to begin work on an Open Source and
Free Software non-profit accounting system, specifically tuned to the
needs of fiscal sponsors (but we seek to make the system useful to all
non-profits eventually).

In the first phase of this project, Conservancy seeks the talent of an
experienced systems analyst and software designer to complete a
six-month contract project (with the possibility of extension).

In the first six months, the right candidate should be prepared to
accomplish the following goals:

   * Coordinate with Conservancy in the authorship of clear use-cases
     (and tests cases, where applicable) related to non-profit
     accounting and fiscal sponsorship work.

   * Coordinate and discuss with the Open Source and Free Software
     community the plans for the project and assist in the management of
     relationships with a coalition of organizations interested in using
     the software.

   * Evaluate existing Open Source and Free Software account software
     codebases to determine their suitability, robustness, and
     adaptability for this project.  Assist the organization in
     selecting the best possible codebase from all those available.

   * Assist in the drafting of a topologically-sorted series of discrete
     software development tasks that must be completed for the project
     to succeed, that can be assigned to independent developers and/or
     utilized as part of bounty and/or crowd-funding programs.

This opportunity will allow the right candidate to serve an instrumental
role in the launching of an important Open Source and Free Software
development project which has already been endorsed by many key Open
Source and Free Software non-profit organizations.

Successful candidates will have a proven track record of software
project management, design, and analysis experience, specifically in
Open Source and Free Software.  This is not an entry-level position: we
need someone with substantial Free Software project experience and the
ability to be productive immediately, working directly with the
Conservancy's management team to complete this six-month effort within a
very limited budget.  Excellent (near-native-speaker level) reading,
writing and speaking skills in English are a must.

This is a temporary, six-month, hourly contractor position for
approximately 40 hours/week.  Conservancy is open to considering the
same candidate to continue on in the later phases of the project,
following a full performance evaluation at the six-month mark.

Conservancy is located in Brooklyn, NY.  Preference will be given to
local candidates who can meet with us frequently at in-person meetings;
however, Conservancy remains open to candidates worldwide who are
prepared to work during US/Eastern business hours and have frequent
phone calls and IRC discussions with staff.

Note that Conservancy is a non-profit charity and its hourly contract
rates are *not* commensurate with similar positions in for-profit
industry.  Hourly rate is negotiable, but successful candidates must be
prepared to accept a "low bono" rate to help a charity whose mission is
to promote and improve Open Source and Free Software.

                               HOW TO APPLY

Applications will be accepted by email only, sent to
<software-contractor at sfconservancy.org>.  Applications should consist of
a cover letter, a resume or CV, and a publicly available portfolio of
your work in Open Source and Free Software design and development.  All
materials must be submitted in plain text or PDF format (or, with regard
to the portfolio, point us to websites that gracefully degrade without
Javascript support).  Applications that include documents in proprietary
formats (for example, Microsoft Word .doc format) will be immediately
rejected without consideration.

Applications must be received by 18:00 on Friday 13 September 2013, but
please apply early, as interviews will be on a rolling basis.  An
immediate start date is preferred once the right candidate is found.
######################################################################
-- 
Bradley M. Kuhn, Executive Director, Software Freedom Conservancy