November 15, 2011

BP Unfiltered

Want to Work in Baseball?

by Stephani Bee

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PROGRAMMER, BASEBALL SYSTEMS

The Oakland Athletics are currently seeking a Full-Time Programmer, Baseball Systems. This position reports to the senior Baseball Operations staff and will assist in the development and operation of an aggregated player information and evaluation system. This position requires strong statistical, database management, and software development skills and experience, as well as a demonstrated ability for independent thought and for working within a team framework.

Duties/Expectations:  Responsible for, but not limited to the following:                                                           

• Work with senior Baseball Operations staff to develop and implement player management system, including regularly reporting on progress once project is underway
• Employ an iterative software development approach to ensure quick roll-out along with incremental improvements to developed player management system over time
• Create specifications for application through gathering and documentation of user requirements
• Prepare detailed design specifications defining system architecture and object relationships and functions and review specifications with Baseball Operations and IT management to validate design
• Design underlying data architecture for player management system while adhering to rules of normalization and database design practices to produce efficient and intuitive data structures
• Create database tables, stored procedures, and views using Microsoft SQL Server and associated tools
• Develop player management application using Microsoft VB.NET and other relevant tools while making use of industry best practices and recommended coding standards to write clear, readable, and efficient code
• Coordinate with 3^rd party providers of data and multimedia to effectively integrate those systems into underlying data architecture and player management system
• Design and develop procedures to calculate advanced player statistics and manage player evaluations, rankings, and other information into a coherent and cohesive system
• Program graphical and tabular layouts of information as appropriate to optimize user experience for Baseball Operations staff
• Continue to identify features and functions to be incorporated into the player management system, including solicitation of feedback from Baseball Operations staff and involvement in staff meetings to evaluate system and prioritize additions/improvements
• Responsible for training staff on use of system, including in-person training and development and maintenance of a reference manual
• Provide ongoing support and troubleshooting of system, including upgrades to take advantage of new technology
• Work with IT department to address any infrastructure needs (hardware, bandwidth, etc.), and provide regular updates to Baseball Operations staff on ongoing and future software development costs for budgeting purposes

Qualifications/Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent; advanced degree strongly preferred
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience developing enterprise level applications using Microsoft VB.NET and SQL Server
• Experience with software development, including requirements definition, design, development, testing, implementation, and iterative improvement
• Ability to design and implement complex database structures using SQL Server tools
• Experience integrating multiple data sources, formats, and media into a single application
• Familiarity with the following programming languages: C, PHP, Javascript, and Perl
• Working familiarity with advanced statistical concepts, particularly those relevant to sabermetric player evaluation techniques including experience implementing statistical calculations, derivations, and graphical representations into software applications (Experience with R programming language a plus)
• Ability to communicate effectively with all aspects of Baseball Operations, Scouting and Player Development staffs, and understand their job functions and subsequent software needs
• Passion for baseball, strong intellectual curiosity, and ability to work within team framework highly desired
• Candidate must be available to work non-traditional hours (various nights, weekends, holidays)

Please apply via our TeamWork Online database: http://baseballjobs.teamworkonline.com/teamwork/jobs/jobskey.cfm?s=Oakland+Athletics

 The Oakland A’s are an Equal Opportunity Employer  

Note: The A's request that if you do apply for this position, please include the fact that you saw this job posting at Baseball Prospectus in your cover letter. 

Stephani Bee is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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