Front End Web Developer
Marketing & Communication

Description

JOB SUMMARY: The Front End Web Developer is a key member of the Gustavus Adolphus College Marketing & Communications team, responsible for building and maintaining the digital experiences that shape how prospective students, current students, alumni and the broader public encounter the college online. Reporting to the Senior Director of Marketing, this role brings together technical expertise in Drupal development, a strong design sensibility and a working command of content strategy and SEO to ensure the college's web presence is polished, performant and purposeful.

This role works in close, ongoing partnership with the Gustavus internal IT department (Gustavus Technology Services) on infrastructure, security, platform maintenance and technical standards. The ability to collaborate effectively across both teams is essential to the role.

This is a hybrid position with a flexible mix of on-campus and remote work. On-campus presence is expected for key team meetings, collaborative sprints and launch moments; remote flexibility supports focused development work.

Employment Status: Full-Time (1.0 FTE), Exempt (Salaried), Benefits Eligible

Salary Range: $55,000-70,000 annually

How to apply: Continue here or visit https://gustavus.edu/jobs/ to complete the online application and submit a resume. A cover letter is optional. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

***Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position**

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Drupal Development & CMS Management

• Develop, maintain and improve the college's Drupal-based website, including custom theme development (Twig), content type configuration, and front end component work.
• Serve as a primary CMS resource for content editors across campus; building intuitive templates and paragraph components, maintaining editorial workflows and providing training and documentation for non-technical users.
• Conduct regular content audits to identify outdated material, structural gaps and opportunities to improve clarity and findability across priority pages.
• Manage Drupal front end dependencies and ensure theme code is clean, well-documented and version-controlled via Git.
• Coordinate with Back End Developer and Gustavus Technology Services (GTS), the college's internal IT department and/or external development partners on Drupal updates, security patches, hosting environments and performance optimization; serve as a consistent point of contact between MarCom and GTS on web platform matters.

SEO Strategy & Implementation

• Own the college's on-site SEO program: keyword research, metadata strategy, heading hierarchy, internal linking and URL structure across priority pages.
• Implement and maintain technical SEO fundamentals; page speed, crawlability, mobile performance, structured data (schema markup) and XML sitemaps; within the Drupal environment.
• Conduct regular SEO audits using tools such as Google Search Console or Semrush and translate findings into prioritized action plans.
• Partner with content and communications colleagues to integrate SEO best practices into the content creation process, including meta descriptions, image alt text and editorial tagging.
• Track and report on organic search performance, making data-informed recommendations to improve visibility for key enrollment and institutional audiences.

Front End Design & User Experience

• Translate brand guidelines and designer comps into accurate, responsive, accessible web experiences with close attention to typography, layout and visual consistency.
• Collaborate with the Creative Director/Senior Graphic Designer to develop and iterate on new page templates, landing pages and campaign microsites that align with institutional brand standards.
• Champion WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance across all digital properties, conducting periodic audits and driving remediation.
• Maintain and evolve a shared front end component library that enables consistent, efficient digital production across the team.
• Bring a design-literate perspective to team reviews, surfacing opportunities to improve visual hierarchy, user flow and overall quality.

Analytics & Digital Performance

• Support implementation of Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager to ensure accurate tracking of key web events and user behavior.
• Assist in interpreting site performance data and contribute to regular reporting on traffic, engagement and conversion metrics.
• Participate in A/B testing and optimization initiatives in collaboration with the broader marketing team.
• Contribute to strategic discussions about MarCom planning and how it impacts the website, including content, user experience, design, and search engine optimization.

Prerequisites

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Web Development, Digital Communications, Computer Science or a related field; equivalent professional experience considered.
• 3+ years of professional front end web development experience, with at least 2 years of hands-on Drupal development (version 9 or 10 strongly preferred).
• Experience working in a higher education, nonprofit, or other mission-driven institutional environment preferred.
• Proficiency in HTML5, CSS3, and modern JavaScript (ES6+); experience with Drupal theme development using Twig templating.
• Demonstrated experience owning or significantly contributing to an SEO program, including technical SEO, metadata strategy, and use of tools such as Google Search Console or Semrush.
• Experience managing content in a large-scale CMS: building templates, supporting content editors, and maintaining editorial workflows.
• Familiarity with Drupal tooling including Composer, Drush, and Git-based version control workflows.
• Working knowledge of web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA) and responsive design principles.
• Familiarity with Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Tag Manager.
• Ability to translate technical concepts clearly for non-technical colleagues across marketing, enrollment and academic departments.
• Experience collaborating with a central IT or technology services team; comfortable navigating shared ownership of infrastructure, security and platform decisions.
• Strong design sensibility: ability to work from designer comps and apply brand guidelines with care and consistency.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally in a collaborative, deadline-driven environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education marketing or enrollment management contexts, with an understanding of student recruitment communications and lifecycle marketing.
• Familiarity with CSS preprocessors (Sass) and front end build tools (Webpack, Vite).
• Experience with email marketing platforms (Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Mailchimp, or similar) and HTML email template development.
• Familiarity with local Drupal development environments such as DDEV or Lando.
• Drupal certification or equivalent demonstrated expertise.
• Exposure to UX research methods, usability testing, or information architecture work.

Schedule & Work Environment

This is a hybrid position, with a mix of on-campus work and flexibility for remote work. Specific hybrid arrangements are established in coordination with the supervisor and subject to departmental needs.

Benefits

Gustavus offers competitive and comprehensive benefits which include:

• Medical insurance (which includes access to Nice Healthcare) as well as dental, vision, and life insurance
• Workplace accommodations for physical or mental health concerns
• Onsite health services
• Free parking, exercise classes, and use of library and athletic facilities
• Paid parental leave
• Employer contribution to retirement savings plan (after one year of employment)
• Tuition scholarships for dependents
• Tuition benefit plan for employees and spouse
• 13 paid Holidays + generous PTO plan

Gustavus Adolphus College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status in its education or employment programs or activities.

Gustavus Adolphus College is one of the nation's leading private liberal arts colleges serving approximately 1,800 students. The College aspires to be a community of persons from diverse backgrounds who respect and affirm the dignity of all people. Known for its strong science, writing, music, athletics, study-away, and service-learning programs, Gustavus is located on a scenic 340-acre hill in St. Peter, Minnesota only one hour southwest of the Twin Cities.

Contact

Kim Frisch | kfrisch@gustavus.edu | 507-933-7683

Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2026

To apply, visit https://gustavus.edu/employment/job/2423

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