The Refugee Law Lab, hosted at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School, is looking for a Part-Time Student Backend Developer.
The Backend Developer will join a team that currently includes a law professor, a research lawyer, a data scientist, a software engineer, and a front-end developer who are building a legal analytics app to help lawyers draw on insights from data about Canada’s refugee determination system to advance the interests of refugee claimants.
The app involves scraping data about refugee law processes from various online sources, parsing the data, applying natural language processing, and transforming the data into information that will be of use to refugee lawyers, presenting the information to refugee lawyers, and providing a secure venue for lawyers to exchange tips that relate to the information. The app will be made available free of charge to refugee lawyers and more broadly to members of the public. Wherever possible, data obtained through the project will be shared so that it can be used by other researchers.
We are seeking a backend developer who can help us develop and document a REST API to interface with databases such as PostgreSQL and MongoDB.
Core Requirements:
- Degree in progress in computer science, engineering, or related fields at any Canadian university
- Programming skills in Python, JavaScript, Node
- Experience with documenting REST API endpoints
- Experience with Git
- Current legal authorization to work in Canada
Assets, but not required:
- Experience with FastAPI and/or SQLAlchemy
- Interest in leveraging technology to advance the interests of displaced people and other marginalized groups
- Interest in contributing to open-source technologies
Pay, hours & location:
- $40/hr (inclusive of 4% vacation pay)
- This is a part time position with flexible work hours. We anticipate a total level of effort at around 120 hours, with approximately 10 hours per week for the first 8 weeks of the contract, followed by 5 hours per month as we move into the launch face of the project.
- Start date: as soon as possible.
- End date: 31 December 2022
- Work is remote
- Additional work may become available, as the Refugee Law Lab is growing quickly.
Application Process: Apply online with a CV and a brief cover note describing your interest in the position by Feb 7 at 5:00pm EST.