Join Our Team

SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER

Ranker is a rapidly growing, venture-backed “taste graph” startup.  This is an opportunity to have an immediate, tangible impact at a Silicon Valley-style startup in the Los Angeles area – a 13-person team doing a highly scaleable and interesting consumer web application that is growing rapidly. Ranker, a fast-moving startup, is seeking a Product Manager who has the “hands-on” skills and experience to take projects from the idea stage to the final implementation/QA stage. Please note – a significant portion of the role is Project Management, so please do not apply if you are not enthusiastic and comfortable with that aspect of the role.

Responsibilities

• Project management throughout the product lifecycle.
• QA oversight at testing and final release stages
• Launch new features and follow through on iterative improvements to functionalities once released.
• Translate product strategy into product features, and bring those features to market.
• Write product & feature specs.
• Constant use of analytics, multivariate testing, and external feedback to build the most effective product possible

Desired Skills & Experience

Requirements

• Product management experience in an internet capacity, ideally at a consumer internet company
• Consumer internet experience
• Project management experience through full lifestyle of product development
• Detailed technical Product spec writing and wireframe generation experience
• Deep experience with analytics software, preferably Google Analytics
• Enthusiastic self-starter and team player
• Deep and current understanding of social media
• Exceptional written communication skills
• Exceptional organizational skills
• BA/BS degree or equivalent

Strong Pluses

• User-facing copywriting skills
• Experience with Facebook and mobile apps and/or APIs
• Experience building a distributed platform
• Tangible experience using multivariate testing to iterate on product
• Experience working with remote development teams
• SEO knowledge or experience
• Experience with online communities in a product capacity
• Experience with bug-tracking and/or product development software
• Low-level knowledge of HTML code

Salary based on experience; fully paid medical benefits and stock equity are also part of the package.

Please respond with a resume and cover letter or cover email to jobs@ranker.com with the subject heading “Senior Product Manager”.

 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Paid Internship

Want to learn SEO? Want to get in on the ground floor of an ongoing SEO and social media marketing campaign? Want to learn the basics of web marketing and help execute and build a quickly growing site? Want to be able to put SEO training on your resume?

Ranker.com is a startup consumer website in the user-generated content space with over 8 million visitors a month. We have an ambitious site and an equally ambitious SEO management strategy, and we’re looking for entry-level interns to help us execute it. This is a great opportunity for someone who is eager and ambitious to get their foot in the door of a growing website, make their mark on the site’s SEO strategy and gain valuable hands-on experience from SEO experts. Search Engine Optimization skills are in much demand and aren’t taught in school.

It is a part-time internship, but since we’re a startup, there’s always more work to be done than bodies to do it. So, there are always opportunities for people who prove themselves to move up to permanent positions, quickly. And if you really want to learn, the payoff in terms of experience, educational value and resume-building will be huge. We’re not looking for someone who just needs school credit, though we will provide it if you need it. We’re looking for people who really are excited to learn about the web industry and about what it takes to get a website off the ground. You’ll be doing tasks to improve our Search Engine Optimization, and by doing so will learn the basics of SEO (and, if you have the aptitude for it, more advanced techniques). We are in need of some pithy, original, and entertaining content creation — so good writers, bloggers, or people familiar with witty social network writing are always a good plus. If you’re willing to get your hands dirty learning the ins and outs of launching a successful website, then we encourage you to apply.

Compensation: $8.50/hr, room for raises if you can prove yourself valuable over time.

Requirements

• Must be web savvy. Must know your way around twitter, buzzfeed, reddit, techcrunch, etc.
• Must be a detail-oriented self-starter.
• Must be fully trained in Excel
• Must be a fast typist
• Must be able to write effectively in English. Creative writing experience is a plus but, not a must.
• Hobbies, interests and general pop culture knowledge are a big plus
• Coding/hacking experience is a big plus, though not a must
• Must be willing to work from our office in Los Angeles (Wilshire & San Vicente).
• Must be able to sit in front of a computer all day. It’s a big plus if you enjoy doing so.
• Must commit to a regular schedule of at least 12 hours/week, although 15-25 hours/week is even better. Exact days/times are flexible.
• Must be genuinely excited about the opportunity and interested in a future in the web industry.
• Must understand that sometimes, when you’re entry-level, you have to get lunch for the office.
• Must also understand that getting lunch is worth it if it pays off for your future.
• Must be able to handle a start-up environment: must be patient, flexible, able to multitask and understanding of the fact that everyone is overloaded.
• Having a basic understanding of SEO is a big plus.

Interested applicants should include at bare minimum the following: available weekly hours, method of transportation, typing speed, and either writing samples or some information about your hobbies and interests.

We’re seeking a hands-on developer with a broad skillset and understanding of high-transaction web environments.

The Ranker technology stack consists of custom CMS framework built on Spring MVC running inside Tomcat. Leveraging data sets of millions of entities, we aggregate linked data graphs into Ranker to expose them to our user base for our list building platform. Large scale data processing and Ranker go hand in hand as we continue to target structured data sets of value to augment our existing knowledge base. The Ranker engineering team is responsible for building and maintaining the high trafficed site ( over 3.5 million monthly visitors and growing), a distributed app and most importantly large scale data aggregation. In the near future we will be utilizing exciting technologies like Hadoop/MapReduce to push the limits of how data aggregation can impact a consumer site as well as building out our distributed application framework into multiple verticals. Ranker is always looking for rock star engineers with no fear in taking on large tasks head on. Ranker may well be the largest consumer platform using semantic web technology today. If you are up for the challenge send us your resume.

 

JUNIOR JAVA / WEB DEVELOPER

We’re seeking a hands-on developer with a broad skillset and understanding of high-transaction web environments.

The Ranker technology stack consists of custom CMS framework built on Spring MVC running inside Tomcat. Leveraging data sets of millions of entities, we aggregate linked data graphs into Ranker to expose them to our user base for our list building platform. Large scale data processing and Ranker go hand in hand as we continue to target structured data sets of value to augment our existing knowledge base. The Ranker engineering team is responsible for building and maintaining the high trafficed site ( over 3.5 million monthly visitors and growing), a distributed app and most importantly large scale data aggregation. In the near future we will be utilizing exciting technologies like Hadoop/MapReduce to push the limits of how data aggregation can impact a consumer site as well as building out our distributed application framework into multiple verticals. Ranker is always looking for rock star engineers with no fear in taking on large tasks head on. Ranker may well be the largest consumer platform using semantic web technology today. If you are up for the challenge send us your resume.

Technical Skills

• 2+ years developing with object oriented languages
• 1+ years developing Java J2EE applications utilizing OO design pattern
• 1+ years experience with architecting in a large scale , high throughput environment
• 1+ years MySQL experience
• 1+ years Linux experience , including basic administration, command line/shell scripting
• 1+ years experience with Tomcat
• 1+ years experience with Spring 2.0/3.0
• 1+ years HTML/CSS/JS/AJAX/JSON

Required Attributes

• Proven track record of delivering successful ontime projects
• Deep and broad knowledge, understanding of and interested in the Web and its latest trends and business models
• Experience working in a SCRUM project lifecycle
• Strong work ethic and dedication to deliver on time
• Demonstrate knowledge of current software engineering best practices
• Strong verbal and communication skills
• Comfortable reading API documentation for 3rd party libraries
• BS in CS
• Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer.

Strong Pluses

A generalist background with wide exposure to several programing paradigms, systems and variety of concepts and approaches. A “jack of all trades” instead of a niche specialist.

• Experience with processing large data sets
• Experience configuring and supporting a 24/7 production environment
• Experience working with large databases and replication.
• Experience working with a globally distributed development team

USER INTERFACE ENGINEER

Ranker is a rapidly growing content and community-focused start-up located in the Miracle Mile
district of Los Angeles. We are a relatively small team building a highly scalable and interesting
consumer web application. We are seeking a mid level frontend developer to join our team.

You are enthusiastic about the web and an expert in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. You will have a
deep understanding of frontend standards, JavaScript frameworks and web APIs.

You understand how frontend and backend development, as well as design and user experience
operate together and you have an insatiable appetite to continually push yourself to create
highly optimized, efficient, best-in-class solutions.

Responsibilities

• Planning, building, optimizing and maintaining frontend implementations.
• Translate visual designs into completed pages while adhering to design standards.
• Translate UI wireframes and theoretical processes into fully fledged applications.
• Work closely with backend developers to ensure the integrity and efficiency of the UI throughout the development life cycle.
• Ensure cross-browser compatibility and resolve bugs where required.
• Creation of optimized and efficient HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Requirements

• BS in computer science, multi-media or related field. Or, equivalent experience in the web field (5+ years).
• Expert knowledge of hand-coded standards-based HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
• Expert knowledge of HTML5, semantic web and CSS3 driven layouts.
• Extensive knowledge with Object literal JavaScript and AJAX.
• Extensive knowledge of jQuery and jQuery UI.
• Experience translating design heavy comps into markup using only HTML and CSS.
• Solid understanding of SEO, accessibility and usability issues as related to the frontend.
• Strong organizational and estimation skills.
• Experience with graphics manipulation, optimization and sprite creation.
• Experience collaborating with other frontend and design teams.

Pluses

• Experience working with MVC, JAVA, JSP, JSTL or under Sprint a plus.
• Working knowledge of social APIs, including Facebook, Twitter or AddThis.
• Experience of working with version control (subversion).
• Experience working with and/or building mobile web applications.

MUST SUPPLY CODE SAMPLES AND/OR ONLINE PORTFOLIO WITH YOU SUBMISSION

 

CONTENT COORDINATOR

We are currently looking for someone to handle a wide variety of responsibilities in the editorial/content department. Duties may range from social media management / viral marketing to QA and testing, and there will also be some light office/administrative work.

Ideal candidates should be able to function well in a fast-paced, high stress environment, and must be detail oriented, organized, intelligent, tech-savvy, hardworking and very capable of multitasking. Excellent writing skills are a requirement. Only candidates with 4 year degrees or equivalents need apply. Above all else, you must be passionate about the web industry, and about the opportunity to learn a lot on the job.

Required Attributes:

• Deeply interested in the latest Internet and social media trends, and knowledgeable about the web industry in general
• Available to work in our Los Angeles office. (This is not a work-from-home position)
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills.

Major Pluses 

• General office experience
• Heavy pop culture knowledge
• Experience with guerilla and viral marketing campaigns
• Internet research experience
• Note-taking skills
• A background in QA/testing
• Community management experience
• Comfort with basic bookkeeping software (such as Quickbooks)
• SEO experience
• Low-level HTML or other coding skills

This is a true startup experience – we are a small but fast-growing company working at a quick pace. We are seeking individuals who will thrive in that environment, and who want to go the extra mile to make our project a great success. If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you!

To apply, respond with a cover letter and resume that includes information about your online and social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Tumblr… you pick!)

DATA JOURNALIST / CULTURAL THEORIST

This person would be given access to Ranker’s internal correlation tools such that they can examine patterns in our data. They would then write stories (or even academic papers) to be posted on the data.ranker.com blog and/or for press releases concerning their findings, relating them to existing cultural trends and patterns. For example, people who like Obama like Stella Artois, while people who like George Bush like Coors Light. There are thousands of objects in
our system and millions of such relationships that could be written about, telling a story about society and using our data as a starting point. See posts on data.ranker.com for examples.

Requirements

• Good writing ability
• Awareness of culture/news/trends
• Ability to write about data

DEVELOPMENT QA INTERN

Ranker is looking for someone with solid technical skills to add to our Quality Assurance team. This candidate must have basic experience with website testing and a desire to find site defects. In addition, will have experience in functional and regression testing and be self-motivated to help ensure a high-level of quality in the software. This is a paid, part-time position ($10-12/hr DOE, though if you have some coding skills beyond the QA scope below that can be useful, we can potentially support higher pay and/or additional hours). Our offices are in Mid-Wilshire.

Responsibilities:

• Verifying daily builds with supplied automated acceptance tests.
• Write, maintain, and execute functional test-cases based on supplied test plan.
• Responsible for general functional testing and regression testing of the products.
• Responsible for completion of tests across supported browsers/operating systems and submission of results. • Record and track bugs to final resolution.
• Work closely with the QA, Development, and Support teams to verify issues and resolutions.
• Issue MySQL queries for reporting
• Debug and/or fix smaller issues found in the web application

Requirements:

• Degree in a computer related field or equivalent experience, or pursuing degree in computer related field
• Previous software testing experience a plus
• Basic understanding of white box and black box testing approaches.
• Ability to create, execute and maintain comprehensive test-cases.
• Familiar with bug tracking systems such as Bugzilla or Mantis
• Must have strong problem solving skills to determine product issues.
• Programming language (Java) education or experience.
• Experience querying MySQL
• Must be able to work in a team environment and handle multiple tasks and follow schedules to completion.
• Must have excellent verbal/written skills and the ability to communicate with key individuals.
• Detail oriented and well organized.

Must be authorized to work in the US. Email resume to jobs@ranker.com.

MARKETING / PR INTERN

This person will assist the CEO and head of content/community in promoting Ranker’s content and brand through one-to-one content marketing, social media, and/or PR to secure exposure of and visits to Ranker content across various verticals. The position can be tailored more or less towards PR and other tactics like guest blogging, promotions/contests etc depending on the candidate. Since Ranker has many, many options for marketing, this role is best suited to a self-starter who can pick and execute on the best option from somewhat openended direction from senior staff. The person would gain valuable real-world experience doing marketing for a Top 750 US content site, and if they do their job well have numerous real-world proof points from doing so.

Requirements:

• Strong knowledge of and interest in what makes web content interesting and what makes content go viral
• Strong knowledge of and interest in culture/pop culture in general
• Strong knowledge of and existing presence in social media
• Must be creative
• Must be a self-starter

INTERNS

We have a few different roles that interns could fill, depending on their interests and experience. There are openings for social media/viral marketing interns, who will learn how to virally promote a product, manage a social media marketing campaign and do some search engine optimization. There also openings for more general interest interns, who could be doing anything from content creation to office management tasks.

Both positions are unpaid, but you will be working directly with the CEO and the development team, gaining valuable resume experience and learning a lot. We also happily provide college credit. And, since we’re a startup, there are always opportunities for people who prove themselves to move up to paid and/or permanent positions.

Long story short, this is a great opportunity for someone looking for a future in web development, PR or online media.

Requirements:

• Must be web savvy. Must know your way around mashable, digg, techcrunch, etc.
• Must be a detail-oriented self-starter.
• Must be able to write effectively in English. Creative writing experience is a plus, since we’re always looking for people to contribute witty, creative content to Ranker.
• Must be willing to work from our office in Hollywood.
• Must be able to sit in front of a computer all day. It’s a big plus if you enjoy doing so.
• Must be able to effectively use the web — your day to day work will require you to use resources ranging from Freebase to Facebook.
• Must commit to a regular schedule of at least 10 hours/week, although 15-20 hours/week is even better. Exact days/times are flexible.
• Must be genuinely excited about the opportunity and interested in a future in the web industry.
• Must understand that sometimes, when you’re entry-level, you have to get lunch for the office.
• Must also understand that getting lunch is worth it if it pays off for your future.
• Must be able to handle a start-up environment: meaning you should be patient, flexible and able to multi-task.

When applying, please also answer the following questions:

What blogs/websites do you visit regularly?
Why are you applying for this position?
What do you think you bring to the table for the position?
What are your initial impressions of Ranker?