What does a Senior Web Developer do?

A senior web developer is responsible for designing, programming, and troubleshooting problems on new or existing websites. This person may work independently or as a leader of a programming team, and in office settings, the senior web developer is often charged with hosting meetings and organizing his staff. Another large aspect of being a senior web developer is working alongside clients to present new ideas, manage existing databases, and provide technical solutions whenever a problem occurs.

In most cases, a senior web developer begins his career as a computer programmer for various companies and businesses. This individual normally holds an information technology (IT) degree in computer science, plus he usually receives formal training in business management at some point. Since the field is constantly expanding under new technology, a senior web developer usually attends college courses and seminars throughout his employment. Once a professional within this field shows that he is capable of leading a team of programmers and satisfying the needs of clients, he is offered this position as it becomes available.

While smaller organizations normally have only one senior web developer, large corporations may employ a dozen or more at the same time. In either case, this person is assigned to multiple clients and is responsible for the everyday implementations to their websites. When business is slow, the senior web developer may handle 100 percent of the projects himself, including the actual programming, instructing clients, and making any necessary changes. A fast-paced environment would have many entry-level programmers handling the majority of the workload, with the senior developer spending most of his time reviewing assignments and troubleshooting problems.

The senior web developer also plays a large role in selecting clients. Even though each company usually has a sales team that generates leads, it is up to the web developer to determine how many man hours each project would require and how much storage space is necessary to complete the assignment. In other scenarios, it may be the developer that presents new ideas to potential clients since he can speak intelligently on the way that the completed project would look.

Other companies employ a senior web developer for in-house needs only. In these situations, this person would maintain the business's corporate website and make any changes as it became necessary. He would also implement ways to back up online data and provide security solutions for the website.