A Drupal Developer is a professional who specializes in designing, developing, and maintaining websites and applications using the Drupal content management system (CMS). They possess a deep understanding of Drupal's architecture, functionality, and modules to create robust and scalable digital solutions. In this blog post, we will describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Drupal Developers.

Get market insights and compare skills for other jobs here.

Main Responsibilities of a Drupal Developer

The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Drupal Developer:

Administer

Administer and develop enhancements to Drupal based websites.

Advise

Advise and influence internal clients towards innovative / integrated solutions.

Analyze

• Analyze client requirements to develop functional and technical specifications.

• Analyze requirements, and maintain, tests and integrates application components.

Answer

Answer the questions you see in the application.

Architect

• Architect and perform integrations between Drupal and other systems.

• Architect, create, debug, and enhance web-based platforms.

• Architect web applications using the Drupal platform.

Assist with

Assist with styling for sites.

Attend

Attend regular sprint activities such as standups, grooming and retrospectives.

Build

• Build and integrate websites, components, modules, and third-party applications.

• Build dynamic pages with Views, Panels, and Display Suite.

• Build, enhance, and maintain Drupal applications.

• Build interesting and complex Drupal web systems, product and integrations.

• Build interesting and complex products and platforms using Drupal.

• Build UI with responsive capabilities.

Capture

Capture and share best practice knowledge with the internal technical teams.

Code

• Code custom templates, themes, and modules.

• Code website content management back-ends and user-facing application logic.

• Code website front-end user interfaces in a combination of HTML, CSS and JS.

Collaborate with

• Collaborate with content creators to structure and organize content within Drupal.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including front-end developers and UX/UI designers.

• Collaborate with designers and stakeholders to translate requirements into technical specifications.

• Collaborate with front-end developers to ensure seamless integration of design and functionality.

• Collaborate with other team members and cross departmentally.

• Collaborate with project managers and stakeholders to estimate effort and timelines for Drupal projects.

• Collaborate with the QA team to identify and resolve any issues or bugs.

Commit

• Commit code using the Git version control system.

• Commit to bringing in new sources of creative inspiration to your work and team.

Communicate

• Communicate clearly and openly with everyone.

• Communicate timely and responsive manner.

• Communicate with our internal team and clients to ask questions or give progress updates.

Complete

• Complete understanding of the project lifecycle.

• Complete website and CMS development using PHP / MySQL / Drupal.

Conduct

• Conduct code reviews and provide feedback to maintain code quality and standards.

• Conduct thorough testing and quality assurance to ensure functionality and user experience.

Contribute to

• Contribute ideas to process refinements within the team.

• Contribute to and participate in the open-source community.

Coordinate with

Coordinate with third-party for application development.

Create

• Create and modify custom Drupal modules to add new functionality.

• Create and test custom Drupal modules.

• Create, debug, and enhance web-based platforms.

• Create, modify, and debug standards-compliant HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

• Create new custom modules when necessary to enhance Drupal features.

• Create technical documentation as part of client deliverables.

• Create website layout / user interface by using standard HTML / CSS practices.

Custom

Custom front end and theme layer development.

Customize

• Customize and configure Drupal installations to meet project requirements.

• Customize Drupal administration and configuration settings to meet project requirements.

Debug

• Debug and troubleshoot issues and bugs in Drupal websites and applications.

• Debug Drupal modules and create patches.

Design

• Design and implement Drupal databases, including creating and modifying content types and fields.

• Design / Prototyping software knowledge.

Develop

• Develop and implement Drupal themes and templates for websites and applications.

• Develop and implement migration strategies for transferring data from legacy systems to Drupal.

• Develop and maintain documentation for Drupal projects, including technical specifications and user guides.

• Develop and maintain related documentation.

• Develop and maintain responsive design websites that are dynamic and data driven.

• Develop and support web content management tools and its workflows as well as design.

• Develop and unit test software changes according to the business objectives.

• Develop custom Drupal modules.

• Develop custom Drupal Web Applications solutions for Mindgrub clients.

• Develop custom modules, components and themes.

• Develop custom websites using Drupal, PHP, HTML, and other languages.

• Develop new web application features.

• Develop program logic for new applications or analyzes and modifies logic in existing applications.

• Develop software to achieve the specified functionality.

Discover

Discover, investigate and fix bugs.

Ensure

• Ensure accessibility compliance by adhering to WCAG guidelines and best practices.

• Ensure product quality, maintainability, performance and scalability.

• Ensure that all projects are delivered on-time and according to specifications.

• Ensure that system improvements are successfully implemented.

Estimate

Estimate and deliver on development tasks with high level of accuracy in an agile environment.

Follow

• Follow development standards, governance processes, and best practices.

• Follow sound engineering principles to find practical solutions to problems.

• Follow specified Standard Operating Procedure for Content Updates.

Grow

Grow the team you will manage over the next years.

Handle

Handle tough circumstances with grace.

Identify

Identify, recommend, and prioritize new web features in conjunction with other team members.

Implement

• Implement caching and performance optimization techniques to enhance website speed.

• Implement responsive design principles to ensure websites and applications are mobile-friendly.

• Implement security measures and best practices to protect Drupal websites from vulnerabilities.

Incorporate

Incorporate modern javascript solutions (Vue.js, React, etc.) into Drupal builds when appropriate.

Install

• Install and configure new modules.

• Install and configure security and other system updates.

• Install, configure, and customize modules as needed.

Integrate

• Integrate data from various back-end services and databases.

• Integrate Drupal with other technologies and systems.

• Integrate external systems and services with Drupal using APIs and web services.

• Integrate RSS and social media components.

Interact

Interact with clients to gather business requirements.

Lead

Lead and mentor junior members of the team.

Manage

• Manage and maintaining user permissions.

• Manage and mentor other developers.

• Manage development activities and participate in the Agile process.

Migrate

• Migrate custom modules from Drupal 7 to 8.

• Migrate Drupal 7 and 8 sites with complex custom modules to Drupal 9.

Monitor

Monitor website analytics and user behavior to identify areas for improvement.

Optimize

• Optimize Drupal websites for performance, scalability, and search engine optimization (SEO).

• Optimize web applications for maximum speed and scalability.

Oversee

Oversee Drupal configuration management / sync.

Participate in

• Participate in and / or conduct code reviews.

• Participate in client-facing dealings.

• Participate in client meetings to provide technical support, advice and guidance.

• Participate in code reviews and knowledge-sharing such as pair programming.

• Participate in code reviews and provide feedback to maintain code quality and standards.

• Participate in code reviews and quality control processes.

• Participate in daily scrum meetings, sprint planning and sprint retrospectives.

• Participate in design and architecture discussions.

• Participate in regular project stand-ups and sprint reviews.

• Participate in the Drupal community by attending conferences and contributing to open-source projects.

Perform

• Perform application patch management to include security patches as required.

• Perform data and system analysis of the website performance.

• Perform data and system analysis on site search.

• Perform Drupal core and module updates and ensure compatibility and security.

• Perform full stack development using the SDLC and Agile development.

• Perform other work as assigned.

• Perform periodic maintenance, security updates, upgrades and other system changes.

• Perform quality assurance tests to create successful and bug free site launches.

• Perform security reviews of sites prior to deployments.

Promote

• Promote best practices in UI, UX, and interaction design.

• Promote component updates to higher environments.

Provide

• Provide custom development and functionality for Drupal multisite web application.

• Provide estimates (LOEs) for technical requirements based on client needs.

• Provide full lifecycle technical leadership on medium to large scale complex projects.

• Provide Full time Support for L3 tasks.

• Provide maintenance and feature enhancements for Drupal websites.

• Provide problem solving and technical innovation expertise.

• Provide technical support and assistance to clients or end-users for Drupal websites and applications.

• Provide time estimates for development work during project planning and scheduling stages.

Research

Research and present technical solutions to technical problems.

Resolve

• Resolve functional and technical issues relating to Drupal.

• Resolve problems with software and responds to suggestions for improvements and enhancements.

Review

Review code with teammates.

Set-up

• Set-up, configure, build, and maintain Drupal 8 (soon to be 9) sites.

• Set-up workflow to allow various role permissions.

Share

• Share and demonstrate methods to team members.

• Share what you know and learn from what others have to share.

Source

Source control using GIT including working with feature branching and pull requests.

Stay updated with

• Stay updated with emerging web technologies and trends to enhance Drupal development skills.

• Stay updated with the latest Drupal releases, modules, and best practices.

Suggest

Suggest improvements and new approaches for projects and development processes.

Support

• Support integration of the Drupal with external systems.

• Support routine Web Posting activities.

• Support the sales team with proposal strategy, estimations, and pitches as required.

• Support your teammates when they're in need.

Test

• Test, troubleshoot, and debug technical and display issues.

• Test, troubleshoot, and maintain existing software.

Translate

• Translate business requirements into technical details relevant to Drupal.

• Translate client needs and recommendations into written requirements documentation.

• Translate designs to code using Atomic design principles.

• Translate to requirements to technical specifications and as required.

Troubleshoot

Troubleshoot and fix any bugs and provide on-call support for production issues.

Use

• Use Composer to install and update contributed modules.

• Use Drupal to support automated process flows to improve processes integrated with Collabnet.

• Use Lando in conjunction with Docker for local application development.

Work with

• Work in a team to develop and maintain websites using Drupal 8+, PHP, and MySQL.

• Work on a variety of projects, for different clients, in different subject matter domains.

• Work with a team of developers, designers, and project managers.

• Work with a variety of internal and external clients.

• Work with DevOps tools like Vagrant, Docker, Circle CI.

• Work with diverse technical configurations, technologies, and processing environments.

• Work within git and gitflow (Github or Bitbucket).

• Work with multiple internal and external clients.

• Work with the team to translate insights into effective campaigns.

• Work with version control systems, such as Git, for code management and collaboration.

Write

• Write clean, structured, and well-documented code using modern best practices.

• Write custom code to support bulk email notifications to subscribed users.

• Write custom code whenever required.

• Write documentation and keep logs.

• Write, maintain, and troubleshoot custom modules and Twig templates.

• Write well designed, testable, and efficient code following software development best practices.

Most In-demand Hard Skills

The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Drupal Developer:

1. Proficiency in Drupal CMS, including custom module development and theming.

2. Experience with PHP programming language and object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts.

3. Knowledge of front-end technologies, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and responsive design.

4. Familiarity with MySQL or other relational databases and query optimization.

5. Competency in Drupal theming frameworks, such as Twig or PHPTemplate.

6. Understanding of Drupal APIs and web services, including REST and SOAP.

7. Experience with version control systems, such as Git or SVN.

8. Knowledge of Drupal site-building concepts, including content types, views, and taxonomies.

9. Competency in debugging and troubleshooting Drupal websites using tools like Devel and Xdebug.

10. Proficiency in implementing security measures and best practices in Drupal websites.

11. Understanding of performance optimization techniques for Drupal, including caching and CDN integration.

12. Experience with Drupal migration tools and strategies, such as the Migrate API.

13. Knowledge of accessibility standards and guidelines, such as WCAG, and experience in implementing accessibility features in Drupal websites.

14. Familiarity with JavaScript frameworks and libraries, such as jQuery or React, for front-end development in Drupal.

15. Proficiency in using Drupal theming tools, such as SASS or LESS, for efficient and modular CSS development.

16. Knowledge of server administration and deployment processes for Drupal websites.

17. Experience with Drupal's configuration management system for efficient deployment and version control of site configurations.

18. Understanding of SEO best practices and implementation techniques specific to Drupal.

19. Proficiency in using Drupal contributed modules to extend the functionality of websites and applications.

20. Knowledge of performance testing and optimization tools, such as Apache JMeter or Google PageSpeed Insights.

Most In-demand Soft Skills

The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Drupal Developer:

1. Strong problem-solving skills to identify and resolve technical challenges in Drupal development.

2. Effective communication skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

3. Attention to detail to ensure accuracy and quality in coding and development tasks.

4. Ability to work independently and as part of a team, managing multiple projects and priorities.

5. Analytical thinking and logical reasoning to understand complex requirements and translate them into technical solutions.

6. Adaptability and flexibility to learn new technologies and adapt to evolving project requirements.

7. Strong time management and organization skills to meet project deadlines and deliverables.

8. Continuous learning mindset to stay updated with the latest Drupal developments and industry trends.

9. Strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain positive working relationships with team members and clients.

10. Customer service orientation to understand client needs and deliver solutions that meet their requirements.

Conclusion

A Drupal Developer plays a crucial role in designing, developing, and maintaining websites and applications using the Drupal CMS. They possess a combination of hard skills, such as proficiency in Drupal, PHP programming, and front-end technologies, as well as soft skills, including problem-solving, communication, and attention to detail. By leveraging these skills, Drupal Developers can create robust and scalable digital solutions that meet client requirements and deliver exceptional user experiences.