--- title: "Junior Software Engineer · PHP Joomla Webmaster Developer - José DA COSTA" description: "Junior Software Engineer" locale: "en" canonical: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/junior-software-engineer-php-joomla-webmaster-developer" source: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/junior-software-engineer-php-joomla-webmaster-developer.md" html_source: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/junior-software-engineer-php-joomla-webmaster-developer" author: "José DA COSTA" type: "journey" slug: "junior-software-engineer-php-joomla-webmaster-developer" generated_at: "2026-04-23T15:41:27.638Z" --- # Junior Software Engineer · PHP Joomla Webmaster Developer **Organization:** Ministere des solidarites et de la sante **Period:** 2008-10-01 - 2008-12-31 **Type:** experience **Status:** Contract Employee (Fixed-term) **Responsibility:** Junior Software Engineer ## Company vision This was my **first professional experience** in web development, and it threw me straight into a demanding environment: a public institution attached to a government ministry. **No room for error on security**, no shortcuts on deployments, validations required at every step. I learned technical rigor in a context where the consequences of a vulnerability were real - health data, personal information, government infrastructure. The GRSP Aquitaine portal was recognized as **the highest quality site among all 26 GRSPs in France** - a concrete validation of the work done. This trial by fire gave me reflexes I have kept throughout my career: **document, validate, secure**, and never treat security as optional. ## Overview Junior developer at the French Ministry of Health (GRSP Aquitaine). Built a Joomla portal, a private forum for 57 reviewers, and a PHP extranet for health grant application workflows. - Delivered the top-rated portal among all 26 GRSPs in France - Built a secure PHP extranet for grant review workflows - Created 17 interactive video tutorials with Adobe Captivate ## Competencies (8) - **Frontend Development** (confidence 3/5) _(technical)_: HTML/CSS integration of the JA Utahia II template, visual customization aligned with the ministerial branding guidelines. - **Backend Development** (confidence 2/5) _(technical)_: PHP development of a secure extranet ('Briques' tool) for the subsidy application review workflow. - **Databases** (confidence 1/5) _(technical)_: MySQL administration for Joomla 1.5, backups, migrations, and security updates. - **Web Application Security (OWASP)** (confidence 1/5) _(technical)_: Institutional portal security hardening, CNIL compliance for health data, validated deployment protocols. - **Service Deployment and Business Continuity** (confidence 1/5) _(technical)_: FTP deployments on Claranet hosting, regular Joomla and extension security updates. - **Technical Documentation** (confidence 3/5) _(soft)_: Writing the site requirements document, creating 17 interactive video tutorials with Adobe Captivate 3. - **Communication and Collaboration** (confidence 2/5) _(soft)_: Collaboration with GRSP teams and the Ministry's network/security team for deployments. - **User Support and Technical Communication** (confidence 1/5) _(soft)_: Supporting 57 reviewers across 5 departments, training through video tutorials. ## Missions - **Designed and developed the web portal** grsp-aquitaine.fr on Joomla 1.5 with the premium JA Utahia II template (JoomlArt): ministerial visual identity, RokSlideshow integration, custom modules (news, calendar, internal directories) and document spaces via DocMan - Set up a **private FireBoard forum** for the 57 GRSP reviewers across the 5 Aquitaine departments (DDASS, CPAM, MSA, URCAM, RSI, DRASS, Education Nationale, Regional Council) - secure document sharing and messaging - **Developed a secure PHP extranet** for the grant application review workflow: login, dossier access, reviewer opinions, departmental commission reviews, Excel dashboard export - Created **interactive video tutorials** with Adobe Captivate 3: 9 tutorials for the reviewer workflow (login, password, dossier access, opinion editing, commission review) and 8 admin tutorials (content management, menus, users, slideshow, FTP with FileZilla) - Integrated a **public health glossary** (Glossary component) with institutional acronyms (DRASS, DDASS, PRSP, INPES, InVS, URCAM..) and an interactive FAQ (QuickFAQ) for health project promoters - Wrote the **specification document** (7 main sections structure, ergonomic criteria, graphic layout, 3-click rule) in collaboration with the GRSP team - SEO strategy with **200+ keywords** covering the public health domain, XML sitemap generation via JCrawler/Xmap, Google Analytics integration, Google Webmaster Tools verification - Collaborated with the **network/security team** for production deployments on Claranet Pack Easy+ hosting - FTP-validated deployments, security protocols followed, **CNIL compliance** for health data - **Administered web infrastructure**: MySQL backups, migrations, regular security updates of Joomla 1.5 and its 15+ extensions (DocMan, FireBoard, JCE, Glossary, QuickFAQ, Xmap..) **Company Presentation:** The **GRSP (Regional Public Health Group) of Aquitaine** was a public administrative body created by the August 9, 2004 law, attached to the **Ministry of Health**. Based in Bordeaux (103 bis rue Belleville), the GRSP coordinated regional public health stakeholders - State, health insurance, InVS, INPES, ARH - to implement the Regional Public Health Plan (PRSP) under the authority of the regional prefect. France had 26 GRSPs (22 in metropolitan France, 4 overseas), each with its own web portal. The GRSP funded prevention actions through calls for proposals and monitored health programs across the 5 departments of Aquitaine (Gironde, Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes, Pyrenees-Atlantiques). This structure was absorbed by the **ARS (Regional Health Agency)** during the 2010 reform. ## Learnings #### Technologies - **PHP in a professional context** - transition from theory (BTS degree) to production on a high-stakes institutional portal - **Joomla 1.5 CMS** - full administration, selection and configuration of 15+ extensions, template customization - **MySQL in real conditions** - backups, migrations, queries on sensitive health data - Adobe Captivate 3 - creating interactive video tutorials from scratch, Flash/SWF export #### Methodologies - **Writing a full specification document** (ergonomic criteria, visual charter, section structure, 3-click rule) - **Complete web project lifecycle** - from requirements gathering to production deployment and user support - **Deployment in a controlled environment** - FTP validation, coordination with a ministerial network/security team - **Operational SEO** - keyword research, XML sitemap, Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools #### Soft Skills - **Institutional rigor** - working in a context where **every deployment required formal validation** - **Regulatory compliance** - discovering CNIL constraints applied to health data - **Supervised autonomy** - managing the full technical scope while reporting to the GRSP team and the Ministry - **User training** - designing and delivering training to 57 health professionals across **5 departments** **Positioning:** Within GRSP Aquitaine, I was the **web developer in charge of redesigning and maintaining the internet portal**, extranet, and the 'Briques' grant management tool. I worked directly with the GRSP teams to gather functional requirements from the 57 users spread across health institutions in the 5 Aquitaine departments, and coordinated with the **Ministry's network/security team for deployments**. My scope covered the full cycle: requirements analysis, specification writing, development, integration, video tutorial creation, testing, production deployment and user support. **Project Context:** The GRSP Aquitaine website had existed since 2007, but the published information was rarely consulted. The goal was to make the portal more user-friendly and attractive by investing in graphic and ergonomic design. The specification document defined precise criteria: sobriety, readability, usability (3-click rule), speed (page load under 15 seconds, images of 30-40 KB maximum) and interactivity. The site had to be organized into 7 main sections - Monthly News, The GRSP (team, missions, governing bodies), The PRSP (founding texts, objectives, calendar), Call for Projects (eligibility criteria, online application process), Toolbox (promoter guides, CRAES/INPES/BDSP resources), Downloads, Links to members (URCAM, ARAMSA, RSI, Regional Council, General Councils) - with a private area for GRSP reviewers including a discussion forum and a grant application management tool. ## Technologies - PHP - Joomla 1.5 - MySQL - HTML/CSS - JavaScript - Apache - JA Utahia II (JoomlArt) - JCE Editor - DocMan - FireBoard (forum) - Glossary - QuickFAQ - JCrawler/Xmap - RokSlideshow - Adobe Captivate 3 - Flash/SWF - FileZilla - Google Analytics - Claranet Hosting Full interactive version with timeline navigation: https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/junior-software-engineer-php-joomla-webmaster-developer