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IT Application Developer (IT Application Development - Journey)



Per Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 21-14.2 (Download PDF reader), Washington State employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination as part of the hiring process, prior to their start date. Requests for medical and religious exemptions will be considered. If you have questions, please contact Careers@ecy.wa.gov with “COVID-19 vaccination” in the subject line.  

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Information Technology Services Office (ITSO) - Environmental Systems Support (ESS) Unit within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill an IT Application Developer (IT Application Development - Journey) position. This position is located in our Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

During Healthy Washington Roadmap to Recovery, employees are working a combination of in-office and/or telework based on position and business need. This position may work predominantly remotely. Ecology is following current state guidance regarding mask requirements, health screening questions before entry, and social distancing.

ESS is a cross-functional team of 16 professionals who are dedicated to providing advanced software applications to support the agency's scientists, engineers, inspectors, and policy makers. We work extremely closely with our internal and external customers to rapidly respond to their business needs, ensuring our solutions effectively contribute to Ecology’s mission.

In this role, you will work in a supportive and professional environment with fantastic people who are passionate about the environment, understand the importance of work-life balance, and are focused on continual improvement and learning. You will contribute to meaningful projects, working with varying customers using the Microsoft development stack and agile methodologies to tackle some of today's most challenging and exciting IT fields, such as Big Data, mobile field data collection, telemetry, data quality assurance, data discovery and search, accessibility, and integration of disparate data and analytics to create business intelligence. Your work will directly support the creation of new science and policy that is focused on making measurable improvements in Washington State’s environment.

The Information Technology Services Office (ITSO) is the central provider of strategic and tactical support for the use of Information Technology (IT) within Ecology. The mission of ITSO is to create and support useful technology services that adapt for the future and support Ecology’s mission.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of September 29, 2022. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before September 28, 2022. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

About the Department of Ecology
Protecting Washington State's environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people.

Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering:

  • A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
  • An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
  • Continuous growth and development opportunities. 
  • A wellness program that offers education, fitness classes, and an agency-wide fondness for outdoor meetings.
  • Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology’s work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.
 
Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.
 
Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.
 
Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.
 
Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.
 
We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued. 

 
Duties

What makes this role unique? 
This position is funded by the Information Technology Services Office (ITSO), the central provider of strategic and tactical support for the use of Information Technology (IT) within Ecology. ITSO supports agency-wide IT solutions and reporting tools that may be used by multiple environmental programs within Ecology as well as integrations with external systems. The mission of ITSO is to create and support useful technology services that adapt for the future and support Ecology’s mission.

In this role, you will work closely with business leads and in collaboration with a team of software developers to contribute to the design, development, and maintenance of agency-wide environmental software solutions and technical integrations with local, state, tribal, and federal government systems.

You will use your skills as a software engineer to ensure that Ecology’s data management systems, the authoritative environmental data within, as well as data entry and reporting tools supported by the unit, meet the needs of internal and external stakeholders. Stakeholders include Ecology scientists, engineers, executives, financial specialists, grant/loan managers, legislative liaisons, federal and inter/intra-state local partners, and the public.

What you will do: 
 
  • As part of a team, contribute to the design (solution architecture), development, enhancement, and maintenance of highly-complex, agency-wide environmental information management software systems and reporting tools, as well as, integrations with other internal and external systems. 
  • Design, develop, implement, and manage complex environmental data models and business objects. 
  • Independently gather end-user requirements from internal and external stakeholders for the purposes of designing complex information management systems, to include system architecture, business logic, and user interface design.
  • Collaborate with a team of developers to break work efforts into actionable tasks.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current technologies ensuring the ESS Unit has awareness and opportunity to establish and implement best practices related to environmental data management and software development. 
Position-specific projects and responsibilities:
 
  • Help support the Environmental Information Management system (EIM), the agency’s main environmental data management system. EIM was developed in-house and is critical to the agency’s scientific work. EIM’s suite of applications allows users to upload, edit, search, download, and share a broad range of environmental monitoring data with staff and the public. EIM’s primary challenges include Big Data, reporting and systems integration, data quality assurance, and accommodating new data types. EIM is complex and relied upon by a large, diverse user base.
  • Help support the Water Quality Assessment system (WQA). WQA is an application that pulls data from EIM and other sources, applies logic, and calculates numeric indications of water quality across the state based on evolving standards and criteria. WQA streamlines the pull, validation, and assessment of a very large volume of environmental monitoring data to meet the Agency’s requirement, laid out in the Clean Water Act, to protect the waterbodies of Washington State. WQA helps the agency document and respond more quickly and appropriately to water quality concerns.
  • Work collaboratively with power users and scientists to ensure environmental data are available and accurate to effectively turn data into information. 


Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, educational and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.
Option 1: Four (4) years of experience in computer application development and maintenance. Experience includes, but is not limited to, analyzing, designing, implementing, maintaining and/or programming software applications.

Option 2: An Associate’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), or closely related field; OR completion of a two (2) year accredited vocational training program in IT or related program AND two (2) years of experience in computer application development and maintenance. Experience includes, but not limited to, analyzing, designing, implementing, maintaining and/or programming software applications.

Option 3: A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), or closely related field AND one (1) year of experience in computer application development and maintenance. Experience includes, but not limited to, analyzing, designing, implementing, maintaining and/or programming software applications.

*Additional combinations of education or accredited vocational training, as listed above, can substitute for all but one (1) year of experience.

Desired Qualifications:
We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below.

  • A Bachelor’s degree with focus on programming/software engineering. 
  • Four years of information technology experience programming web-based software applications or developing information systems architecture using Microsoft development technologies such as C#/ASP.Net, SQL Server, and HTML5/Javascript for mobile applications. At least three of the four years of experience should be within the last 4 years. 
  • Professional experience consulting, designing, programming, or providing maintenance and/or support work for moderate risk software applications and databases.
  • Skills using T-SQL to manipulate and manage large datasets.
  • Professional experience with SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS).
  • Professional experience transferring end-user requirements into technology solutions centered primarily on Microsoft technologies.
  • Ability and interest working collaboratively and communicating respectfully with a team composed of technical and business-oriented members.
Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.

Supplemental Information

Ecology seeks diverse applicants: We view diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect through a broad lens including race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, military background, language, education, life experience, physical disability, neurodiversity, and intersectional identities. Qualified candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.


Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format?

  • Please call: (360) 407-6186 or email: careers@ecy.wa.gov and we will be happy to assist.
  • If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can reach the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
  • If you need assistance applying for this job, please e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not send an email to this address to follow-up on the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile's main page.
  • If you are reading this announcement in print format, please enter the following URL to your search engine to apply: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Jobs-at-Ecology 
Application Instructions:

It's in the applicant's best interest to submit all of the documents listed below. Applications without these documents may be declined.

  • A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position.
  • A resume outlining your experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to the minimum qualifications of this position.
  • Three professional references.
Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable. 
 
For Your Privacy:
When attaching documents to your application (such as Resume, Cover Letter, Transcripts, DD-214, etc.):

  • Please be sure to remove private information such as your social security number, date of birth, etc. 
  • Do not attach documents that are password-protected, as these documents may not be reviewed and may cause errors within your application when downloaded. 


Additional Application Instructions for Current Ecology Employees:
 
Please make sure to answer the agency-wide questions regarding permanent status as a classified employee within the Washington General Service or Washington Management Service. Do not forget to select Department of Ecology as a response to question 2, and type your personnel ID number for question 3. If you are not sure of your status or do not know your personnel ID number, please contact Human Resources.

Application Attestation: 

The act of submitting application materials electronically is considered affirmation that the information is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information and any untruthful or misleading answers are cause for rejection of your application or dismissal if employed. 

Other Information:
If you have specific questions about the position, please email Christopher Moore at: Christopher.Moore@ecy.wa.govPlease do not contact Christopher to inquire about the status of your application. 

To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

Why work for Ecology?

As an agency, our mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment for current and future generations. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

Joining Ecology means becoming a part of a team committed to protecting and restoring Washington State's environment. A career in public service allows you to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing our state, while keeping your health and financial security a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to life/work balance.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:

Student debt: how working for Ecology can help
The Department of Ecology is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSLF). See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.
To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedInTwitterFacebookInstagram or our blog.

Collective Bargaining: This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.  

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Washington State Department of Ecology is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans, military spouses or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application/testing process or this job announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 407-6186. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

Note: This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.