IT Systems Administrator – Journey

The Opportunity:
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) is seeking to fill an IT System Administration – Journey position within the Information Services section of the Administrative Services Division. We’re seeking a collaborative and enthusiastic individual with a passion for Information Technology (IT) to join our dynamic team.

Hybrid: 

Although this is a hybrid opportunity, the successful incumbent must reside within Washington state.

Travel: 

Local travel, mostly within Thurston County, is required to attend training and meetings. Occasional travel to Seattle will be required. Infrequent travel in or out of state may be required to support commissions hearings, attend training, or attend professional conferences.

Who We Are:
Our mission is to protect the people of Washington by ensuring that investor-owned utility and transportation services are safe, equitable, reliable, and fairly priced.
We protect consumers by regulating the rates, services, and practices of private or investor-owned utilities and transportation companies to ensure they are safe, equitable, reliable, and affordable.

The UTC is continually recognized for its excellence and integrity as a regulatory agency, as we challenge the status quo and ourselves to ensure equitable outcomes for our customers and the people of Washington State.

We recognize that our employees are the key to the agency’s success. We are committed to our work but value balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth, and offers continuing learning opportunities, meaningful work, and a comprehensive benefits package. For more information about our benefits or working at UTC, please visit our website.
What We Offer Our Employees:

• UTC fosters an environment of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, while striving to hire and retain a workforce from the communities we serve.
• We place importance on a healthy balance between personal and professional lives; offering flexible work schedules, wellness programs, and mobile/telework opportunities.

• Through the state, our employees (and their families) are offered options for medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance.
• We offer enrollment into the state retirement programs and a deferred compensation plan.
• Throughout a calendar year, employees receive a minimum of 14 days of vacation leave per year and 11 paid holidays and 1 personal holiday in addition to accruing sick leave.

Our Values:

• Respect – We treat every person and interaction with consideration and goodwill.
• Professionalism – We are committed to excellence in our work and conduct.
• Integrity – We do the right things for the right reasons – trusting others to do the same.

UTC Leadership Principles:

Consistently reflect the commission’s values in how you behave, interact with others, and in the decisions you make. Among those, actively support the direction of the agency. Work cooperatively on issues and to find solutions that meet the needs of the whole commission, not just individual section needs. Communicate and carry out the decisions of the management team in a complete and timely manner.

Our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Competencies:

1. EDI Knowledge, Understanding, & Commitment.
2. Self-Awareness and Commitment to Growth.
3. Cultivating Mutually Beneficial and Trusting Strategic Partnerships.
4. Inclusive Excellence & Allyship.

Duties

The Position:
The position involves interpreting and applying IT security policies, developing security procedures, monitoring IT security systems and audit logs, responding to security incidents, and providing expert-level technical support for complex or escalating issues.

As the Commission’s expert in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the role includes developing, implementing, and maintaining GIS maps, applications, and resources. This includes links to company information maintained in various types of databases and provides agency staff with information needed to support the regulation of utilities, transportation companies, railroads, and other regulated utilities.

What you’ll do:
As a Journey-level Systems Administrator in the Information Services Section, this position oversees the agency’s SharePoint farm and supports staff with various data management tasks. Responsibilities include designing, creating, planning capacity, managing, organizing, migrating, and transforming data, such as SharePoint intranet content, application and web content, GIS data, and other agency datasets. The role involves supporting agency-wide information systems, managing IT projects, evaluating new technologies, and providing high-level consultation, analysis, and maintenance for both new and existing data systems.

Additional duties include, but aren’t limited to the following: 

• Maintain the commission’s SharePoint farm, servers and environment and manages all SharePoint servers, services, databases and sites and resources. Assists users with the development of Intranet content. Responsible for determining and analyzing user requirements and creating and maintaining agency-wide and departmental SharePoint sites and content.
• Customize applications, sites and content based on user feedback and direction of IS management and development staff to meet customer needs or the requirements for IS development projects. Create and support the development and pre-production and production SharePoint farms for new or upgraded application development projects.
• Assist in provisioning, configuring, and maintaining the agency’s SQL database servers and Azure Managed Instances to meet application requirements. Responsible for ensuring the servers are available, secure, patched, and meet performance expectations.
• Maintain GIS servers which include backup, configuration, installation on, and overall maintenance.
• Administering the agency’s ArcGIS Online portal and creates, maintains, and supports the applications available through it.
• Maintain user accounts, groups, computers, and Group Policy Objects in Active Directory. Ensure those objects are synchronized with the state Azure AD tenant and uses those objects to secure systems and applications.
• Coordinate with management, other IT security analysts and administrators to conduct and review vulnerability analyses of agency systems, interpret results, and determine remediation actions necessary to ensure systems are hardened against common exploits.
• Develop procedures and documents for securing IT assets. Work with security specialists and management to ensure they meet the state’s IT security standards.
• Manage and maintain the mobile software and applications used for field staff performing inspections and data collection. Develop and deploys GIS applications to support their field work.

• Determine and analyze user requirements and create and maintain agency-wide and departmental SharePoint sites and content. Conduct capacity planning, security authorization, and security design reviews.
• Consult and assist users with the development of both Intranet and Internet content. Evaluate user data needs and requirements and plans the SharePoint and application resources to meet those needs. Create sites, lists and libraries to support the data. Migrate, transform, and organize the data.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Position Core Competencies:

• Customer Focus: Responsive to both internal and external customers. Works with customers to identify needs; assumes responsibility for own role in meeting those needs. Ensures commitments to customers are met. Receptive to customer feedback.
• Results Focus: Accepts personal accountability for individual results or share of team results. Manages workload and interpersonal relationships to achieve results: prioritizes tasks appropriately, overcomes obstacles, works with others as necessary, and meets deadlines and quality standards.
• Communication Skills: Demonstrates communication skills (reading comprehension, writing, listening, speaking) appropriate to the position. Shows respect and courtesy in interpersonal communications.
• Adaptability/Flexibility: Open to new ideas. Responds constructively to changing and stressful situations. In consultation with supervisor, adjusts plans to meet changing needs.
• Self-Development: Demonstrates proactive learning. Keeps knowledge and skills up to date. Solicits and accepts constructive feedback. Seeks developmental assignments to improve skills. Turns challenges into learning opportunities.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience purchasing information technology equipment, software and products including workstations, servers, peripherals, and various software packages.
• Advanced knowledge and experience administering SharePoint

Supplemental Information

How to Apply:
If you’re interested in joining our team, please read the instructions below carefully; click “Apply” at the top of the page to begin the process.

Your application will only be considered complete if the following attachments are submitted in addition:

1. Letter of Interest describing how you meet the position qualifications and why you believe you are the ideal candidate.
2. Resume detailing your applicable experience and education.
3. References: At least three (3) professional references with current telephone numbers and email addresses; one (1) contact MUST be your current or most recent supervisor.

READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMPLETELY:

• This position is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).
• This position is exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Ensure the accuracy, spelling, and grammar of your application and any requested attachments before submitting.

Our agency will only invite the top candidates to interview. The initial screening of candidates will be solely based on the contents and completeness of the application, including answers provided to the Supplemental Questionnaire, along with the required attachments – letter of interest, resume, writing sample, and references submitted as part of the application process.

Please note: a resume will not substitute for completing the “work experience” section of the application or vice versa.

All information may be verified, and documentation may be required for verification. Candidates may be disqualified if the education and/or work experience does not include information used to meet the minimum qualifications of the job.

The Utilities and Transportation Commission is an equal opportunity employer. We want to make sure you have an equal opportunity to join our team. Our commitment is making sure current and future employees are treated fairly and equally without regard to age, sex (including gender identity), race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, or religious or political affiliation.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact [email protected].  For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.