IT Application Development Journey (In-Training)

 

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! If you want to join a team that is highly effective, collaborative, has leadership that embraces the value of people, and believes in the fun factor, Ecology is a good fit.

The Financial and Administrative Systems Support (FASS) unit within the Information Technology Services Office (ITSO) at our Headquarters building in Lacey, WA is currently looking to fill an IT Application Development Journey (In-Training) position. This position assists the various Ecology application development groups by providing accessibility programming guidance to application developers so that Ecology's digital applications are accessible and usable by everyone, including individuals with disabilities.

 

We are looking for applicants who possess excellent people skills and have the ability to communicate with a diverse audience. Someone who enjoys coaching and training others, has experience developing applications, and has familiarity with remediating applications to meet accessibility standards.

We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism and accountability. 

To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog. 

 

 

Duties

 

Agency Mission: Ecology's mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment and to promote the wise management of our air, land and water for the benefit of current and future generations. 

 

Program Mission: 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.

 

Unit Mission: The ITSO Financial and Administrative Systems Support (FASS) unit, part of the Enterprise Business Technology Solutions section (EBTS), is specifically tasked with the mission to provide computer application architecture, requirements analysis, design, development, implementation, configuration, and maintenance support services for agency-wide applications in five main business functions:

Some of the key work activities of the IT Application Development position at the Journey level include:

This position gets to diagnose what changes are needed with application code and the user experience to make it accessible, usable, and compliant with WCAG 2.0, Level AA. 

This position is challenging and interesting - discovering and diagnosing accessibility barriers to determine fixes. The successful candidate will experience satisfaction and pride in improving services so they can be accessed by everyone including individuals with disabilities. Making Ecology's applications compliant, accessible, and usable furthers the mission of Ecology and increases the number of people who can access and use our services. This position will allow the incumbent to become a leader within State Government for accessibility compliant application development and remediation practices.

 

The successful candidate for this position must understand code, application development, and interface issues – particularly for assistive technology. This includes understanding the WCAG 2.0 Level AA critical success criteria – such as keyboard access, focus, contrast, etc.

This position is located in the FASS Team but will be working with IT staff across the agency. This position will be working closely with the Accessibility Architect, the Solutions Architect, and an Application Developer. This person will be expected to participate in agency work groups related to accessibility with applications.

This recruitment will remain open until October 23 at 11:59 pm. There will be an initial screening on October 8, 2019. In order to be considered for the initial screening, please submit an application on or before October 7, 2019 The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

 

Qualifications

 

An Associate's degree or higher in Computer Science; Information Technology OR completion of a two (2) year accredited vocational training program in information technology or related program

Two (2) years of recent senior-level professional experience in computer application development and maintenance of large projects and/or major organization-wide systems.

Four (4) years of recent senior to expert-level professional experience in computer application development and maintenance. Experience includes but is not limited to analyzing, designing, implementing, maintaining and/or programming large scale and/or organization-wide information systems.

 

Desired Qualifications: 

 

An Associate's degree or higher in Computer Science; Information Technology OR completion of a two (2) year accredited vocational training program in information technology or related program

One (1) years of professional experience in computer application development and maintenance.

Three (3) years of recent professional experience in computer application development and maintenance. Experience includes but is not limited to analyzing, designing, implementing, maintaining and programming software applications.

 

Desired Qualifications: 

 

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 the health and financial security of you and your family a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to work/life balance.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:

Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS),  Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth

 

Employees may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, which forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

 

 

Supplemental Information

Application Instructions:

Please complete the applicant profile when applying for this position.

In order to be considered, applicants MUST attach a resume, and cover letter that describes their interest in this position.

Please read the supplemental questions carefully and answer completely. Incomplete responses, including "please see resume" may disqualify you from further consideration.

Department of 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.

If you are reading this announcement in print format, please visit www.careers.wa.gov to access the online recruitment system. Click on "Look for Jobs" and select Dept. of Ecology under the "Department" search list. Click "Apply Search."

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 the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile's main page.

If you have specific questions about the position, please email Kevin Barbee at: kevin.barbee@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Kevin to inquire about the status of your application.

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.

This position is included in the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) union bargaining unit for the Department of Ecology.

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 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.