Election Technology Specialist - Information Technology Specialist 3

Full Job Description

This is a non-merit position. Candidates must follow the instructions in the "To Apply" section. Positions in this class are exempt from the screening and referral requirements of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services - Human Resources Enterprise.

The Iowa Secretary of State is hiring an Election Technology Specialist for our Election Division. Due to the sensitive nature of the position, this job will be on-site only.

Office of the Secretary of State

The Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) has three primary areas of responsibility:

1) Elections & Voter Registration,

2) Business Services, and

3) Safe at Home.

The Elections Division provides oversight on election administration and voter registration duties conducted by county elections officials.

The Business Services Division accepts filings related to business entities, notaries, and other related filings.

Safe at Home is an address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, assault, trafficking, and stalking.

In addition to these three functional areas, the SOS has financial, IT, and communications teams that provide support across the office.

Elections and Voter Registration

The Elections Division supervises the administration of elections and voter registration in Iowa. Elections in Iowa are conducted at the county level by the commissioners of elections.

The Elections Division provides oversight, training, and helpdesk services to the commissioners. The team also responds to public questions about all aspects of the election process.

Additionally, the Elections Division leads our election-based initiatives to ensure integrity and security in the voting process.

Election Technology Specialist (ITS3)

The Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State is hiring an Election Technology Specialist (ETS) to work on-site with our elections team.

This position will report to the Director of Elections.

The Elections Technology Specialist will provide technical support for elections technology to the Elections Division and County Election Officials.

The role will answer calls and emails regarding any issues that county auditors and their staff are facing while using the statewide voter registration and election management system (VREM), including setting up elections, registrations, moving voters, merging voter files, running election registers and e-pollbooks, setting up precincts, and running related reports.

The ETS answers questions from county auditors regarding election administration by telephone and email, documenting known-user problems to isolate and escalate issues.

They will troubleshoot problems with the Statewide VREM system and e-pollbook applications to ensure procedures are being followed appropriately and assist with testing application functionality to determine whether issues are program-related or user-related, keeping an open line of communication between system users and administrators

Additionally, the ETS will provide insight into election software updates based on user feedback; format application data to support meaningful analysis, including the use of tools such as Excel, with experience working with databases or SQL-based systems considered beneficial.

The ETS will work with IT and Office Legal on issues of data security and privacy.

The role provides documentation on timely topics for upcoming elections or processes that must be completed in the Statewide system, and reports issues pertaining to system enhancements, including support for project-based work and coordination with internal teams and vendors as needed.

Finally, the position will work with data and shapefiles for redistricting and re-precincting, including data interchange and ingress/egress issues.

Create forms or instructions, possibly including videos, to help counties better use the Statewide VREM system.

Benefits:

At the State of Iowa, we are committed to your well-being. As a valued team member, you'll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Paid Time Off: Enjoy vacation with accruals that rollover on a yearly basis, sick leave with no limits on accrual and 9 paid holidays per year.
• Great Benefits: Excellent Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance Options.
• Retirement Plan: IPERS Retirement package and an option for a deferred compensation plan.
• Flexibility: Flexible Spending Accounts (medical and dependent care).
• Life Insurance: Free Life Insurance.
• Support: Employee Assistance Programs and Employee Discount Programs.

To learn more about the benefits of working with the State of Iowa, visit our benefits webpage.

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States.

The State of Iowa also complies with the Federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization.

For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

**Note: To pass the initial screening, applicants must demonstrate the technical skills listed below:

1) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in any field, and experience equal to one year of full-time work in: operating a multi-job computer; installing, operating, and coordinating computer-based networks; installing/maintaining database management systems; developing business application processes; developing/operating system programs; installing/maintaining personal computers, Local Area Networks, and/or servers; managing operating systems; developing/delivering information management training; providing Information Technology (IT) customer service; or designing/administering websites.
2) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in computer science, computer applications, software engineering, computer engineering, management information systems, business analytics, or cyber security.
3) All of the following (a and b): a. One year of full-time work experience in: operating a multi-job computer; installing, operating, and coordinating computer-based networks; installing/maintaining database management systems; developing business application processes; developing/operating system programs; installing/maintaining personal computers, Local Area Networks, and/or servers; managing operating systems; developing/delivering information management training; providing Information Technology (IT) customer service; or designing/administering websites; and b. A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university coursework in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
4) All of the following (a and b): a. One year of full-time work experience in: operating a multi-job computer; installing, operating, and coordinating computer-based networks; installing/maintaining database management systems; developing business application processes; developing/operating system programs; installing/maintaining personal computers, Local Area Networks, and/or servers; managing operating systems; developing/delivering information management training; providing Information Technology (IT) customer service; designing/administering websites; or executing technology projects (e.g., systems analysis, requirements, design, development, and testing); and b. Either of the following: i. Certification by an authorized educational institution/major computer or software producer in an area directly related to one of the computer specialty fields described in part a; or ii. Eighteen semester hours of accredited post-high-school coursework in one of the specialty fields described in part a.
5) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes six months of fulltime work as an Information Technology Specialist 2.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.