GIS System Administrator

Join the Department of Information Technology’s Enterprise GIS Division as a senior member of the Geospatial Applications and Systems Branch. This position plays a key role in supporting and advancing the county’s enterprise GIS environment by administering and maintaining critical GIS systems and applications, including ArcGIS Enterprise (Portal for ArcGIS and multiple ArcGIS Server roles), Windows Virtual Desktop (Azure), and VertiGIS Studio.

In this role, you will perform Windows-based system administration tasks such as managing user access, troubleshooting applications and systems, and providing technical support to end users. You will work closely with the Branch Manager to design, implement, and support integrations between GIS platforms and other enterprise business systems.

This position also focuses on improving efficiency through automation by designing and implementing repeatable system administration and data transformation processes. You will manage projects to deliver GIS-based solutions that support business operations, using scripting languages such as Python and PowerShell, along with automation tools including Microsoft Power Automate and VertiGIS Studio Workflows.

• Identify, design, develop and conduct spatial solutions/models to complex business problems for users;
• Creates/develops solutions for GIS systems (data, applications);
• Conducts data modeling;
• Guides GIS project personnel;
• Performs project management duties for spatial system development and implementation;
• Establishes standards and methods for developing GIS application software; database development and operation;
• Effectively participates and collaborates in cross-departmental teams. Develops documents and maintains data loading tools and processes;
• Develops and conducts advanced spatial queries in GIS data warehouse (e.g., with Oracle Spatial);
• Performs all stages of the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and applies relevant tasks and deliverables of the SDLC to GIS projects;
• Defines system/database requirements for spatial applications;
• Develops and performs enterprise level acceptance tests for GIS hardware and software;
• Utilizes IT Information Library (ITIL) and other relevant County standards on system projects;
• Provides training, guidance and assistance to lower level analysts;
• Designs, develops, conducts and implements training programs and classes;
• Provides technical support for complex system level problems;
• Evaluates, designs, and implements spatial data models;
• Serves on Selection Advisory Committee/Technical Advisory Committee to evaluate proposals submitted in response to Request for Proposals;
• Formulates detailed project plans and timelines;
• Coordinates efforts between GIS staff, other County staff, and contractors;
• Manages and leads the design and development of moderate to complex GIS applications;
• Provides technical assistance in data layer maintenance procedures;
• Communicates with agency GIS leaders to assess needs and develop priorities;
• Provides input to the GIS Spatial Analyst IV to help determine assignments of GIS resources to project initiatives;
• Coordinates with County agencies in providing connectivity between the GIS database and County enterprise databases;
• Provides GIS Liaison and coordination with neighboring jurisdictions and state agencies. Assists agencies with technical hardware and software resources required in a distributed environment;
• May supervise, assign, and evaluate work for GIS Spatial Analyst Is, IIs and Technicians;
• Provides assistance to other staff as needed;
• Provides both technical and functional GIS presentations to Senior County Management, Board Members, and constituents;
• Attends meetings and conferences related to GIS;
• Performs any of the illustrative duties in support of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC);
• Performs evaluation of suitability and capability, estimation and prediction, using spatial tools;
• Performs any or all of the four traditional types of spatial analysis: spatial overlay and contiguity analysis, surface analysis, linear analysis, and raster analysis.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")
Bachelor's degree in computer science, geography or related field which included coursework in Oracle and/or another complex database platform; plus two years of experience in working with and developing systems utilizing GIS platforms such as ESRI’s ArcGIS Desktop or Server software suites; or performing GIS modeling (e.g., relationship classes, topologies, 3-D, object, data) and spatial analysis (e.g., proximity analysis, image analysis, routing analysis).

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check to the satisfaction of the employer.  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Five (5) or more years of experience in GIS system administration, including at least two (2) years supporting the ArcGIS Enterprise suite (Portal for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Server).
• Experience with additional ArcGIS Enterprise components such as ArcGIS Image Server and ArcGIS GeoEvent Server.
• Two (2) or more years of GIS-related scripting and automation experience, preferably using Python.
• Working knowledge of virtualized or cloud-based desktop environments, such as Azure.
• Experience using GIS-specific APIs, including ArcPy, ArcGIS API for Python, and ArcGIS REST APIs.
• Knowledge of software development and debugging tools and techniques, including Visual Studio, browser-based development and diagnostic tools, and/or Jupyter Notebooks.
• Experience with ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Desktop, including extensions such as Spatial Analyst and Network Analyst.
• Experience with SQL Server, including spatial databases, spatial indexes, and spatial functions.
• Knowledge of relational database systems and tools used for GIS and geodatabase processing.
• Project management experience.
• Strong organizational, verbal, written, and collaboration skills.
• Strong understanding of GIS technology, including spatial analysis, geospatial data processing, and data modeling techniques.
• Demonstrated attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think critically and creatively.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team, with minimal supervision as required.
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to proactively propose and implement innovative solutions to improve processes and outcomes.