IT Specialist

IT Specialist I/IIThe City of West Sacramento is seeking a skilled, innovative, and service-oriented IT Specialist I/II to lead enhancement and support efforts for Accela Civic Platform and Citizen Access (ACCELA), the City's enterprise permitting and land management system. ACCELA is a mission-critical platform that supports a wide range of City services, including permit processing, code enforcement, development review, and business licensing. This position reports to the Information Technology Business Services Manager. It is a key member of the City's IT Division, which includes Technical Services, Data & Development Services, Client Services, GIS, and Enterprise Applications. The IT Specialist I/II will work closely with staff across departments—particularly within Community Development—to ensure ACCELA continues to evolve into a powerful, user-friendly, and reliable tool that supports City operations. This is a unique and rewarding opportunity for a motivated IT professional to help shape the future of digital services in the City of West Sacramento. By bringing ACCELA expertise in-house, the City aims to deliver more efficient, responsive, and innovative public services, building a smarter, more connected local government for both staff and residents. This position supports enhancements, system/data scripting, and reporting requirements, and makes recommendations to implement improved functionality to support the City's mission and community goals. The ideal candidate will bring a collaborative spirit, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to public service. This role provides an opportunity to directly influence how the City delivers services to residents and businesses by leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, transparency, and community engagement.Responsibilities:Serve as a technical lead for ACCELA system configuration, development, and support.Collaborate closely with Community Development and other departments to implement custom workflows, streamline business processes, and write custom reports.Support data integration, reporting, and enhancements; and recommend or deploy new functionality aligned with the City's strategic IT roadmap.Act as a cross-departmental liaison, translating business needs into technical solutions and providing proactive system support and innovation.Contribute to citywide IT initiatives where ACCELA intersects with broader technology strategies.The ideal candidate will possess strong technical expertise in ACCELA configuration, administration, and support, with a proven ability to deliver innovative permitting solutions that streamline business processes and improve service delivery. Candidates should bring analytical and creative problem-solving skills to enhance and optimize the City's permitting systems for internal users and the community. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate possession of the following:A minimum of two (2) years of administrative experience supporting ACCELA products—either on premises or on Cloud.At least four (4) years of experience working in or alongside an Information Technology department or division, with specialization in enterprise permitting systems such as ACCELA.A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.A big-picture mindset with a firm grasp of ACCELA's relationship to IT systems such as GIS, databases, and cloud infrastructure.Ability to analyze complex issues, propose innovative solutions, and implement improvements that deliver measurable results.Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, capable of working with technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.A passion for technology-driven service improvements that benefit internal staff and the broader community.Proven success in the design, development, configuration, and support of ACCELA or similar permitting platforms.Strong understanding of project management principles and experience leading technology enhancement initiatives across departments.Demonstrated success in the design, configuration, development, and support of enterprise applications.Experience with SQL Server preferredExperience supporting cloud-hosted applications and managing data integration between enterprise systems (e.g., permitting, GIS, SQL databases).Ability to evaluate and implement new functionality—including modules, records, scripting, and/or process improvements—to support evolving needs.Experience enhancing data reporting and analytics capabilities to support informed decision-making via updates to existing and/or new reports and dashboards requested by staff and management.A strong service orientation with the ability to translate technical requirements into practical business solutions for non-technical stakeholders.Proficiency with Esri technologies such as ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, and related tools.Experience integrating GIS data into permitting systems and enhancing data visualization capabilities for field and office use.The Information Technology Specialist I/II performs a variety of professional level work in designing, installing, managing, updating, integrating and securing Information Technology systems; provides professional level analysis and guidance to help solve business problems; operates computer equipment as required; and provides functional and technical assistance to City personnel.Receives general supervision from the Information Technology Manager and/or designee. The Information Technology Specialist II may provide technical and/or functional supervision over support staff as-needed.The Information Technology Specialist II is considered the journey level position within the Information Technology Specialist I/II series. The Information Technology Specialist I is distinguished from the Information Technology Specialist II by the performance of the more routine and less complex assignments and the greater level of supervision provided by the Information Technology Manager and/or designee. An Information Technology Specialist II performs the full range of technical and professional functions necessary to accomplish the tasks and duties assigned with minimal direction or assistance.Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.Enterprise SystemsPerform analytical and technical work through enterprise systems that support assigned City business applications.Conduct business analysis; evaluate business processes; determine business needs; identify requirements; and develop business plan analysis for City enterprise systems.Provide and/or ensure follow up on trouble calls and tickets; correspond with or meet customers and vendors as needed to understand and resolve concerns.Analyze data and information trends to support system capacity/performance planning or diagnose issues related to assigned systems; compile and prepare reports and documentation on analysis findings.Perform installation and configuration duties and related data migration, conversion, and maintenance and extraction work; implement and maintain databases, database tables and database objects; develop database scripts as needed for assigned systems.Perform configuration, testing and troubleshooting for network/communications devices and/or interfaces that support assigned systems.Coordinate implementation of the system software, including conversion of data to new systems; work with application support personnel to resolve system problems.Assist departments in defining requirements for proposed business applications; review, analyze and evaluate business applications and user needs; translate business objectives into application requirements.Develop and participate in the development of requests for proposals, quotes, or information; participate in the selection; and assist with the oversight of consultants and vendors.Perform reporting, testing and general maintenance of enterprise systems and identify alternative methods for better operation and use.Research, plan, install, configure and test new application systems and interfaces; maintain and upgrade existing application systems and interfaces.Analyze and resolve technology related problems; resolve compatibility problems and troubleshoot system software, hardware and communication problems.Prepare and maintain documentation for each application; design backup procedures; and analyze problems with existing applications.Work closely with assigned City departments and divisions to understand and identify user computer system and equipment needs; analyze and evaluate present or proposed business procedures or problems to define enterprise application needs.Create, record, and maintain user access and security; provide training to users regarding enterprise applications use and operating procedures.Monitor automated system processes; monitor logs and files for evidence of problems or system failures; ensure business resumption after system failures.Research, compile and prepare reports and documentation on program activities; analyze program and develop corrective action, maintain records of findings and corrective actions; prepare periodic status reports.Serve as liaison with system software and hardware suppliers and vendors; monitor contracted services for quality and compliance with City standards.Any combination of training and experience which would provide the required knowledge and skill. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and skill would be: Education: Information Technology Specialist I/II: A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Management Information Systems or closely related field. Experience: Information Technology Specialist I: Two (2) years of progressively responsible professional experience in computer technology. Information Technology Specialist II: Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional experience in computer technology. Related experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for up to sixty (60) units of the education requirement. (Thirty (30) semester units are equivalent to one (1) year of experience.)