Application Support Specialist

Company Description

The Office of Innovation & Technology (OIT) is the central IT agency for the City of Philadelphia headed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO). OIT oversees all major information and communications technology initiatives for the City of Philadelphia - increasing the effectiveness of the information technology infrastructure, where the services provided are advanced, optimized, and responsive to the needs of the City of Philadelphia's businesses, residents, and visitors. OIT responsibilities include: identifying the most effective approach for implementing new information technology directions throughout city government; improving the value of the city's technology assets and the return on the city's technology investments; ensuring data security continuity; planning for continuing operations in the event of disruption of information technology or communications services; and supporting accountable, efficient and effective government across every city department, board, commission and agency.

The Application Support Specialist acts as a member of the technical support team for specific technology implementations within the Department of Revenue and supports the vendor-heavy ecosystem those systems rely on. In partnership with the business unit, they develop an understanding of the business processes surrounding the assigned applications, maintain expertise in system functionality, and analyze use cases and technical capabilities to recommend improvements to system configuration or business processes. The specialist also plays a key role in documenting application behavior, controls, standards, and known issues to support effective system use and troubleshooting. They work primarily in a service ticket queue environment and are expected to manage work transparently, proactively identify issues or trends, and prevent problems before they impact operations.

As a member of the Revenue IT team, the Application Support Specialist is expected to uphold the department's mission and contribute positively to a collaborative, human-centered, innovative, and accountable culture.

Job Description

Essential Functions

Technical Solution Management

• Act as a technical expert for specific technology solution(s) and understand system configuration, workflows, and integrations.
• Develop, maintain, and organize accurate documentation including system standards, configuration notes, known issues, workarounds, release notes, and user-facing guides.
• Work within a structured service ticket queue environment, ensuring timely updates, clear communication, and adherence to internal service expectations.
• Monitor recurring issues or patterns in the queue and proactively escalate or address root causes.
• Work closely with development and support teams (City or vendor) on issue resolution, enhancements, and prioritization of system improvements.
• Perform initial testing of enhancements, patches, and upgrades; coordinate with business subject matter experts for further validation.
• Research and promote the use of existing and emerging technologies to support or enhance Revenue's operations.

Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong, consultative relationships with Revenue business units, central OIT areas, and vendors related to supported systems.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned systems regarding coordination, communication, and planning.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of the business processes and requirements associated with supported systems.
• Participate in routine status and planning meetings with stakeholders, advocating for system needs, enhancements, and support priorities.
• Monitor and evaluate vendor performance, escalate concerns, and ensure adherence to agreed-upon service expectations.
• Provide clear, timely reporting to Revenue IT leadership regarding issues, system performance, ticket trends, vendor activity, and user satisfaction.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is acceptable.
• At least three years of experience in application support or a closely related technical support role.
• Experience working with vendors, managing service tickets, or documenting technical processes is preferred.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proven analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to anticipate issues and take proactive steps to prevent them.
• Strong documentation discipline: able to produce clear, structured, and accurate technical and user-facing materials.
• Experience working in a service ticket queue environment, with the ability to manage competing demands, communicate effectively, and maintain service visibility.
• Ability to work with end users to understand business processes, define requirements, and translate those needs into actionable tickets or technical specifications.
• Excellent communication skills, especially the ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to build effective working relationships and operate collaboratively across a vendor-heavy technology ecosystem.
• Commitment to delivering modern, user-centered technology support in alignment with Revenue IT's culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Additional Information

Salary Range: $65,000-$72,767

Salary cannot exceed $72,767

All applications must include a cover letter. Applications without a cover letter will be considered incomplete.

Did you know?
• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer : 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities

• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire
Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race,
ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at View phone number on click.appcast.io or send an email to faqpchr @phila.gov. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: