Software Engineer

Senior Technical Deployment Manager

Texas Health and Human Services Commission requires the services of 1 Senior Technical Deployment Manager, who meets the general qualifications of Software Engineer 3, Applications/Software Development and the specifications outlined in this document for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

All work products resulting from the project shall be considered "works made for hire" and are the property of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and may include pre-selection requirements that potential Vendors (and their Candidates) submit to and satisfy criminal background checks as authorized by Texas law. Texas Health and Human Services Commission will pay no fees for interviews or discussions, which occur during the process of selecting a Candidate(s).

Environment Management Team – Deployment Manager

HHSC Social Services Applications division is seeking a Senior Technical Deployment Manager (DM) to:

• Oversee the deployment and validation of SSA application releases and system enhancements to production.
• Oversee the troubleshooting of environment issues encountered during development in the dev/test environments.
• Plan and coordinate with multiple internal I/T organizations, trading partners, vendors and consultants on an ongoing basis.
• Work closely with the business and I/T management for environment demand planning and driving I/T and operation resources for timely delivery of application environments - including new environment standups and frequent refactoring and reconfiguration of existing environments through manual and automated processes (Code, DB, Configuration, Security and Platform updates).
• Lead projects and IT sprints for improving environment delivery process through automation and standardization.
• Utilize Agile development or, provide direction that meets SSA goals and objectives by participating in backlog grooming & user story development and work together with other teams in support of application enhancements planned to support new programs & business requests and to enhance quality, scalability & stability of the applications
• Lead and triage troubleshooting sessions involving subject matter experts from different I/T areas for the purpose of restoring functionality and isolating and root causing issues.
• Hands on experience with monitoring and APM tools such as Splunk, Dynatrace is highly preferred.
• Environment triage support responsibility includes both workday and night/weekend on-call support for all development, test, training, and production environments.
• This service helps maintain high availability for developers, testers, trainers, and production end users.
• It includes both workday and night/weekend on-call support as required to maintain high availability of the applications for various users.
• This position works under minimal direction with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Essential Job Functions:

• Oversee the planning and coordination of environment setup while focusing on timely delivery of environments; manage risks and issues. (25%)
• Coordinate software deployments with application development teams, DevOps engineers, testers, TIERS Ops & Security and our business stakeholders to plan and coordinate environment setup and configuration. (20%)
• Leading and triaging troubleshooting process for systems involving 100s of I/T services and components undergoing complex changes; exercising technical judgement as well as leadership skills in coordinating with technical subject matter experts in code, configuration, middleware, database, network and other I/T areas. Completing root cause analysis documentation; training juniors and strategizing improvement to existing process. (10%)
• Oversee the troubleshooting of environment issues encountered during development in the dev/test environments. Coordinate with the Middleware, EM, database, network and development teams to identify root cause of the issue(s) reported and provide fix. Training juniors' members of the team and strategizing improvement to existing process. (10%)
• Maintain the IT DevOps roadmap in accordance with SSA goals and objectives. Attend the IT Governance meeting on regular basis, develop, update and maintain the roadmap to reflect changes. Seek senior management approval. (5%)
• Provide Scrum Master Support for DevSecOps teams utilizing Agile development practices, provide direction that meets SSA goals and objectives by participating in backlog grooming & user story development. Ensure user story development follow Social Services Applications' Agile guidelines, set priority, participate in retrospective ceremonies and provide feedback. (5%)
• Oversees and manages the analysis, resolution and removal of impediments during sprint development. Responsible for promoting and ensuring an atmosphere of self-directing and self-organizing within the Agile teams. (5%)
• Oversee staff and assign work. Responsible for team harmony, resolve conflict and mentor staff. Responsible for team productivity – provides input into team development. (5%)
• Produce critical and complex reports to management. Provide environment use and assignment reports to management, status reports on CI/CD pipeline development, progress and effectiveness, also present to senior management, on regular basis, advanced I/T technology proposals and implementation approach. (5%)
• Perform other duties as assigned. (5%)

Knowledge Skills Abilities:

• In-depth knowledge of Agile methodology and frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, XP, including sprint related activities such as User Stories development, Continuous Integration, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing, Estimation.
• Ability to supervise staff.
• Ability to assign and prioritize work.
• Communication skills, both written and oral to effectively communicate technical and business needs across different organizational levels (including but not limited to: executive, management, software development, testing, and technical staff).
• Possesses skills to effectively coach sprint teams on Agile methodology.
• In-depth knowledge of software development processes, procedures and standards.
• Ability to make sound decisions resulting in delivery of software products on time and defect free.
• Critical thinking abilities to identify and solve problems, understand and analyze burndown charts, team velocity and other required metrics.
• Possesses conflict resolution skills and focuses on scrum values of openness, honesty and respect.
• Strong interpersonal skills including mentoring, coaching, collaborating, and team building
• Strong analytical, planning, and organizational skills with an ability to manage competing demands.
• Solid understanding of and demonstrated experience in using appropriate tools:
• AGILE Project Management tools such as Jira, Rally, VersionOne or equivalent.
• Microsoft Project, Visio, and all Office Tools.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills and experience interacting with both business and IT individuals at all levels including the executive level.
• Creative approach to problem-solving with the ability to focus on details while maintaining the "big picture" view.

Registration or Licensure Requirements:

• PMI - Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) preferred
• PMI - Project Management Professional (PMP) preferred

Initial Selection Criteria:

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in computer science, computer information systems, management information systems, or a related field is generally preferred. Experience and education may be substituted for one another.
• 5 years hands-on experience in managing large size software development projects with a proven record of success.
• 5 years hands-on experience with SCRUM/ AGILE methodologies with enterprise-level application development projects.
• Technical background/skills
• Knowledge of the PMLC/SDLC
• Experience overseeing multi-function project teams

WORK HOURS AND LOCATION

Services shall be provided during normal business hours unless otherwise coordinated through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, excluding State holidays when the agency is closed.

The primary work location(s) will be at 1609 Centre Creek Dr., Austin, Texas 78754. The working position is Hybrid - On Site and Telework. Any and all travel, per diem, parking, and/or living expenses shall be at the Candidate's and/or Vendor's expense. Texas Health and Human Services Commission will provide pre-approved, written authorization for travel for any services to be performed away from the primary work location(s). Pre-approved travel expenses are limited to the rates and comply with the rules prescribed by the State of Texas for travel by its classified employees, including any requirement for original receipts.

The Candidate(s) may be required to work outside the normal business hours on weekends, evenings and holidays, as requested. Payment for work over 40 hours will be at the hourly rate quoted and must be coordinated and pre-approved through Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

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