District Integration & Support Engineer (Systems Engineer I)

The mission of the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is to serve students support teachers empower parents and engage the community so that every student graduates prepared to reach their full potential.

The South Carolina Department of Education is seeking a District Integration & Support Engineer to serve as a hands-on technically skilled member of the team. This role blends the capabilities of a forward-deployed engineer such as building integrations writing automation and integration code to automate repetitive work and solving complex data and systems problems with the responsiveness of a front-line support engineer who answers calls and tickets walks districts through resolution steps and delivers training where it is needed.

You will work across pre-K-12 student information systems educational technology platforms and data-exchange processes (including Ed-Fi and rostering) diagnosing issues that span district data entry system configuration application dependencies vendor systems and integrated applications. You will write and maintain automation and integration code troubleshoot and resolve operational issues and turn recurring manual support tasks into reliable repeatable processes. Equally important you will engage directly with district staff and vendors clearly patiently and professionally as the technical face of the team.

The ideal candidate is comfortable moving between the terminal and the phone: writing SQL and Python one hour leading a district troubleshooting call the next and building a training walkthrough the same afternoon. You bring genuine technical depth a service orientation and the initiative to improve the systems and processes you support.

This role collaborates with SCDE IT teams as well as district technology staff and vendors to ensure all work meets SCDE governance security and compliance requirements.

Systems Integration & Data Exchange Support and maintain integrations across educational technology systems including rostering and information-exchange processes. Assist districts with routine data processing publishing and synchronization and monitor system status processing queues dependencies and error-reporting tools.

Automation & Process Improvement Identify repetitive support and operational activities suitable for automation and build solutions that reduce manual effort. Write production-quality SQL and Python use version control (Git) and follow code and security standards. Participate in proof-of-concept projects involving automation process simplification and operational efficiency and recommend improvements that strengthen customer support services.

System Analysis & Development Independently analyze develop test implement and maintain moderately complex web client-server and/or cloud-based solutions that support district operations. Modify software and configurations develop tooling for monitoring and reporting and consult with IT staff on system design performance and feasibility.

District Support & Ticket Response Serve as a technical contact for districts participating in SCDE-supported services. Respond to calls and tickets promptly diagnose issues and drive them to resolution. Participate in support calls with districts vendors and SCDE staff and document findings and resolutions clearly.

Troubleshooting & Root-Cause Analysis Determine whether issues originate from district data entry system configuration application dependencies data-exchange processes vendor systems or other integrated applications. Research data-validation errors and operational issues analyze dependency chains that block processing of records and transactions and investigate missing or inaccurate student staff course section and school information across connected systems.

Training & District Enablement Walk district staff through resolution steps publishing and synchronization activities and best practices. Develop and deliver training walkthroughs and documentation that help districts operate confidently and reduce repeat issues. Document escalation paths and recommended solutions for recurring problems.

Documentation & Knowledge Sharing Prepare clear technical documentation runbooks troubleshooting guides and knowledge-base articles. Categorize and track common data-quality problems so the team and districts can resolve them faster over time.

Data Confidentiality & Security Work with sensitive student data while maintaining confidentiality and security controls. Follow all SCDE IT policies data-classification standards and regulatory requirements (FERPA etc.). Access and responsibilities are governed by district participation and SCDE security procedures. Perform other duties as assigned.

A bachelors degree in computer science or related field and experience in computer system development and modification in either an on-premises cloud-based or hybrid environment. Relevant experience may substitute for the bachelors degree on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications:

Working proficiency in SQL: writing queries investigating data issues and understanding relational data structures.

Hands-on scripting or development experience in Python (or a comparable language) for automation data processing and API integration using version control (Git).

Demonstrated troubleshooting and root-cause-analysis skills across multiple systems platforms and vendors.

Familiarity with the Ed-Fi data standard and K-12 student information systems (PowerSchool Infinite Campus etc.).

Experience with rostering data validation and information-exchange processes between educational systems.

Experience with cloud data warehousing (Snowflake preferred or Redshift BigQuery Azure Synapse).

Experience with data-pipeline or workflow-automation tools (Apache Airflow dbt Prefect or equivalent).

Experience building BI/visualization or self-serve reporting solutions (Power BI Tableau Looker Superset or similar).

Experience with data integration or API platforms (MuleSoft Talend or similar) and with Salesforce.

Experience delivering technical training walkthroughs or documentation to non-technical stakeholders.

Experience automating workflows or providing technical support in educational or government environments.

Familiarity with data governance data-quality frameworks and managing sensitive data in production systems.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Strong customer-service orientation with the ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences in writing and by phone.

Ability to work independently follow established procedures and manage multiple concurrent support requests.

As a part of a generous compensation package we offer comprehensive benefits that include generous paid time off preeminent health care benefits professional development opportunities pension a 401(k) and a hybrid work schedule with opportunity for remote work.

The South Carolina Department of Education offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:

• Health Dental Vision Long Term Disability and Life Insurance for Employee Spouse and Children.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year.
• 15 days sick leave per year.
• 13 paid holidays.
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs.

Experience:

IC