Development Technical Advisor

State of Wisconsin; Milwaukee (WI); Hybrid; USD 107,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work flexibility

Job summary

Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) is seeking a Development Technical Advisor to lead IT development for childcare software across multi‑platform systems, including mainframe and client/server environments. You will guide design, governance, security, and SDLC management with leaders and vendors.

The role emphasizes technical leadership, architecture oversight, and collaboration with state staff to deliver secure, scalable childcare solutions.

Qualifications

• Experience performing IT application development technical lead duties, including translating requirements into technical specifications.
• Experience establishing development standards and documentation.
• Experience analyzing security and architecture review results with remediation plans.

Skills

IT lead duties

Technical specifications

Code reviews

Security review analysis

Job description

Introduction

The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Division of Management Services (DMS), Bureau of Information Technology Services (BITS), Child Care Child Welfare Section (CCCW) is currently recruiting to fill a Development Technical Advisor position. DCF offers great benefits, personal growth opportunities and work‑life balance as a State of Wisconsin employee; and the intrinsic reward associated with serving the children and families of Wisconsin. To learn more about DCF’s complete compensation package, please visit our Total Rewards Calculator!

This position may allow hybrid work for a portion of the work schedule up to 95% depending on the employee’s preference and needs of the work unit. Any hybrid work flexibility that may be available will be discussed in more detail in the interview process.

For positions that do allow hybrid work flexibility, employees may need to report to a DCF office location on short notice. There is no mileage reimbursement when traveling to the headquarters location. Our DCF locations are in the following cities: Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Eau Claire, and Rhinelander. Employees need to report to the 201 W. Washington Ave. Madison, WI office or the 635 N 26 St. Milwaukee, WI office on their first day for onboarding and orientation.

High speed internet access is required to meet the needs of remote work.

Come see why DCF is such a great place to work!

DCF is committed to the important work of helping children, youth and families become safer, more secure and progress down the road to true independence. For more information about DCF, visit our website at http://dcf.wi.gov/.

Position Summary

This position performs as the functional technical lead/expert of software development for DCF’s Child Care software applications portfolio. This position provides technical expertise for the design, governance, security, and management of childcare systems as well as overseeing and performing work that supports all phases of the software development life cycle (SDLC). This includes oversight and guidance on the development, implementation, testing, and maintenance of multi-platform including mainframe and client/server childcare systems. The incumbent provides leadership and guidance of state employees, consultants, and vendor staff.

View the complete position description.

Salary Information

The classification title for this position is IS Systems Development Services Consultant/Administrator. The starting salary is between $51.64 and $60.00 per hour ($107,411 and $124,800 annually), depending on qualifications. Pay for current State of WI employees will be based on the compensation plan in effect at the time of the appointment. Pay for current state employees who are transferring will be determined based upon the pay on transfer rules (higher level duties or equity) as outlined in the compensation plan in effect at the time of appointment.

The pay schedule/range is 07-32. A one-year probationary period may be required.

Job Details

Due to the nature of the position, final candidates may be required to allow DCF to conduct a security background check to determine whether the circumstances of any pending charges or convictions would be substantially related to the job being filled.

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the U.S., a lawful permanent resident, an alien authorized to work in the U.S. without DCF sponsorship.) The Department of Children and Families does not sponsor visas, either at time of hire or at any later time.

Qualifications

Minimally qualified applicants will have:

• Experience performing IT application development technical lead duties (e.g., Reviewing business requirements to create technical specifications, ensure adherence to organizational standards, creating technical work breakdowns for developer task assignments, monitoring developer progress and performance etc.)
• Experience establishing development standards such as technical specifications, code reviews, checklists, and procedural documentation
• Experience analyzing application architectural and security review results (e.g. providing recommendations and plans for remediation based on the results of the review)

Well-qualified Applicants Will Have

• Experience designing an application and/or its architecture and incorporating IT security standards and concepts appropriately. (E.g. Authentication and authorization development experience, mitigating known security vulnerabilities, putting measures in place to ensure security vulnerabilities are easily discovered by the development team)
• Experience performing and/or leading Strategic Planning with an IT application development team. (e.g. developing a technical roadmap and or researching/analyzing/creating recommendations for current state vs. future state.)
• Experience leading or mentoring a technical team (monitoring personnel workload, providing coaching, mentoring and training, delegating work responsibilities, etc.)

The State of Wisconsin is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to applicants of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national original, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.

The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service‑connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non‑Competitive Appointment program.

Permanent classified state employees who are eligible for consideration (transfer, voluntary demotion, or former employees as a reinstatement) must complete the application process to apply.

Deadline to Apply

The deadline to apply is 11:59 PM on October 1, 2026. If you need assistance with the online application process, please contact, Megan Harper at 608-712-8730 or via email at [e-mail]. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions for general wisc.jobs user information and technical assistance.