Elections Systems Technical Services Specialist

State of Wisconsin; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 64,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Wisconsin is seeking an Elections Systems Technical Services Specialist to support WisVote and related election administration systems. The role serves as a primary contact for county and municipal clerks, providing customer service, training, operational support, and guidance on applying election laws and procedures.

The position emphasizes technical services for voter registration systems, coordination with partners, and participation in security readiness activities.

Qualifications

• Experience applying IS tech services methodologies within SDLC.
• Experience managing multiple assignments and projects.
• Experience applying cybersecurity and IAM concepts.
• Experience communicating technical information to diverse audiences.
• Experience interpreting election laws and voter registration processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical services for WisVote and related systems.
• Coordinate with staff, vendors, and officials on enhancements.
• Support election security readiness and operational procedures.
• Provide customer service and training to clerks.

Skills

IS tech services

Project management

Cybersecurity basics

Technical communication

Election laws knowledge

Tools

SQL Server

Azure DevOps

Elastic

Confluence

Active Directory

RSA SecurID

Job description

Elections Systems Technical Services Specialist

Elections Systems Technical Services Specialist position!

This position is in-person and headquartered at 201 W Washington Avenue, Madison, WI.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is charged under Wisconsin Statutes to administer and enforce Wisconsin’s elections laws. The core mission of the Commission is to ensure ongoing and quality education, training, outreach, technical assistance, and advice to municipal clerks, county clerks, and local election inspectors (poll workers) that conduct elections as well as to ensure adherence to, and compliance with Wisconsin election laws and required procedures.

Another core function of the Commission is to provide current and accurate information to the public as well as various governmental and other organizations about the State's electoral processes, voting statistics, and trends.

Position Summary

This Elections Systems Technical Services Specialist position performs under general supervison of the Technical Director and focuses on working in, and providing services regarding, Wisconsin’s statewide voter registration system, WisVote, which serves as a database of voter and election information and a primary tool for administration of elections in the state. This position is a primary contact for county and municipal clerks to provide customer service, training, operational support, technical assistance, and guidance in the administration of elections using WisVote and related election administration applications. The position is responsible for applying election laws, administrative rules, Commission policies, and operational procedures related to voter registration, election administration, election security readiness, and voter participation activities.

A core function of the Commission is to provide customer service and operational support to 1,852 municipal clerks, 72 county clerks, thousands of local election inspectors (poll workers), and Wisconsin’s 3.4 million active voters to ensure adherence to election laws, required procedures, and operational standards. Another core responsibility is providing accurate, accessible, and reliable election administration information to the public, governmental partners, and other stakeholders regarding Wisconsin’s electoral processes, voting systems, and voter participation data.

This position:

• Performs technical services activities associated with WisVote, Badger Voters, and related election administration systems, including application support, testing, troubleshooting, implementation coordination, operational readiness, accessibility support, technical documentation, training, and customer technical services.
• Coordinates with agency staff, technical partners, vendors, and election officials to support system enhancements, software releases, operational improvements, and technology initiatives affecting statewide election administration systems.
• Supports operational election security readiness activities related to election administration applications and public-facing systems. Responsibilities include supporting operational security planning activities, authentication and access-related processes, operational safeguards, user support efforts, technical training, accessibility compliance initiatives, and coordination with agency technical staff and external partners regarding technology-related security practices and operational readiness efforts.
• Supports technical and operational activities associated with secure and reliable election administration systems.

Occasional statewide travel and compliance with agency timekeeping and funding accountability requirements are required.

This classification (IS Technical Services Senior) is assigned to pay schedule/range 07-34. The starting hourly rate for this position will be between $30.76 - $42.77 per hour, depending on qualifications plus excellent benefits . A 12-month probationary period may be required for this position.

Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan.

The selected candidate must not have given a political contribution to a candidate for a partisan state or local office in the twelve months prior to appointment and must comply with the agency's nonpartisan requirements during employment.

The selected candidate must possess a valid Wisconsin driver license and meet the State’s Risk Management requirements OR have the ability to obtain one’s own transportation and have the ability to travel statewide as required.

Due to the nature of the position, WEC will conduct background checks on applicants prior to selection. WEC does not sponsor work visas and is not an eligible OPT (Optional Practical Training) employer for F-1 international students. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States, and to complete the required employment eligibility form.

Qualifications

Qualifications below will be evaluated during the selection process and must be addressed in your resume and letter of qualifications.

Minimally qualified applicants will have each of the following:

• Experience applying IS technical services methodologies using software development lifecycle principles. (e.g., gathering business requirements, completing user acceptance testing, etc.)
• Experience managing multiple assignments, projects, or operational activities (e.g., planning, organizing, prioritizing, coordinating, etc.)
• Experience applying cybersecurity principles, identity and access management, or authentication technologies. (e.g., managing secure user access, performing initial security alert investigations, etc.)
• Experience communicating technical and operational information effectively with technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience interpreting and applying Wisconsin and federal election laws, election administration principles, or statewide voter registration processes.

In addition, well-qualified candidates will have experience with at least one of the following:

• Experience with enterprise technologies such as Microsoft SQL Server, Azure DevOps, Elastic, Cloudflare, Confluence, Active Directory, OPSWAT, RSA SecureID Cloud, or similar technologies
• Experience supporting election management systems

The State of Wisconsin is committed to providing opportunities to all applicants from all backgrounds. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Any applicants and employees with a disability may request reasonable accommodations.