IT Supervisor - GIS

City of Kirkland; Kirkland (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wages

Awesome benefits

Childcare programs

Training opportunities

Job summary

The City of Kirkland’s IT Department is seeking an experienced IT Supervisor to lead the GIS team, overseeing enterprise GIS platforms, spatial databases, and GIS-enabled apps while performing advanced hands-on work. Ideal candidates will design and manage spatial systems, administer geodatabases, develop GIS applications, and integrate GIS with other business systems using Esri software.

As a member of IT Leadership, you will mentor staff, report progress, and collaborate with city staff and

Qualifications

• 5+ years of management experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Geography, or related field required; relevant experience may be considered.
• Experience administering enterprise geodatabases and designing spatial data workflows.

Responsibilities

• Supervise GIS team, mentor staff, and manage workload.
• Oversee delivery and performance of enterprise GIS platforms and applications.
• Design and administer geodatabases, data analysis, and GIS development projects.
• Coordinate with internal customers and vendors to meet business needs.
• Lead project planning, budgeting, and progress reporting.

Skills

Geospatial tech

Esri GIS

ArcGIS Enterprise

ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Pro

Spatial analysis

Vendor management

Scripting

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in IT/Geography

Tools

ArcGIS Hub

ArcGIS Monitor

ArcGIS Velocity

Job description

The City of Kirkland's IT Department is seeking to hire an IT Supervisor - GIS!

Why Kirkland?

Ranked as one of the most livable cities in America, Kirkland is an attractive and inviting place to live, work, and visit. We have big city vision while maintaining a small-town, community feel. If you are a candidate with the desire to join an organization looking to innovate into the future, the City of Kirkland is the place for you!

If you ask our employees why they love where they work, they will tell you about the great people, work environment, supportive leadership and City Council, and innovation.

We also invest in you!

Competitive Wages

We strive to maintain competitive compensation packages and work to provide wages that meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities of our employees.

Awesome benefits

The City offers benefits that are unmatched by most other employers.

Childcare Programs

To help address the challenge of reliable childcare, the City of Kirkland has agreements with two local childcare providers that offer discounted rates for our employees at 10 locations within 20 miles of Kirkland.

Training and Career Development

The City of Kirkland believes in developing its employees. You will have access to training opportunities designed for career development and advancement based on your position, skills, and interests.

Job Summary

The City of Kirkland is seeking an experienced IT Supervisor to lead, mentor, and actively contribute to the work of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Team. This position oversees the delivery, reliability, and performance of the City’s enterprise GIS platforms, spatial databases, and GIS-enabled applications while also performing advanced hands‑on technical work. Ideal candidates will bring strong experience in designing and managing spatial systems, administering enterprise geodatabases, performing complex data analysis, developing GIS applications, and integrating GIS with other business systems using Esri’s software platform. The IT Supervisor for GIS guides technology planning, supports multi‑department initiatives, promotes high standards for data accuracy and system usability, and collaborates closely with staff across the organization to deliver innovative spatial solutions that support effective city operations and informed decision‑making.

The role of the IT Supervisor – GIS is to supervise the team(s) responsible for one or more of the following functions, which include but are not limited to: GIS, Network & Operations, Enterprise Applications, and/or IT Service Desk.

The IT Supervisor – GIS schedules, prioritizes, manages, and reviews the workload of staff in the IT functional area that they supervise, mentoring them and growing their technical and teamwork skills. The incumbent closely tracks the performance metrics of the team and ensures a high standard of service delivery to all customers. The IT Supervisor – GIS fosters collaborative relationships with internal City IT customers and application vendors ensuring systems are performing as expected and meeting the customers’ growing business needs. The incumbent monitors team and individual progress towards the work plan and maintains and reports work backlogs for the team members supervised.

Distinguishing Characteristics

The IT Supervisor – GIS supervises personnel in the IT department and serves as a technical resource to back up the team’s staff as needed. This includes staffing City Council and other public meetings periodically given that this is a core function of IT. As a member of the IT Leadership Team, this position is expected to present to City Council occasionally, at City Council meetings and/or retreats. The IT Supervisor – GIS works closely with the IT Manager to plan and implement the operational goals for their focus area.

Essential Functions

• Supervises IT personnel, including motivating, training, and delegating assignments; monitoring performance; conducting performance evaluations; taking disciplinary/corrective action; recommending salary increases and promotions; and recommending hires and terminations.
• Works collaboratively with internal customers and IT leadership to develop and maintain an annual work plan for their team or division in IT. Provides periodic updates to the IT Steering Team.
• Prioritizes daily tasks for the team to ensure delivery in keeping with the annual work plan. Periodically reports progress using key performance metrics to IT Leadership.
• Ensures the team triages and resolves incidents and service requests from internal and external customers specific to their IT service area.
• Ensures the team works collaboratively with vendors and business owners to maintain a Systems Lifecycle Management Plan and agreed upon service levels for the City’s major systems and applications.
• Manages IT‑owned systems and applications, which includes owning management and renewal of licenses and support agreements with vendors to ensure adequate application support.
• Performs project‑management functions for large projects including:
  • Managing projects with direct impact to IT customers, using project management skills and tools.
  • Tracking and reporting progress toward milestones and deliverables. Measuring and analyzing key performance indicators and metrics throughout projects.
  • Managing customer communications and change management.
  • Escalating project risks appropriately and proposing mitigation strategies.
  • Conducting closeout meetings for completed tasks and projects.
• Responsible for implementing training programs for City’s major IT systems, applications, and services to increase user adoption among City customers.

Peripheral Duties

• Performs functions as assigned in the City’s emergency response plan in the event of an emergency.
• Serves as a technical backup and resource for the department, across focus areas.

• Experience with geospatial technologies and systems.
• Current knowledge of Esri’s GIS software platform including ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Hub, SDE for SQL Server, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Monitor, and ArcGIS Velocity. Familiar with mobile GIS, image processing, data analytics tools, scripting/programming, and spatial visualization.
• Strong customer service skills, demonstrated through building positive customer relationships and effectively managing customer interactions, including strong relationships with leadership such as Directors and the City Council.
• Skilled in vendor management, procurement, and contracting.
• Ability to challenge the status quo by continually looking for better ways to improve services.
• Pursues recommended training and industry certifications for the team to stay current in the area of operation.
• Knowledge of basic managerial principals including development of performance goals, translation into a well‑prioritized work program, and monitoring of budgets.
• Ability to plan, implement and evaluate work programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Geography, or related field.
• Experience: 5 or more years of related experience in management of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• Or: In place of the above requirements, the incumbent may possess any combination of relevant education and experience which would demonstrate the individual’s knowledge, skill, and ability to proficiently perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above.

Licenses and Other Requirements

• Must have a valid Washington State Driver’s license and ability to remain insurable under the City’s insurance to operate motor vehicles.
• 2-3 years of supervisory experience preferred.
• Possession of technical and industry certifications is preferred, such as ITIL, SCRUM, and/or Project Management.
• Must be able to pass a background check and a national fingerprint records check.

Physical Demands and Working Environment

Work is conducted in a typical office setting. Position typically requires extended periods of sitting while performing keyboard operations. Occasional driving to other locations throughout the City are within the scope of supervisory support responsibility.

The City of Kirkland is a welcoming community where every person can thrive and grow. We value diversity, inclusion, belonging, and work together to support our community. We do this by solving problems, focusing on the customer, and respecting all people who come into the City whether to visit, live, or work. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to creating a workforce that does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, color, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. We encourage qualified applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply to our job postings. Persons with a disability who need reasonable accommodations in the application or testing process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, may call 425-587-3210 or Telecommunications Device for the Deaf 711.

Final candidates for this position will be required to successfully complete a background check, consistent with applicable law.