IT System Administration - Journey
State of Washington
A complete application in a minute
Tailored resume and cover letter, ready to send.
Job summary
Washington State Patrol ITD's Forensics Laboratory Services Bureau seeks an IT Support professional to keep high‑complex lab systems operational. You will monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize databases, applications, and reporting tools critical to toxicology workflows used in hundreds of cases per year.
The role requires strong SQL skills, system administration experience, and the ability to collaborate with vendors and internal stakeholders. Hybrid work may be available after training.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/STEM with 4+ years IT experience, or an associate degree with 6+ years, or 8+ years IT experience.
- 3 years of database, application or system administration experience with 1 year SQL development and debugging.
- 2 years of troubleshooting and IT systems support across their lifecycle.
Responsibilities
- Ensure daily system operation and uptime.
- Monitor data integrity and resolve discrepancies.
- Serve as primary contact for system issues and vendor liaison.
- Provide end-user technical support.
- Code, debug, and test SQL queries for data repairs and validation.
- Manage user roles and access controls to ensure security.
- Maintain system security per agency policies.
- Document changes and develop reports.
Skills
Education
Job description
The Washington State Patrol is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and strives to foster an environment in which everyone is encouraged to be their authentic selves, communicate openly, and act with courage. The WSP is dedicated to promoting fair and equitable hiring, training, and promotional practices through innovative recruitment and retention strategies. The Information Technology Division (ITD) exists to leverage technology to enhance and sustain business processes, public safety infrastructure, and statewide emergency communications to facilitate the accomplishment of all agency goals.
This position is a member of ITD's dedicated Forensics Laboratory Services Bureau (FLSB) IT Support Unit and is primarily assigned to the Toxicology Laboratory Division (TLD) who operate two forensic labs in the state. The Toxicology Lab performs analysis of samples for approximately 20,000 cases per year involving drugs, alcohol, and other substances for coroners, medical examiners, law enforcement agencies, attorneys, and the State Liquor and Cannabis Board. The FLSB also operates five multi-service crime laboratories, provides expert testimony to the judicial system as required in criminal court cases, operates the Statewide Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System, supports Washington’s Impaired Driving Section and the Washington State FBI Combined DNA Database Information System (CODIS) Lab. This position is a critical member of the IT support team keeping FLSB software systems operating in order for the Bureau to provide its state mandated services.
- Responsible to ensure daily, regular system operation and up time.
- Monitor system data integrity, resolving any discrepancies or issues.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for system-related issues, troubleshooting, resolution, and liaison to vendors.
- Provide technical support for end users.
- Code, debug, and test SQL code to repair routine issues with data records and perform data validation to ensure accuracy of changes.
- Communicate system status and scheduled downtime to systems users and other stakeholders.
- Maintain system security and ensure systems operate within all applicable security policies.
- Manage user roles, permissions, and access controls to ensure secure and appropriate access.
- Investigate system issues by identifying, documenting, and providing a resolution or requesting assistance from vendors or database teams.
- Provide high level knowledge of expected system behavior.
- Author and maintain up-to-date documentation for the system(s).
- Ensure problem management and resolution of work order requests.
- Troubleshoot and remediate incidents of varying complexity.
- Respond to all user requests by either fulfilling request or redirecting to appropriate IT service entity.
- Create and maintain documentation.
- Analyze requests to determine feasibility, impact to other business processes or systems, and compliance with Agency policies.
- Translate business requirements and functional specifications into technical requirements.
- Accept requests for changes from business stakeholders, elicit information to develop business requirements, and define use cases, then develop functional specifications for implementation.
- Code, debug, and verify intermediate to high level SQL queries to provide needed reports and data extracts.
- Use SQL queries to extract data from audit logs and system tables to recreate a sequence of events or determine the point at which a problem occurred.
- Adhere to CJIS and WSP security policy; make changes in a way that preserves chain of custody and/or system of record data integrity.
- Maintain confidentiality, integrity, availability, consistency and quality of system data.
- Determine when to reject requests that may result in incorrect or unethical updates to system data.
- Design, test, implement, and support reports, reporting systems, or data retrieval processes.
- Ensure data sharing agreements and security policies are enforced at all times.
- Respond to public disclosure requests and system searches within the specified timeline.
- Maintain instrument interfaces and connectivity to WSP network.
- Develop testing techniques to ensure cross-application impacts have been assessed and proper operation confirmed.
- Develop and implement data collection strategy for reporting or other applications to fulfill business requirements.
- Develop and administer data standards required to maintain and preserve data integrity including metadata.
- Establish and maintain data flow and architecture diagrams for the lifecycle of instrument data.
- Bachelor's in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a STEM field that provided relevant training AND Four years' of recent and relevant Information Technology experience such as consulting, analyzing, designing, programming, installing and/or maintaining computer software applications, hardware or network infrastructure equipment.
- OR An associate's degree or completion of an accredited vocational training program in an information technology program AND Six years of recent and relevant Information Technology experience such as consulting, analyzing, designing, programming, installing and/or maintaining computer software applications, hardware, or network infrastructure equipment.
- OR Eight Years' of recent and relevant IT experience such as consulting, analyzing, designing, programming, installing and/or maintaining computer software applications, hardware, or network infrastructure equipment.
- Three years of database, application or system administration experience with 1 year experience developing applications or reports using Structured Query Language (SQL), analyzing and debugging applications.
- Two years' of experience troubleshooting, problem solving, analyzing, and supporting IT systems throughout their entire lifecycle.
- The ability to take action to learn and grow.
- The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.
The Washington State Patrol does not provide immigration sponsorship; therefore, applicants must possess work authorization that does not require employer sponsorship.
- A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
- An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
- Continuous growth and development opportunities.
- Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.
- Employment opportunities that recognize military veterans and/or military spouse per Governor Executive Order 19-01.
- Qualification for the Public Loan Forgiveness Program.
This is not a full-time telework position. Candidates must be able and willing to work in the office and commute to here. A hybrid work schedule may be available after training and/or probationary period has been successfully completed.
Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation.
We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career. Like everyone, your first priority is ensuring that you and your family will maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.
Employees and their families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout the state.
Staff are eligible to enroll each year in a medical flexible spending account which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care expenses. Employees are also covered by basic life and long-term disability insurance, with the option to purchase additional coverage amounts.
To view premium rates, coverage choice in your area and how to enroll, please visit the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) website. The Washington Wellness program from the Health Care Authority works with PEBB to support our workplace wellness programs.
Dependent care assistance allows the employee to save pre-tax dollars for a child or elder care expenses.
Other insurance coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction.
The Washington State Employee Assistance Program promotes the health and well-being of employees.
State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.
Employees also have the ability to participate in the Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). This is a supplemental retirement savings program (similar to an IRA) that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.
All state employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The state and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.
If you are employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, and meet the qualifying criteria, you may be eligible to receive student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to paid holidays and one paid personal holiday per calendar year.
Note: Employees who are members of certain Unions may be entitled to additional personal leave day(s), please refer to position specific Collective Bargaining Agreements for more information.
Full-time employees who work full monthly schedules qualify for holiday compensation if they are employed before the holiday and are in pay status for at least 80 non-overtime hours during the month of the holiday; or for the entire work shift preceding the holiday.
Part-time employees who are in pay status during the month of the holiday qualify for the holiday on a pro-rata basis. Compensation for holidays (including personal holiday) will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status in the month to that required for full-time employment, excluding all holiday hours. Pay status includes hours worked and time on paid leave.
Full-time employees earn eight hours of sick leave per month. Overtime eligible employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month, earn a monthly proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Overtime exempt employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month do not earn a monthly accrual of sick leave.
Sick leave accruals for part-time employees will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.
Full-time employees accrue vacation leave at the rates specified in WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Full-time employees who are in pay status for less than 80 non-overtime hours in a month do not earn a monthly accrual of vacation leave.
Part-time employees accrue vacation leave hours in accordance with WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on a pro-rata basis. Vacation leave accrual will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment.
Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave, and paid holiday.
As provided in WAC 357-58-175, an employer may authorize a lump-sum accrual of vacation leave or accelerate the vacation leave accrual rate to support the recruitment and/or retention of a candidate or employee for a Washington Management Service position. Vacation leave accrual rates may only be accelerated using the rates established WAC 357-31-165.
Note: Most agencies follow the civil service rules covering leave and holidays for exempt employees even though there is no requirement for them to do so. However, agencies are required to adhere to the applicable RCWs pertaining holidays and leave.
Washington State supports members of the armed forces with 21 days paid military leave per year.
Most employees whose family member or household member dies, or for loss of pregnancy, are entitled to five (5) days of paid bereavement leave. In addition, the employer may approve other available leave types for the purpose of bereavement leave.
- Leave Sharing
- Parental Leave
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Leave Without Pay
Please visit the State HR Website for more detailed information regarding benefits.
'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M101.744%2012.4726L102.894%2016.1947L99.0021%2013.2201L101.744%2012.4726ZM105.3%208.40937H100.488L99.0026%203.59473L97.5116%208.41047L92.7%208.40385L96.5965%2011.3834L95.1055%2016.1942L99.0021%2013.2196L101.408%2011.3834L105.3%208.40992V8.40937Z'%20fill='white'/%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient%20id='paint0_linear_5593_1381'%20x1='90'%20y1='9.44471'%20x2='99'%20y2='9.44471'%20gradientUnits='userSpaceOnUse'%3e%3cstop%20stop-color='%2300AD70'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='0.998594'%20stop-color='%2300B67A'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='1'%20stop-color='%23DCDCE6'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e){kind=small}
