Digital Innovation Specialist
About The Position
The Digital Innovation Specialist spearheads the practical and responsible use of AI in local government through the Digital Information Department and the Digital Innovation Collaborative Exchange (DICE). The specialist works with departments and participating governments to identify needs, evaluate options, and implement sustained improvements using AI, automation, existing tools, or process changes as appropriate. The role combines hands-on tool configuration and workflow building with pilot evaluation, staff training, and adoption support, collaborating with the software engineer/developer when custom development or integrations are needed. The position works with departments to understand operations, assess and prioritize potential improvements, test and configure appropriate tools, and build and refine workflows and prototypes. It leads pilots, trains and coaches employees, coordinates reviews related to privacy, security, records, and policy, and establishes ongoing ownership and support for solutions. The specialist tracks adoption, service quality, accuracy, staff time, and costs, and shares progress and lessons with leadership and DICE partners.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business, information technology, data science, education, GIS, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience.
- Demonstrated ability to apply AI tools, configure practical solutions, build and test workflows, and evaluate results; experience may be demonstrated through employment, independent projects, or a portfolio.
- Ability to analyze operational needs, select appropriate approaches, organize projects, and carry improvements through implementation and sustained use.
- Strong communication, facilitation, and training skills, including explaining unfamiliar concepts to nontechnical audiences and supporting organizational change.
- Working understanding of AI limitations, verification, data quality, confidentiality, and responsible use, with sound judgment about when specialized review is needed.
- Curiosity, adaptability, and ability to learn and critically evaluate changing tools and methods.
- Employment is dependent on a background check, criminal history check, and drug screen.
- Applicant must complete the County application form.
Responsibilities
- Work with departments to understand operations, map workflows, and prioritize improvements based on service value, feasibility, risk, and available resources; recommend an appropriate approach.
- Evaluate emerging AI and automation tools through hands-on testing, assessing accuracy, usability, accessibility, cost, data handling, and fit with county operations.
- Configure approved tools and build, test, document, and refine workflows, reusable prompts, knowledge resources, and prototypes with department users.
- Lead pilots with clear objectives, baseline measures, evaluation criteria, and appropriate human review; recommend whether to expand, revise, or discontinue pilots based on results.
- Train and coach employees, develop practical guidance, support departmental champions, help staff verify outputs, address adoption barriers, and sustain effective use.
- Define requirements and user acceptance criteria for projects requiring custom development or integrations; coordinate scope, timing, and developer capacity with the Director and software engineer/developer before committing to delivery; lead user testing and adoption.
- Coordinate privacy, security, records handling, and policy reviews with IT and other designated staff; help departments identify authoritative information and improve its quality for AI use.
- Establish ongoing ownership and support for each solution before rollout, including responsibility for access management, troubleshooting, updates, documentation, and continuity.
- Track adoption, service quality, accuracy, staff time, and costs, distinguishing demonstrated results from estimates.
- Share progress, lessons, and reusable materials with leadership and DICE partners.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
