King County GIS Center Manager

King County • Chinook Building 401 5th Avenue Seattle, WA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

King County’s Department of Information Technology (KCIT) is seeking a GIS Center Manager to join our team! The GIS Center Manager is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the breadth of operational and infrastructure services that comprise the core set of GIS services for King County and reports to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The incumbent functions with a broad level of latitude and independence to provide the vision, leadership and planning to ensure that the County’s GIS services are effectively and appropriately delivered, including service operations, human and fiscal resources, business relationships, customer service, and intra- and inter-institutional relationships. The primary role of the GIS Center Manager is grouped around three key responsibility domains: leading the continuous development of sustainable product teams that support King County’s world class GIS capability, providing strategic and innovative leadership and vision for the delivery of GIS products and services to King County and the region, and delivering significant business outcomes and results through a deliberate and consistent customer focus. About King County Department of Information Technology (KCIT) King County is committed to being the best-run government in the nation, and King County Information Technology (KCIT) is helping lead that transformation. KCIT harnesses the power of technology to modernize operations, advance digital equity and social justice, and deliver innovative solutions that engage, empower, and serve our residents, businesses, and community partners. Recognized by the National Association of Counties (NACo) for excellence in vision, strategy, innovation, and collaboration, KCIT is focused on delivering smart, secure, and customer-centered technology services that strengthen county operations and support thriving, resilient communities. As the technology business partner to all 18 County departments, KCIT provides the foundational systems and services that power many of the region’s most essential functions. We work side-by-side with our partners to design and deliver technology solutions that enhance customer experience and advance King County’s mission. Learn more about KCIT at: http://kingcounty.gov/depts/it.aspx.

Requirements

• Any combination of education, training, and experience equivalent to a Bachelor's degree in Geography, GIS, Regional Planning, Information Services, Science, Engineering or other closely related field AND ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in information systems which include five (5) years of experience in a management or senior management capacity, with accountability for planning, organizing, implementing, and ongoing operations and maintenance of information systems and associated staff for a large organization with diverse line operations with a primary emphasis on GIS.
• Knowledge of human resources management, organizational communications, and organizational development.
• Knowledge of contracting, procurement, and vendor management.
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and presentation communication skills and the ability to maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders and colleagues.
• Excellent decision-making, time-management, and planning skills.
• Customer-centric approach to problem-solving.
• Effective relationship-building skills to engage stakeholders, resolve issues with a sense of urgency, and communicate in a timely manner.
• Change management and experience leading others through change.
• Ability to be an enthusiastic and resourceful leader.
• Ability to be a self-starter and motivated to move projects forward.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a highly demanding environment.
• Ability to successfully work collaboratively across an organization with interdisciplinary teams to develop and obtain broad support for a shared vision and long-range plans.

Nice To Haves

• Extensive professional experience working across the Esri ecosystem, including ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Server, and related extensions.
• Familiarity with Esri APIs, SDKs, and development tools (e.g., ArcGIS API for JavaScript, Experience Builder, Model Builder) for building custom solutions and automation.
• Strong knowledge of spatial analysis, spatial data processing, and advanced geoprocessing workflows.
• Enterprise GIS Data Architecture & Governance.
• Cloud Compute, Storage & Modern Infrastructure.
• Leadership of Enterprise GIS Operations.
• Significant experience in private and/or public-sector in a large agency comprised of diverse departments including, but not limited to natural resources, law enforcement, transportation, health care, and social services.
• Significant experience managing large technology teams; ability to present both technical and business topics to large audiences; ability to write clearly and to various levels of customers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the King County GIS Center, in coordination with stakeholders, customers, technical managers, practitioners, and solution architects to develop and sustain the GIS community across King County.
• Develop King County’s GIS technology road map and associated high-level vision and strategic goals, aligning them to the technology direction and strategic goals of KCIT and King County.
• Design and implement short- and long-term strategic plans to ensure infrastructure capacity meets existing and future requirements.
• Participate in the development of IT strategies in collaboration with the division leadership team and ensure continuous alignment with leadership team strategies and priorities throughout the Enterprise Technology division.
• Conduct research and make recommendations on products, services, protocols, and standards in support of all infrastructure procurement and development efforts.
• Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for the four key groups within the KCGIS Center: Spatial Services, GeoData Management, Geo Engineering, and the GIS Platform/Data Architecture team.
• Establish clear development goals and performance expectations for supervisors and staff across these groups to ensure alignment with enterprise GIS standards, platform stewardship requirements, and countywide geospatial service needs.
• Oversee annual goal setting, performance evaluations, and ongoing professional development for the full organization.
• Manage operational staffing requirements, including recruitment, supervision, workload planning, scheduling, coaching, and performance management.
• Ensure cohesive coordination across all teams to support the full lifecycle of King County’s geospatial environment, including client-facing GIS services, enterprise data management, engineering, platform reliability, cloud-based operations, and architectural leadership for geospatial systems.
• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and accountable culture that strengthens the delivery of high-quality GIS services across the county.
• Develop biennial GIS budget, in coordination with KCIT management and finance groups.
• Develop rate methodologies to ensure customers are charged equitably for the GIS enterprise and project services they consume.
• Responsibly manage the GIS fund and the imagery reserve fund to ensure financial health.
• Review and approve expenditures, and seek cost sharing opportunities with local, regional, and state agencies.
• Manage and nurture relationships with key GIS vendors and regional stakeholders, including negotiating contracts and subscriptions, provisioning products and services, arranging for and moving forward on vendor engagements, and elevating issues for resolution.
• Manage large, regional data acquisition projects (e.g. orthogonal and oblique aerials, lidar).
• Develop cost sharing methodologies and lead program to bring on cost share partners.
• Manage County GIS governance at all levels, including the GIS Steering Committee (business focus), GIS Technical Advisory Committee (technical focus), and Web GIS Guidance Team (center of excellence).
• Chair committees or delegate authority as appropriate.
• Guide those committees and teams in development and execution of priority initiatives, and county-wide and agency level GIS workplans.
• Partner with the CTO and senior IT leadership to ensure that KCIT exhibits consistent and visible leadership at all levels and furthers a shared and actionable vision for Equity and Social Justice.
• Develop effective and accountable leadership for advancing ESJ to drive pro-equity governance at all levels of the organization.
• Develop an organization where all employees are change agents who actively apply their ESJ knowledge to their work.
• Visibly and publicly display progress on Equity and Social Justice.
• Help ensure that KCIT’s operations, programs and services are pro-equity in our service delivery – responsive and adaptive, focused on those whose Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Benefits

• Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal