Information Technology Specialist 4 - Application Developer

State of Iowa•Des Moines - 50309 - Polk County, IA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Management (DOM), Division of Information Technology (DoIT), is seeking a skilled and motivated Application Developer to help manage, enhance, and support a diverse portfolio of new and legacy computer systems. In this role, you will work closely with business partners and vendor teams to troubleshoot issues, improve system performance, and ensure data integrity across critical applications. This position offers the opportunity to solve complex technical challenges, contribute to continuous system improvement, and provide mentorship to junior developers while supporting important organizational goals through meaningful data insights.

Requirements

Proven ability to support, troubleshoot, and enhance complex computer systems using strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Experience with SQL, data maintenance, and report development to ensure database integrity and reliable business operations.
Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to work with vendors, interpret business requirements, and mentor junior developers.
Ability to translate data into actionable insights through business intelligence tools, delivering clear and interactive visualizations.
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in any field, and experience equal to two years of full-time work in application development and database management, business analysis, systems and network administration, technical training and reporting, IT vendor and purchasing management, IT project management, IT product management, system testing and quality assurance, mainframe and platform administration, and/or information technology security.
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in computer science, computer applications, software engineering, computer engineering, management information systems, business analytics, or cyber security, and experience equal to one year of full-time work in application development and database management, business analysis, systems and network administration, technical training and reporting, IT vendor and purchasing Information management, IT project management, IT product management, system testing and quality assurance, mainframe and platform administration, and/or information technology security.
Two years of full-time work experience in application development and database management, business analysis, systems and network administration, technical training and reporting, IT vendor and purchasing management, IT project management, IT product management, system testing and quality assurance, mainframe and platform administration, and/or information technology security; and a total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university coursework in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
Four years of full-time work experience in application development and database management, business analysis, systems and network administration, technical training and reporting, IT vendor and purchasing management, IT project management, IT product management, system testing and quality assurance, mainframe and platform administration, and/or information technology security; and either of the following: Certification from an authorized educational institution/major computer or software producer in one or more of the specialty areas listed in part a; or Eighteen semester hours from an accredited college or university in one or more of the specialty areas listed in part a.
Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes experience equal to six months of full-time work as an Information Technology Specialist 3.

Responsibilities

Manage, maintain, and support new and legacy computer systems of moderate to high complexity as a junior or senior developer.
Analyze, document, and resolve system defects identified by business unit partners or vendors.
Develop, update, and optimize SQL queries, reports, and data export jobs to support business operations and system continuity.
Maintain database integrity by creating and executing import jobs and data maintenance scripts using SQL and related development tools.
Troubleshoot complex system issues by reviewing programming code and identifying alternative technical solutions.
Plan and perform system testing, including automation testing, to ensure quality and functionality.
Review business requirement specifications to understand system design, functionality, and user needs.
Collaborate with vendor partners to clarify code ownership, recommend improvements, and support remediation of vendor-owned system components.
Provide mentorship and technical guidance to junior developers, offering day-to-day support, reviewing code, assigning tasks, and serving as a technical lead.
Support business units through data analysis, transforming raw data into clear, interactive dashboards, charts, and reports using BI and data visualization tools.
Perform other related duties as assigned to support departmental and organizational goals.