APPLICATION ADMINISTRATOR-LEAD - 02182025-65651

Job Information

LOCATION OF (1) POSITION TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, BUSINESS SOLUTION DELIVERY DIVISION, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN, DAVIDSON COUNTY

This position requires CJIS & FTI fingerprints.

This position also requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history to be considered for this position.

This position is designed as Hybrid.

Qualifications

Necessary Special Qualifications: None.

Overview

Summary: Under general supervision, is responsible for leading the support for server and application performance for the production, development and test environments of databases, applications, servers and third party components, performs complex troubleshooting of server and application issues, leads the design and planning of enterprise level applications, mentors other application administrators and performs related work as required.

Distinguishing Features: An employee in this class leads or supervises the design, installation, configuration, patching, upgrade, migration, performance monitoring, tuning, backup and restore for databases, enterprise applications and physical and virtual servers, performs troubleshooting of complex application and server issues, and leads or supervises the design of infrastructure to support enterprise class applications. This class differs from an Application Administrator, Advanced in that an incumbent of the latter installs, configures, patches, upgrades, migrates, monitors performance, tunes, backup and restores for databases, enterprise applications and physical and virtual servers, performs advanced troubleshooting of application and server issues, and assists in design of infrastructure to support enterprise class applications.

Responsibilities

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings:

1. Leverages performance monitoring tools to identify application and server performance issues.
2. Supports regularly scheduled server and database maintenance.
3. Provides on-call support and coverage as needed during non-business hours to ensure 24 x 7 availability.
4. Monitors overall end user experience to understand performance anomalies as they occur.
5. Monitors application performance statistics to verify sufficient resources for user load.
6. Monitors system and applications logs and reports for system integrity and escalate as necessary.
7. Monitors licenses for applications to confirm adequate amount of remaining licenses.
8. Modifies computer security customizations and/or configurations to incorporate new software, correct errors, or creates or modifies users roles.
9. Creates, updates and tests security aspects of the business resumption plan.
10. Troubleshoots enterprise class application software, user interface issues and escalates if necessary.
11. Implements security settings or configurations necessary to ensure data security while in transit or at rest.
12. Recommends and implements security design features to protect data and infrastructure resources.
13. Evaluates network data analysis for the purposes of load balancing, network troubleshooting, and bandwidth usage by using utilities to analyze packet captures and traffic.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events:

1. Reviews critical errors in the server and application logs, researches the reason for the error and takes the steps necessary to fix the problem.
2. Researches the applications website for common event IDs to determine if events are normal or actions need to be taken in response to the event.
3. Identifies events that could delay processing and notify appropriate personnel or take corrective action.
4. Identifies data transmission errors and corrections of factors causing these errors.
5. Prepares business justification for procurement requests.
6. Assesses and establishes support requirements for the install or support of a business application.

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information:

1. Plans application installation requirements for hardware and/or software components to ensure system functionality.
2. Develops cost benefit analysis methodology for initial hardware, software and ongoing operational costs for cost recovery of Enterprise services.
3. Participates in planning, hardware evaluations and reviews, Operating System (OS) and application evaluations, and reviews to assist in planning for future growth and refresh cycles.
4. Estimates for future growth based on usage and current/existing product.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards:

1. Evaluates Enterprise Class application software serving multiple departments and agencies and related packages for standards.
2. Understands and supports application security to support audit requirements.
3. Reviews server policies for compliance to standards.
4. Reviews application policies for compliance standards.
5. Evaluates system policies for compliance with current standards, State, Local and /or Federal laws and guidelines.

Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People:

1. Evaluates new application software for business need relevance to determine their usefulness to the current enterprise.
2. Understands business case for procurement return on investment.
3. Looks for opportunities to better leverage existing toolsets and personnel skillsets to provide improved service levels to the organization.
4. Recommends vendor and contractor applications solutions for providing enterprise level products and services.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems:

1. Leverages vendor knowledge base through support contract or other means to troubleshoot issues and to review new technology.
2. Supports developers, database administrator, functional analysts and server administrators with requests for tasks that require application administration.
3. Develops reports as support aids for private and shared use.
4. Researches vendor documentation in the event of a problem to identify the solution.
5. Utilizes Problem Management Database to submit a request for additional resources to ensure system integrity.
6. Coordinates file-share administration and communicates about needed activities to users.
7. Assists with troubleshooting complex connectivity and performance issues.
8. Assists with troubleshooting with complex systems, networking, and firewall issues.
9. Works to identify ways to prevent issues before they occur and implements improved processes and procedures to take preventive action.
10. Collaborates with highest level of vendor technical support to resolve complex Enterprise application issues impacting users statewide.
11. Ensures connectivity between third party and enterprise applications by administering a software interface product and defining appropriate firewall rules to apply.
12. Diagnoses and troubleshoots problems and bring to resolution in collaboration with other enterprise support groups (network, Domain Name Servers, Firewall, etc.,) application vendors and agency technical staff.

Scheduling Work and Activities:

1. Schedules time to apply updates and patches to the test environments to ensure a seamless transition to the production Enterprise application Environment.
2. Utilizes the Problem Management Database to submit a request for permission to perform monthly maintenance to prevent interruption of service for users or applications.
3. Performs routine maintenance to applications.
4. Schedules monthly maintenance cycles for the Server OS and application to keep them up to date.
5. Performs complete integration testing and validation to ensure the integrity of the application prior to production deployment.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work:

1. Manages changing priorities to ensure deadlines are met and critical issues are resolved in a timely manner.

Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment:

1. Assists in the design of architecture for new applications by following state standards to ensure stable, available environments.

Interacting With Computers:

1. Upgrades new monitoring software per vendor instructions to leverage the latest technology and to stay current with vendor support.
2. Ensures connectivity between enterprise application and its supporting applications.
3. Migrates application changes through development, test and production environments to thoroughly test changes before applying to live production environments
4. Upgrades third party applications per vendor instructions to leverage the latest technology and to stay current with vendor support
5. Applies the latest application patches per vendor recommendations to ensure latest fixes and functionality
6. Configures connectivity between applications through software interface product
7. Installs and configures third party applications in development, test and production environments.
8. Installs and configures reporting tools in development, test and production environments.
9. Upgrades new applications per vendor instructions to leverage the latest technology and to stay current with vendor support.
10. Upgrades new supporting software per vendor instructions to leverage the latest technology and to stay current with vendor support.
11. Utilizes state standard workstation tools to manage server, Operating system and application software.
12. Installs and configure server hardware, operating system and application software.
13. Verifies application load is balanced across servers to ensure acceptable performance.
14. Installs and configures new applications in development, test and production environments.
15. Installs and configures web applications in development, test and production environments.
16. Installs and configures batch servers in development, test and production environments.
17. Installs and configures supporting software in development, test and production environments to utilize all components of the primary enterprise application.
18. Installs and configures middleware products in development, test and production environments.
19. Installs and configures performance monitoring software to better manage application and server performance.
20. Develops and maintains procedures for the transfer of secure information by following State standards.
21. Develops and maintains scripts for server and application administration.
22. Performs high availability testing on servers to prevent downtime.
23. Performs fail over of servers in case of disaster recovery.
24. Back-ups server, applications and data.
25. Restores server, applications, and data.
26. Manages role based security to prevent unauthorized access to Enterprise level Applications.

Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment:

1. Performs advanced and routine system maintenance on complex applications.
2. Performs advanced routine maintenance and tuning on complex application databases.
3. Performs advanced application troubleshooting on statewide applications and determine if or when vendor support should be called to aid in resolution of problems.
4. Performs application upgrade for new product releases.
5. Performs application and Operating System tuning to meet user requirements.
6. Defines firewall rules required for server and application connectivity.
7. Maintains application integrity by interacting with databases, tuning environment variables and setting application parameters.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates:

1. Mentors peers and shares technical knowledge with co-workers and other parties.
2. Communicates application configuration changes to team.
3. Assists users with resolutions of technical problems.
4. Identifies and escalates problems as appropriate following procedures.
5. Conveys concise problem information for service personnel.
6. Recommends change or improvements to enhance customer service and/or reduce time of problem resolution.
7. Communicates pertinent information to create a work environment that leads itself to the best interests of departmental personnel and customer service.
8. Recommends change or improvements to Service Level Agreements to upper management to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction is met.
9. Leads a team of application administrators in the design of enterprise software solutions of the greatest scope and complexity.

Provide Consultation and Advice to Others:

1. Attends meetings and demonstrations to evaluate products and to recommend or not recommend for management.
2. Reviews customer application requirements needed to integrate with applications using standard methods and protocols.
3. Researches a variety of customer requests in a timely manner while being able to effectively manage changing priorities and assisting in the execution of policies and procedures related to the delivery of Enterprise application services.

Staffing Organizational Units:

1. Participates in interviewing and evaluating candidates for employment as either contractors or State employees.

Analyzing Data or Information:

1. Troubleshoots server, operating system, application issues and escalate if necessary.
2. Tests network connectivity of all needed application services, e.g. database, site servers, and clients.
3. Diagnoses issues through all available resources and tools.
4. Monitors application performance through monitoring software to identify trouble areas and possible tuning opportunities.
5. Monitors server performance through monitoring software to identify trouble areas and possible tuning opportunities.
6. Tests new enhancements and fixes to ensure that the desired results are achieved without issues.
7. Researches abnormal system events to determine if further action is required.
8. Reviews critical errors in the server and application logs to identify source of issue and determine the correct resolution.
9. Reviews new releases and patches from application vendor to stay up to date with latest fixes and functionality.
10. Verifies all applications after database and server downtime, unexpected as well as scheduled, to make sure all systems are functioning properly.
11. Reviews application configuration to identify any discrepancies across load-balanced environments.
12. Analyzes long running processes to understand negative trends for the purposes of performance tuning.
13. Analyzes changes to operating systems and applications by monitoring systems consoles and takes appropriate actions by correcting or notifying appropriate personnel.
14. Monitors and analyzes disk space problems and communicates effectively to appropriate personnel to take corrective actions when necessary.

Getting Information:

1. Receives data from the problem management database.
2. Collects and compiles performance and availability information on applications to report to management.
3. Attends technical conferences and seminars to keep abreast of new hardware/software technology product developments.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge:

1. Maintains knowledge of network architecture, database and operating system concepts.
2. Leads meetings about and communicates about change control events at the infrastructure and application levels.
3. Maintains up-to-date documentation of technical, and procedural changes as they occur.
4. Maintains knowledge of servers and applications in use in the Enterprise Application environment.
5. Contributes to departmental productivity and development objectives by participating in training programs.
6. Collaborates with IT staff, attends webinars and reads industry related publications to remain abreast of advance technology.
7. Reviews the documentation for the product and determine if information applies to the current environment or can improve the performance of the Server or application.
8. Recommends potential training to management on current technology trends.
9. Mentors application administrators on new trends and skills.

Developing Objectives and Strategies:

1. Creates reference documentation for individual applications to ensure procedures are documented.
2. Participates in the development of goals.
3. Tunes and/or makes recommendations for application settings per vendor recommendations to allow for optimal user experience.
4. Tunes and/or makes recommendations for server settings per vendor recommendations to allow for optimal user experience.
5. Reviews new releases, patches, hotfixes, and security bulletins from multiple Software vendors.
6. Participates in disaster recovery planning and testing to ensure fail over plan meets requirements and works as expected.
7. Recommends changes or improvements to enhance customer service and/or reduce time of problem resolution.
8. Reviews test environment to evaluate upgrade or deployment status.
9. Implements new products in test environment and refers to lead server administrator for assistance or direction.
10. Plans and defines strategies for implementations, upgrades, and prolonged outage maintenance for Data Center systems.

Documenting/Recording Information:

1. Develops and maintains the documentation needed for system implementation and recovery.
2. Develops and maintains scripts for server and application administration.
3. Participates in developing automated scripting, ad-hoc queries and reports to extract information from Enterprise level Multi-tier applications.
4. Participates in establishing change control and application performance monitoring processes and ensures use of same.
5. Establishes change control and application performance monitoring processes and ensures use of same.
6. Creates and manages reference documentation of the group's administrative procedures to help ensure procedures are documented for an auditor's evaluation and for future training.
7. Develops automated scripting, ad-hoc queries and reports to extract information from Enterprise level Multi-tier applications.

Communicating with Persons Outside Organization:

1. Develops and maintains a proper working relationship with vendors/contractors and suppliers in accordance with management policies and promptly informs management of any issues that arise.
2. Maintains communications with customers during the problem resolution process.
3. Responds to agency queries in person, by phone or emails.
4. Assists in the planning scheduling and logistics for Enterprise Application replacement/refresh.
5. Develops and maintains a relationship with outside companies to establish a connection for the secure exchange of information.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships:

1. Collaborates with users of Information Technology by employing a high degree of tact and diplomacy to promote a positive image of the department.
2. Provides project or innovative leadership with four or more members.

Performing Administrative Activities:

1. Maintains all proper paperwork and problem management database entries as dictated by current policies and guidelines.

Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others:

1. Coordinates application downtime with co-workers and other parties to ensure the least disruption of service.
2. Assists management in the coordination of resources.
3. Leads team members by providing guidance on complex tasks.

Training and Teaching Others:

1. Conducts training sessions for application administration team to ensure team is cross-trained on all supported environments.
2. Creates training documentation.
3. Mentors team members through training and support with complex tasks.
4. Prepares and conducts training classes on technology related materials on existing or planned environments at the Data Center.

Competencies (KSA's)

Competencies:

1. Functional/Technical Competency
2. Logical Thought
3. Problem Solving
4. Customer Focus
5. Time Management
6. Perseverance
7. Integrity and Trust
8. Organizing
9. Self-Development
10. Technical Learning
11. Written Communication

Knowledge:

1. Advanced Scripting
2. Antivirus, Anti-Malware and Spam Software
3. Back-Up Methodology
4. Clustering Technology
5. Collaboration and Content Management
6. Configuration Management
7. Customer Relations Management Software
8. Directory Services
9. Disaster Recovery Concepts
10. DNS
11. Dual Factor Authentication Software
12. Email Archival Software
13. Email Routing
14. Email Systems
15. Encryption Software
16. End Point Protection
17. Firewall Concepts
18. Identity Management Software
19. Imaging Concepts
20. Infrastructure Design
21. Mass Mailing Management Software
22. Operating Systems
23. Performance Monitoring
24. Problem Management Systems
25. Security
26. Server Applications
27. Server Hardware
28. Server Load Balancing
29. Server Load Testing
30. Server Sizing
31. Service Level Management
32. Software Installation
33. Storage Area Network
34. Strategic Planning
35. Systems Management
36. Telecommunications
37. Training Methodology
38. Unified Communication Software
39. WAN Hardware Topology
40. Web Server Software

Skills:

1. Advanced Testing Technique Skills
2. Server Hardware and Operating Systems Installation Skills
3. Server and Application Troubleshooting Skills
4. Server Hardware Maintenance and Operating Skills
5. Problem Solving Skills
6. Customer Service Oriented Skills
7. Documentation Preparation
8. Testing Technique Skills
9. Analyze Requirements for New Applications
10. Develop Cost Benefit Analysis
11. Advanced Tuning Technique Skills
12. Mentoring Skills
13. System Evaluating Technique Skills
14. Strong Communication Skills
15. Evaluate Personnel Skillsets
16. Tuning Technique Skills
17. Active Learning Skills in Technology
18. Installation of Application Software Skills

Abilities:

1. Written Comprehension and Expression Ability
2. Inductive Reasoning Ability
3. Static Strength Ability
4. Oral Comprehension and Expression Ability
5. Problem Sensitivity Ability
6. Deductive Reasoning Ability
7. Multi-Tasking Ability
8. Logical Thought
9. Evaluate and Re-Arrange Priorities

Tools & Equipment

1. Personal Computer
2. Telephone
3. Copy Machine
4. Printer
5. Server
6. Mobile Devices
7. Projector/Audio Video Equipment