Programmer/Analyst

at  Region of Waterloo

OUR STORY:

Committed to fostering opportunities for current and future generations, the Region of Waterloo is an inclusive, thriving and sustainable region of connected rural and urban communities with global reach. Our mission is to serve, engage and inspire, by delivering quality services to a diverse population of 630,000+, while creating a healthy, collaborative environment of learning, respect and innovation.
This is a place where employees are valued and recognized for their talents and contributions to our success. Our employees take pride in making a difference in people’s lives through the work that we do. We are looking for people like you to help make it happen.
The Role
Designs, develops, installs, implements, documents, and maintains application and system software, services, and databases. Administers, maintains, and integrates internally developed and commercial-off-the-shelf software solutions. Provides support to divisional and corporate staff.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Designs, develops, implements, tests, and maintains application and system software. Reviews and modifies existing software to enhance application and systems. Configures and customizes vendor products to meet client and system requirements.
• Consults with divisional staff and vendors to evaluate, design, and develop interfaces between systems. Designs, builds, and maintains components, services, and frameworks for integrating corporate systems and applications using established architectural principles/industry standard methods.
• Participates to establish software development and architectural standards, including code review practices, interoperability, software security, unit testing practices, performance requirements, and deployment methods. Maintains documentation for support processes, business continuity, technical installations, and system management.
• Participates to analyze client and business requirements. Develops technical specifications and designs to incorporate business needs based on same. Creates and maintains issue-tracking documents, and compiles resolutions as appropriate. Recommends solutions, and provides clients and staff with work plans, statements of work, and cost/benefit analyses. Informs project stakeholders and management of project status, risks, problems, and contingency plans.
• Monitors work of contractors, vendors, consultants, and project team members as appropriate. Provides technical support and training to divisional and corporate staff.
• Analyzes database systems to establish relationships and dependencies for developing reports. Designs and develops reports, database-specific code, and database objects as necessary. Works with database administrators to design database schemas, objects, and queries.
• Collaborates with divisional staff to identify recovery elements and critical system-related process relevant to corporate business continuity plans.
• Establishes frameworks for recovery operations pertaining to application and system software, including damage assessment, scope of repair work, site-specific repair, recovery plans, and mitigation measures.
• Performs administrator duties for application servers. Installs, configures, updates, and administers web applications, content management systems, and application servers.
• Establishes and maintains standards to ensure the integrity and accuracy of corporate data/ software. Ensures security measures are incorporated into software development life-cycle and phases of commissioning new commercial off-the-shelf products, and existing software products.
• Advises divisional staff regarding application and system availability, performance, and user experience. Advises service desk of hardware/software problems. Resolves application-related issues escalated by the service desk.
• Contacts and exchanges information with vendors, external agencies, and other levels of government. Establishes protocols and mechanisms for data exchange between the Region and private and public sector organizations.
• Performs related duties, as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of software development life-cycles; process, data, and object modelling; database design methodologies; application and system software design; and project management methodologies, normally acquired through a 3-year university degree or college diploma in a related field (e.g., computer science, computer engineering), plus progressively responsible related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of and ability to comply with policies, procedures, collective agreements, related legislation (e.g., security, encryption, data protection and privacy, information, accessibility), and industry standards.
• Analytical, problem solving, and continuous improvement skills to perform application design, development, and deployment; apply programming techniques to develop solutions; work with development technologies; design and implement database-driven solutions using mainstream database technologies and standards; and research workflows and technologies to identify modifications and their technical impacts.
• Communication skills to provide technical support and troubleshooting; recommend improvements to existing systems; explain complex technical information to staff with varied degrees of technical knowledge; present technical training and information seminars; participate in meetings; meet with clients to determine system requirements; participate to resolve conflicts related to choice of technologies; and participate as an effective team member.
• Ability to read and understand technical manuals, updates, bulletins, periodicals, and magazines to keep industry knowledge current. Ability to prepare reports, project plans, statements of work, work structure breakdowns, and documentation.
• Ability to travel within and outside Waterloo Region.
• Ability to adjust schedule to work some evenings and weekends when systems are not in use.
• Ability to support and demonstrate the Region’s values.

The Region of Waterloo is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process. At the Region, we respect, encourage and celebrate our diversity. The Region of Waterloo is committed to providing accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require an accommodation, please notify us and we will work with you to meet your needs.
Alternate formats of this document are available upon request. Please contact the Service First Contact Centre at phone number (519) 575-4400, TTY number (519-575-4608) to request an alternate format.

• Designs, develops, implements, tests, and maintains application and system software. Reviews and modifies existing software to enhance application and systems. Configures and customizes vendor products to meet client and system requirements.
• Consults with divisional staff and vendors to evaluate, design, and develop interfaces between systems. Designs, builds, and maintains components, services, and frameworks for integrating corporate systems and applications using established architectural principles/industry standard methods.
• Participates to establish software development and architectural standards, including code review practices, interoperability, software security, unit testing practices, performance requirements, and deployment methods. Maintains documentation for support processes, business continuity, technical installations, and system management.
• Participates to analyze client and business requirements. Develops technical specifications and designs to incorporate business needs based on same. Creates and maintains issue-tracking documents, and compiles resolutions as appropriate. Recommends solutions, and provides clients and staff with work plans, statements of work, and cost/benefit analyses. Informs project stakeholders and management of project status, risks, problems, and contingency plans.
• Monitors work of contractors, vendors, consultants, and project team members as appropriate. Provides technical support and training to divisional and corporate staff.
• Analyzes database systems to establish relationships and dependencies for developing reports. Designs and develops reports, database-specific code, and database objects as necessary. Works with database administrators to design database schemas, objects, and queries.
• Collaborates with divisional staff to identify recovery elements and critical system-related process relevant to corporate business continuity plans.
• Establishes frameworks for recovery operations pertaining to application and system software, including damage assessment, scope of repair work, site-specific repair, recovery plans, and mitigation measures.
• Performs administrator duties for application servers. Installs, configures, updates, and administers web applications, content management systems, and application servers.
• Establishes and maintains standards to ensure the integrity and accuracy of corporate data/ software. Ensures security measures are incorporated into software development life-cycle and phases of commissioning new commercial off-the-shelf products, and existing software products.
• Advises divisional staff regarding application and system availability, performance, and user experience. Advises service desk of hardware/software problems. Resolves application-related issues escalated by the service desk.
• Contacts and exchanges information with vendors, external agencies, and other levels of government. Establishes protocols and mechanisms for data exchange between the Region and private and public sector organizations.
• Performs related duties, as required