Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment. Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states.  There is one anticipated vacancy in the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, Division of Sewerage Management with an annual salary of $53,941 - $70,346. *Note: Salaries may vary at other municipalities or agencies.

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior  Information Technology Engineer manages Information Technology (IT) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) groups, and liaison work in connection with the design, construction, and maintenance of County projects; 

Manages the daily operations of the Information Technology (IT) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) groups;

Plans and supervises the work of IT and GIS personnel;

Designs, maintains, and operates a GIS;

Works closely with engineering team to assist in the design of storm systems utilizing GIS software; Works with supervisor and staff to develop GIS integration;

Works with engineering team in the development and coordination of GIS data and projects, including updating and attributing geographic databases and data conversion between GIS systems;

Models hydraulic flows using advanced software and analytical methods;

Designs detailed programs to add to or enhance database entries relating to their display, modifications and utilization;

Writes and tests end user and data administration applications;

Writes design specifications for database tables and applications;

Installs and tests new versions of GIS software;

Evaluates software packages for compatibility;

Performs analyses and quality control of data conversions;

Assists staff in solving problems during system development and operation;

Oversees field surveys to obtain data for projects and programs;

Collects, organizes, and maintains field data for database and GIS systems;

Researches, evaluates, recommends, and trains personnel on GIS and IT software programs and hardware platforms;

Designs, operates, and maintains relational databases;

Inspects GIS and IT projects;

Performs various activities to support both IT projects and GIS implementation projects.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Graduation from a standard senior high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and either:

A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Master's Degree in Information Technology /Engineering, Geographic Information Systems, Civil/ Environmental Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Geography and two (2) years of experience implementing and administering IT/GIS software, one (1) year of which involved supervisory responsibilities; or:

B) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology/Engineering, Geographic Information Systems, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Geography and three (3) years experience implementing and administering IT/GIS software, one (1) year of which involved supervisory responsibilities; or:

C) Seven (7) years of experience as an IT Engineer, IT Project Manager, and/or GIS Manager, one (1) year of which involved supervisory responsibilities; or:

D) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A), and (B).

Notes:

1. *A supervisory position is defined as a position in which supervision was a major responsibility of the job. Occasional or partial supervision of work crew is not acceptable supervisory experience.

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.

3. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas.

Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
 

Collection, analysis, and presentation of data, including basic statistics

These questions test for knowledge of the proper procedures and methods used to gather, evaluate, organize, and present various types of technical data and information, and the fundamental concepts, terminology, and computations involved in statistical analysis for cartographic and land use planning studies.
 

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including data conversion, plotting, database construction, interactive editing, and labeling

These questions test for knowledge of GIS design features, global positioning systems, and the concepts, terminology, and proper procedures to use when creating, producing, and revising various types of maps and site plans using GIS and computerized mapping software.
 

Principles of data bases for PC's

These questions test for a basic background in the design and use of data bases on microcomputers. They cover such topics as data base terminology and concepts, analyzing a data base project, planning the data base, organizing the data, designing data entry forms, accessing and manipulating the data, generating reports, and performing backups.

Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.