CLOSING DATE: MARCH 6, 2023

The mission of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is to enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County's air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy and healthy communities.

DEP is seeking to fill an Information Technology Specialist III position in the Strategic Services Division. The individual will be responsible for performing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) work supporting the analysis and implementation of a variety of climate related initiatives and programs related to flooding, greenhouse gas emissions and climate resiliency.  As the number of severe storms and flooding events has increased dramatically and is expected to continue, flooding is the most significant effect of climate change that the County will face in the coming years. This position will play a critical role in determining, understanding and mapping flood prone areas associated with inadequate drainage infrastructure and the built environment.  The GIS work, performed by this position, will also help develop a comprehensive Flood Management Plan and allow the department to better implement the County’s Climate Action Plan.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Perform hydrological modeling of historical and future floods (both riverine and non-riverine) in Montgomery County watersheds using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS, or comparable software.

• Perform quality control including but not limited to understanding, quantification, and analysis of components of the hydrological cycle, including soil moisture, snow, ground and surface waters, precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff, utilizing innovative remote sensing and numerical modeling techniques.

• Create metadata and fact sheets supporting the data products and examine the results under different climate scenarios.

• Perform data analyses using GIS and remote sensing data to answer questions about physical and natural resources.

• Design, build, and maintain GIS applications including research, database design, data maintenance, and mapping analysis.

• Performs spatial analyses to design, produce and provide map products, tabular data and reports.

• Prepare presentations, reports, data visualizations, and other high-quality communication materials.

• Create ArcGIS Online Maps, Applications, StoryMaps, Dashboards, etc. to improve access to, analysis of, and communication about climate change, and other natural and infrastructure resources.

The ideal candidate will have considerable experience in data analysis, statistical methods, climate change effects on the water cycle and climate modeling; experience with Hydrologic Modeling Systems; and demonstrated experience in GIS, geospatial data compilation and analysis.

To ensure a positive workplace and to comply with federal, state and County laws, the incumbent is responsible for completing mandatory trainings within the first three to six months or within the specified timeframe.

For information about Montgomery County’s comprehensive benefit offerings, please visit the MCG Careers Total Rewards webpage and check out our competitive benefits!

Experience:  Three (3) years of professional experience in the information technology field in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or Remote Sensing related to modeling, data visualization or cartography.  

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Geography, Hydrology, Urban Planning, Information Systems, Geospatial Studies or related fields from an accredited college or university.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Physical Ability: Ability to lift boxes containing computer support items and equipment such as printers, computers, modems and monitors up to 50 pounds.

There are NO Preferred Criteria Assessments. All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications.  Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated “Qualified”, placed on the eligible list, and may be considered for an interview.  Employees meeting minimum qualifications of the same grade or higher will be placed on the Eligible List as a “Transfer” candidate and may be considered for an interview.

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

• Experience with FEMA’s Risk MAP and National Flood Insurance Program

• Experience with data analysis, statistical methods, climate change effects on the water cycle and climate modeling

• Experience with hazard mitigation

• Experience with classification, feature extraction and mapping from processed LIDAR data

• Knowledge of data models and structures (such as arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, and trees), file organization and data modeling techniques to provide updates, report requests; and ability to modify existing systems and develop new systems

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.