Information Technology Specialist III (Webmaster), Grade N26

Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, DC and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County’s public health and human services that the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.

As a Department, we believe health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods and healthy food. HHS’ provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.

If you are interested in working for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, we invite qualified candidates to apply for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Webmaster (IT Specialist III) position.

About the Position:

The IT Specialist III will serve as the webmaster for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website and associated sites. The incumbent will be responsible for maintaining the DHHS existing websites, including but not limited to, website strategy, project management, design, and development. This position reports directly to the Applications Chief within the DHHS Office of the Chief Operating Officer – Information Systems and Technology Branch and is part of the Branch’s Applications Section.

Responsibilities include:

Manage, maintain and support DHHS Websites (Internet, Intranet, SharePoint), to include:

• Maintain a polished and organized web archive.
• Debug pages and fix broken links or images.
• Optimize loading speeds and capacity.
• Maintain internal and external security.
• Ensure internal and external website availability.
• Upload and update web pages.
• Maintain and document ownership of DHHS internet domains.
• Ensure compliance with policies; procedures and ethical standards; software licenses; and applicable state and federal laws and regulations including data security, privacy and intellectual property laws.
• Communicate with internal users regarding site updates, anticipated and unanticipated downtime, and resolution of bugs and outages.

Propose and implement web planning and strategy, to include:

• Work closely with DHHS leadership and program staff to identify requirements, website needs and improvements to user experience; coordinate DHHS websites with larger Montgomery County government web presence.

• Design new websites that align with and further Montgomery County and DHHS policies, goals and strategies.
• Run tests to make sure designs or updates function properly.
• Monitor and implement updates and upgrades for all web-based platforms.
• Maintain current knowledge of best practices and emerging developments in web design, web development and search engine optimization (SEO).

Independently research and evaluate new and emerging methods for web product development and web project management. Be able to assess these new methods/technologies with respect to their suitability for:

• adapting to DHHS and County Requirements,
• leveraging the use of DHHS and County Materials,
• communication of HHS programs and services,
• potential costs vs benefits.

Monitor Website Performance, to include:

• Collect and perform web analytics.
• Identify opportunities to improve SEO, time on site, page traffic and other relevant metrics.
• Conduct testing and analysis to assess usability and effectiveness of site.
• Recommend improvements based on analytics.

Oversight and training, to include:

• Direct, monitor and approve work of web contractors.
Assist employees with use and development of DHHS website through one-on-one support, user guides and training sessions.

OHR reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position/IRC.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email to OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

Montgomery County Government also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, please refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for interview.

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.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

Experience: Three (3) years of professional experience in the information technology field in such areas as programming, systems analysis, and data/telecommunications.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field from an accredited college or university or certification in Webmaster Professional (CWP) or Microsoft Office 365.

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 weighing up to 50 pounds.

No Preferred Criteria. All applicants will be reviewed by 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.

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

• Experience with website management, analytics, design and Search Engine Optimization best practices and standards.
• Experience leading user research, usability testing, experience design, product design, or content design for a product, platform, or service.
• Knowledge of or ability to quickly learn County web content management systems, applications, and tools used by the organization.
• Highly proficient with HTML/CSS; working knowledge of XML, SQL, JavaScript, Bootstrap, CSS 3, and other programming languages. Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, and other related software.
• Documented experience in using Microsoft Forms (for surveys, assessments, market research, etc.).
• Documented SharePoint knowledge and experience.
• Strong organizational, requirements management, and project management skills.
• Experience and/or knowledge of working with a complex government agency.