Chief Technology Officer

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended. Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED 1/20-1/24 ONLY.

Supplemental Questionnaire:  A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

WHO WE ARE

The Information Technology Department (ITD) is the central technology support for the County’s agencies and departments who serve our communities. Our more than 1.5 million residents and countless customers around the world depend on the services the County provides. ITD powers those services in ways that our tech savvy constituents have come to expect; giving them access to services when and where they need them. We are a team of technology professionals and evangelists with a wide-range of technological skills and diverse experiences. We provide great customer service and high-quality products.

We are passionate about our work and we are proud of the numerous awards we have won. We are very excited about the cultural change in our department. We are transforming the perceptions of government technology and redefining ourselves. We are “staying ahead of the wave” by fostering innovation, pushing the envelope, and taking risks. We have embraced the entrepreneurial spirit of our start-up neighbors in Silicon Valley. We are more than just technologists though. We are also passionate about our communities.  We are volunteers, food drive donors, activists, and humanitarians who love the communities we work and live in. 

To learn more about the department please, click here to visit the Information Technology Department Website.

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county.  The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $3.4 billion.  Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth largest city.  One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities and rural areas.  As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens.  The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles.  The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.  

THE POSITION

Under general direction, assists the Chief Information Officer (CIO) in planning, organizing and directing the activities of the department; implements policy decisions emanating from the CIO; provides overall management of Infrastructure and Technical Services; evaluates and recommends new technology; builds a high-performing team; acts for department head in his/her absence; and, performs other duties as required. The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) leads efforts to modernize and transform the County’s technology and to adopt digital innovations to meet the broad business-enabled technology challenges of the County. The CTO drives innovation, strategy, planning, architecture, technology standards and the application of best practices.

This is a single position class located in the Information Technology Department and reports directly to the CIO.  The class of CTO is distinguished from that of CIO in that the latter class is responsible for directing and administering the activities of the entire Information Technology Department and is accountable to the Board of Supervisors for County-wide technology services, while the former class serves as a Division head with responsibility for the overall coordination and direction of assigned sections.    While this class is considered equivalent to the class of Assistant Director, Information Technology Department in that either incumbent may be required to act for CIO in his/her absence, the classes are distinguished from each other in that the Assistant Director has direct responsibility over Application Services and the CTO is responsible for management of Infrastructure Services.  

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE 

The County of Alameda seeks a progressive and innovative Chief Technology Officer (CTO) with a passion for using technology to provide vital services to the community. The ideal candidate will lead efforts to modernize and transform the County’s technology and to adopt digital innovations to meet the technology challenges of the County and will be an exceptional leader with the opportunity to create a high performance team and change the culture from “we have always done it this way” to one of “endless possibilities.” The ideal candidate will be politically astute and able to foster effective partnerships throughout the County and with its stakeholders. 

The ideal CTO will drive innovation, strategy, planning, architecture, technology standards and the application of best practices. He/she will be dedicated to excellence in operations and delivery while maintaining a focus on innovation.  In addition to being a visionary, the CTO will have direct oversight of Data Center and Cloud Services that includes but not limited to Cyber Security, Networking, Operations, Radio, Infrastructure and Telecommunications.   The CTO will engage in senior level business and technology discussions related to enterprise agility, cloud adoption and digital transformation.   Lastly, the ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills, the ability to evangelize modern technology, and a passion for solving hard real-world problems. Join our team and help us make a difference in the technology industry and in our communities.  

For a detailed listing of the essential responsibilities and core competency requirements for this position, please click here for the job description..

Either I  

The equivalent of one year of full time experience in the classification of Deputy Director, Information Technology Department in the Alameda County service.  

Or II  

The equivalent of eight years of full-time information technology experience with at least five years in management that included managing and coordinating infrastructure projects in a large enterprise environment.  

NOTE:     The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:  

• Principles and techniques of project planning, scheduling and control as applied to implementation of technical projects.
• Principles of enterprise architecture, including a broad understanding of hardware and systems software technologies, network infrastructure, data integrity and distribution design, application and execution of architecture design, and system performance and optimization design.
• Contract negotiation for software, maintenance and services contracts.
• Process of RFPs development, evaluation of responses and final selection.
• Common system integration and services frameworks such as Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). Expertise in infrastructure, application and network architecture.
• Emerging technologies, principles and application.
• Enterprise Systems including servers, network, voice, data, computers, radio, software, and technology services.
• Principles of Data Center Operations and Cloud Services.
• Cyber Security policies, reporting and operations.
• Principles of management including budget development and execution.
• Principles and techniques of supervision, staff development, organization, administration and personnel management, and labor relations with a focus on developing high-performance teams.  
• Principles of Process Re-engineering and data driven decision making.  

Ability to:  

• Act in the department head’s absence to manage a large complex organization and coordinate work with other departments while maintaining continuity of policy established by the department head.
• Provide overall direction to a 24 hour-per-day, 7 days-per-week data center/computer installation such that uninterrupted, on-time service to end-users is maximized at a reasonable cost.
• Identify and analyze information technology problems; draw logical conclusions; develop an effective course of action. Use data to make sound business decisions.
• Lead or facilitate complex, mission critical projects and develop, participate in and lead multi-disciplinary work teams using negotiation and group facilitation skills to move a process forward while meeting the needs of a variety of business customers.
• Maintain an ongoing knowledge of current business and technological environments, organize different approaches and strategies into a unified architectural blueprint and lead the migration to new environments as necessary.
• Formulate coordinated network services, radio services, technical services and computer operations strategy to meet departmental goals, developing schedules, work plans and cost controls.
• Evaluate productivity and performance of information technology as currently implemented and recommend cost-effective technical changes.
• Evaluate performance of management personnel; identify and address training needs.
• Research developments in information technology; analyze hardware and software packages; evaluate existing hardware and software; make recommendations for changes in existing equipment and for procurement of new equipment and software.
• Communicate technical concepts on information technology strategy, problem solutions, and project progress and needs in a timely and understandable fashion to non-technical policy makers in the County.
• Gather and analyze data, draw sound conclusions, and prepare clear, concise reports.
• Work effectively with the CIO, peers, subordinate staff, agency/department heads from other County agencies/departments, and County policy makers.    
• Demonstrate a passion for technology resulting in continuous learning that benefits the employees and constituents of Alameda County.
• Build strong positive working relationships with internal and external partners.

The examination will consist of the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. 2) Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process which is a review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. 3) Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process, an oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview examination may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:  

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN: 

**The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs/divisions/ps/application.htm

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst II

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.