Election Technology Specialist - Information Technology Specialist

This is a non-merit position. Candidates must follow the instructions in the "To Apply" section. Positions in this class are exempt from the screening and referral requirements of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services - Human Resources Enterprise.

The Iowa Secretary of State is hiring an Election Technology Specialist for our Election Division. Due to the sensitive nature of the position,
this job will be on-site only.

The Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) has three primary areas of responsibility:

• Elections & Voter Registration
• Business Services
• Safe at Home

The Elections Division provides oversight on election administration and voter registration duties conducted by county elections officials. The Business Services Division accepts filings related to business entities, notaries, and other related filings. Safe at Home is an address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, assault, trafficking, and stalking. In addition to these three functional areas, the SOS has financial, IT, and communications teams that provide support across the office.

The Elections Division supervises the administration of elections and voter registration in Iowa. Elections in Iowa are conducted at the county level by the commissioners of elections. The Elections Division provides oversight, training, and helpdesk services to the commissioners. The team also responds to public questions about all aspects of the election process. Additionally, the Elections Division leads our election‑based initiatives to ensure integrity and security in the voting process.

The Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State is hiring an Election Technology Specialist (ETS) to work on‑site with our elections team. This position will report to the Director of Elections. The Elections Technology Specialist will provide technical support for elections technology to the Elections Division and County Election Officials. The role will answer calls and emails regarding any issues that county auditors and their staff are facing while using the statewide voter registration and election management system (VREM), including setting up elections, registrations, moving voters, merging voter files, running election registers and e‑pollbooks, setting up precincts, and running related reports.

The ETS answers questions from county auditors regarding election administration by telephone and email, documenting known‑user problems to isolate and elevate issues. They will troubleshoot problems with the Statewide VREM system and e‑pollbook applications to ensure procedures are being followed appropriately and assist with testing application functionality to determine whether issues are program‑related or user‑related, keeping an open line of communication between system users and administrators.

Additionally, the ETS will provide insight into election software updates based on user feedback; format application data to support meaningful analysis, including the use of tools such as Excel, with experience working with databases or SQL‑based systems considered beneficial. The ETS will work with IT and Office Legal on issues of data security and privacy. The role provides documentation on timely topics for upcoming elections or processes that must be completed in the Statewide system, and reports issues pertaining to system enhancements, including support for project‑based work and coordination with internal teams and vendors as needed.

Finally, the position will work with data and shape files for redistricting and re‑precincting, including data interchange and ingress/egress issues. Create forms or instructions, possibly including videos, to help counties better use the Statewide VREM system.

At the State of Iowa, we are committed to your well‑being. As a valued team member, you'll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Paid Time Off:
  Enjoy vacation with accruals that rollover on a yearly basis, sick leave with no limits on accrual and 9 paid holidays per year.
• Great Benefits:
  Excellent…