GIS Specialist

Job Summary:

Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SWWRPC) seeks a qualified candidate to assist our staff meet a wide range of planning and economic development goals. As an extension of local government, SWWRPC serves the five counties of southwestern Wisconsin (Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, and Richland) in land use, transportation and economic development planning. The GIS Specialist reports to the Executive Director.

Job Duties:

This position is primarily responsible for designing, developing, implementing, and managing a computer-based GIS mapping and information system for the southwestern Wisconsin region. The GIS Specialist will provide maps, images, and on-line resources used for community development planning, on-line asset management systems, and grant applications. The position will be responsible for managing the flow and dissemination of all cartographic information, keeping existing maps and databases updated.

Duties include designing and maintaining spatial data layers and associated databases, data conversion, recommending workflows to create and maintain spatial data, and conducting land use and planning-related spatial analysis. The GIS Specialist will act as a major participant in the development and implementation of cartographic standards. The GIS Specialist will also take the lead in convening and facilitating the Southwest Wisconsin GIS Forum, a quarterly meeting of GIS and land records professionals. This position will also be responsible for website maintenance and possibly web development, depending upon qualifications.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Geography, Planning, or GIS.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or GIS Certificate.
• Proficiency in graphic design.
• Familiarity with current issues facing small rural communities.
• Knowledge of state and local ordinances pertaining to land records in the State of Wisconsin.

Knowledge Required:

• Knowledge of the principles, practices, terminology, and trends in geographic information system design and usage for modern land based mapping.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of geographic information systems or computerized forecast modeling.
• Knowledge of the concepts and structure of computer programming languages.
• Knowledge of demographics, statistics, and spatial analysis.
• Knowledge of cartographic design and best practices.
• Knowledge of land records management practices and land records modernization processes in Wisconsin.
• Knowledge of database management best practices.

Skills Required:

• Experience in digital drafting, geographic information system design, implementation and management.
• Extensive proficiency with ESRI suite of software products, specifically Python Scripting for ArcGIS (ArcPy), ArcGIS, ArcOnline, and Model Building.
• Experience with Microsoft Office products and Adobe Suite.
• Experience with RDBMS and GPS data collection.
• Proficiency with Internet/Intranet based GIS Solutions.
• Experience interpreting legal descriptions and familiarity with the Public Land Survey System.

Abilities Required:

• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with other employees and the general public.
• Ability to communicate, and translate as needed, technical information related to cartography and spatial analysis to policy makers and elected officials.
• Ability to work on several projects or issues simultaneously.
• Ability to work independently or in a team environment as needed.
• Ability to attend to details while fulfilling larger goals.

To Apply:

Those interested should submit an electronic cover letter, resume, three professional references, a brief portfolio of past work, and a completed SWWRPC Application (available at http://swwrpc.org/wordpress/about/employment-opportunities/) to jobs@swwrpc.org.