Salary : $99,300.00 - $133,608.00 Annually
Location : Thurston County - Tumwater, WA
Job Type: Full Time - Permanent
Job Number: 26 IT APP DEV SR/SPC 0665
Department: Office of the Secretary of State
Division: Information Technology
Opening Date: 07/16/2026
Closing Date: 7/30/2026 5:00 PM Pacific
Salary Information: The high end of the salary range, Step M is typically a longevity step

Description
The Division of Information Technology (IT) ensures that all technology systems within OSOS business programs run smoothly, securely, and efficiently. We are the strategic partner in driving business goals, improving operational efficiency, and safeguarding critical data and systems. IT is deeply involved in ensuring the seamless flow of information, providing scalability and innovation, handling everything from hardware, software and tools to complex systems delivering valuable customer experience.
IT Application Development Senior/Specialist

Permanent, Full-Time

This position description is a senior level position that reports to an IT Application Development Supervisor within the Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS), IT Division. This position is responsible for the design, maintenance, and continued modernization of systems and services supporting the Corporations & Charities Division Business programs and services. This position will also provide technical support for OSOS office core development team interfaces and systems to include internal and external design, modification, and maintenance of data and user interfaces.
An incumbent in this position will be responsible for aligning OSOS IT systems to IT Policy, standards and external regulations for security, privacy, compliance and best practice. Where best practice does not exist, this position will devise best practice strategies to support technical work for applications, data, and services under their purview. These duties touch every division and mission of the Office.
Duties

Application Developer Senior Specialist
Tasks include:

• Provides technical expertise in daily operations within application, data, and cloud development engineering to support applications, systems, services, data and hardware infrastructures for OSOS within the IT Division.
• Serves as the technical lead for day-to-day development operations, issues and outages related to applications, data and services within OSOS for the CCD Division.
• Diagnoses and triages cloud application development issues, working to find root cause, and corrects the problem.
• Defines designs, and documents standards and best practice uses for application and data development to be used by the team.
• Researches and identifies new and modern methods for continued best practice for application and data development for continued improvement and modernization over applications, systems, services, data, and hardware infrastructures.
• Provides knowledge and expertise to other application core team developers in the use of various technical tools, integrated development environments, test driven development patterns and practices, and supporting frameworks.
• Provides code review, version control management, deployment and release management process and guidance using ITIL, Agile, and other frameworks that best serve the applications, systems, services, data and hardware infrastructures for OSOS, and the development community responsible for this work.
• Ensures applications are logically and functionally tested by directing development engineers to areas where testing is needed or lacking.
• Creates, and oversees the maintenance and testing of disaster recovery planning for all application ecosystems supported by this position.
• Coaches and mentors of all levels of development and data management engineers.

Application and Data Architecture Technical Lead
Tasks include:

• Collaborates with the architecture team to design and develop and implement architecture standards for applications across the full Software Development Lifecycle within the CCD Division book of business.
• Implements professional level architectural design patterns, practices, and processes that ultimately provide the foundation for efficient, scalable, and durable application ecosystems for the Corporations and Charities Division.
• Ensures application lifecycle management standards are well designed, documented, communicated, and continuously updated.
• Ensures all new and current applications under this positions scope comply with regulation, policy, and standards of architecture necessary to safeguard, protect privacy, and meet cybersecurity provisions to meet or exceed all state and federal laws and rules.
• Defines and implements architected designs focused on user centered approach, accessibility, and device agnostic usability.
• Effectively consults with leadership and business partners in plain language for complex technical work.
• Reviews and approves code to ensure alignment with industry best practices, consistent coding standards, and OWASP, Nist, CIS, etc secure coding guidelines, while identifying repetitive engineering workflows and implementing automation to eliminate manual effort, improve reliability, and increase development velocity across teams.?
• Provides mentorship and technical guidance to lower-level application developers, offering support on coding practices, troubleshooting, and adherence to development standards whenever needed.
• Maintains clear, well-documented, and timely communication with leadership and stakeholders regarding application issues, work stoppages, outages, and incidents, providing proactive status updates and outlining the steps taken toward resolution to ensure transparency and smooth operations.
• Establishes and documents best practices, standards, and guidelines to support consistent and scalable process improvements across the organization.
• Develops prototypes, Proof of Concept (POC), and pilot solutions to validate and document new approaches before full implementation.
• Evaluates emerging tools, platforms, and methodologies to determine their applicability and potential benefits for developers and business users.
• Partners with cross functional teams to ensure new methods integrate smoothly with existing systems and align with strategic goals.
• Collaborates with supervisors, architects, business partners, peer developers and business analysts in a professional manner to define, design, and implement key features that enhance overall user experience and deliver meaningful value.
• Researches, designs, and implements new technologies, processes, and methods following SOLID coding principles and SDLC best practices to solve complex problems with increased ambiguity.
• Analyzes existing workflows to identify inefficiencies, gaps, and opportunities for improvement, recommending innovative solutions that streamline operations.
• Provides training, guidance, mentorship and knowledge sharing sessions to help fellow developers and business users to understand and adopt new processes effectively.

Miscellaneous
Tasks include:

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Total of eight years of information technology experience in applications development, including experience in designing, developing, and maintaining applications using industry standard tools and development languages, developing, designing, and maintaining databases using MS SQL or related relational database tools and software, leading up to architecture and development in cloud infrastructures, such as Azure or AWS, using modern integrated development environments (IDEs) integrated with version control and DevOps pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps).
  • OR An associate's degree in technology or related field with six years of Information Technology experience*.
  • OR A bachelor's degree in technology or related field with four years of Information Technology experience*.
  • OR A master's degree in technology or related field with two years of Information Technology experience*.
  • OR any combination of education and experience that is equal to 8 years. (Education is credited towards experience on a year for year basis)

Information Technology Experience* is the progressive technical expertise of enterprise solution design and engineering in any of the following functional & technical IT domain areas:

• Software development & engineering (web, mobile, desktop, and embedded systems).
• Cybersecurity (network, asset, risk)
• Cloud computing & DevOps: (cloud architecture, management, and workflow automation)
• Data Science, AI & Analytics (big data, machine learning, data mining, and AI systems)
• Network administration (design and support)
• Quality Assurance (QA testing for failures, missed features and quality)
• Database Administration (managing and securing data stores, tuning & optimization)
• Emerging Tech

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in developing applications in the Microsoft.Net environment, C#, ASP.NET, MVC, .NET Core, AngularJS, Angular, VB.NET, HTML, CSS, TypeScript, JavaScript, jQuery, TSQL, PowerShell, and Software Defined Storage.
• 1 year of experience working with Microsoft Azure administration.
• Knowledge of database structures and dataflow.
• Network architecture and technical system communication.
• Experience working directly with stakeholders of applications.

PLEASE READ: If you have gotten this far and are thinking you do not qualify, consider again. Studies have shown that members of historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, specifically women and people of color, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they clearly meet every single qualification. At the Office of the Secretary of State, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic work force with a foundation of belonging. If you are excited about this role and have relevant experience and skills, but question whether your experience aligns perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply regardless. You may just be the ideal candidate this office needs.
Supplemental Information

Working Conditions
The role necessitates an individual who can function effectively both independently and as part of a team. It demands the ability to excel under pressure in order to meet stringent deadlines. The candidate must demonstrate adaptability within the rapidly evolving realm of web development, particularly with regards to website security. Thoroughness and precision in task execution are paramount, as is the capability to manage multiple tasks concurrently. Proficiency in interpersonal and communication skills, directed towards both internal and external stakeholders, is a fundamental requirement. The standard work hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm. However, there is an expectation of availability beyond these hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, particularly during unforeseen emergencies. The role includes the physical ability to handle objects weighing up to 50 lbs, with or without reasonable accommodation. Additionally, readiness to travel to different office locations within the state on short notice is essential. The work environment is predominantly office-based, involving prolonged periods of sitting and extensive utilization of the keyboard. Remote work is allowed per office policy; however, you must be in the officefull time for the six-month trial services/probationary period and three days in person (50% of time) after that.
Special Requirements

• This position is in a bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) and is subject to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the State of Washington, The Office of the Secretary of State, and the WFSE.
• Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

How to Apply

• Required: To be considered for this position you must attach the following:
  • Letter of interest describing how your experience and qualifications relate to the duties and qualifications of the position.
  • Current resume
  • Three Professional references. Personal references will not be considered.
• You must complete the supplemental questions at the end of this application. Incomplete responses such as "see resume" will not be considered.
• All veterans must include a copy of your DD214 to receive preference in the hiring process. You must black out your social security number before attaching it to your application.