IT System Administration - Senior/Specialist (ServiceNow System Administrator )

Salary: $94,620.00 - $127,248.00 Annually
Location : Thurston County - Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time - Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number:
Department: Dept of Children, Youth, and Families
Division: Information Technology
Opening Date: 11/05/2026
Closing Date: 11/19/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Job Title: IT System Administration - Senior/Specialist (ServiceNow System Administrator)

Location: Thurston County - Olympia, WashingtonCloses: November 18th, 2026
Salary: $94,620.00 - $127,248.00 Monthly
This position is a critical member of the DCYF IT Operations team and serves as the primary administrator and technical authority for the ServiceNow platform, a foundational enterprise system supporting IT service delivery, workflow automation, business operations, and organizational efficiency across the Department. The position is responsible for maintaining the stability, functionality, security, and continuous improvement of a platform that enables DCYF to effectively manage technology services and support the agency's mission to protect children and strengthen families. As a key role within IT Operations, the position reports to the IT Supervisor for Content Management, who reports to the Senior Manager of IT Operations, under the direction of the Deputy Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Officer.
The Opportunity:

The Senior ServiceNow System Administrator serves as the technical and strategic lead for the organization's ServiceNow platform, with primary responsibility for platform administration, governance, standards development, innovation, and continuous improvement. This position partners closely with HR, IT, business stakeholders, vendors, and leadership to ensure the ServiceNow platform delivers secure, scalable, and AI-enabled business solutions.

Some of what you will get to do:

• Serve as the senior administrator and technical lead for the ServiceNow platform.
• Develop, implement, and maintain platform governance, architecture standards, and operational procedures.
• Establish enterprise standards supporting both HR Service Delivery (HRSD) and IT Service Management (ITSM) capabilities.
• Ensure platform configurations align with organizational goals, security requirements, and ServiceNow best practices.
• Develop roadmaps that align platform investments with organizational strategic objectives.
• Partner with HR, IT, security, governance, and business stakeholders to design and deliver enterprise solutions.
• Facilitate cross-functional discussions to align business needs with technical capabilities.
• Oversee platform enhancements and ensure adherence to established standards.
• Support incident resolution, root-cause analysis, and continuous service improvement.
• Lead organizational change initiatives associated with ServiceNow implementations and enhancements.
• Communicate platform strategy, priorities, risks, and decisions in a transparent and timely manner.
• Develop communication plans and stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Establish performance metrics and dashboards to evaluate platform effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes and improve service delivery.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in information technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, Human Resources Information Systems, or related field AND two (2) years of system administrator experience.

*OR Equivalent combination of education and experience.

AND

• The ability to take action to learn and grow
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Additional qualifications required:

Experiences:

Six (6) or more years of progressively responsible ServiceNow administration experience.

AND

Experience supporting enterprise-level ServiceNow environments.

AND

Experience working with both HR and IT service delivery processes.
Technical Skills

• Advanced ServiceNow administration expertise.
• Experience administering ITSM and HRSD modules.
• Experience with ServiceNow platform governance and standards development.
• Knowledge of integrations, APIs, security models, and data governance.
• Experience with workflow automation and process optimization.
• Experience implementing and supporting AI-enabled platform capabilities.
• Strong understanding of platform architecture and release management.

Leadership Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise initiatives without direct authority.
• Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills.
• Ability to drive organizational change and adoption.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to influence strategic decision-making.

Desirable/Preferred Qualifications:

• Certifications
• ServiceNow Certified System Administrator (CSA).
• ServiceNow Certified Application Developer (CAD).
• ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist certifications.
• ServiceNow Certified Technical Architect or equivalent advanced certification.
• ITIL Foundation or higher certification.

Experience

• Experience implementing ServiceNow AI, Predictive Intelligence, Virtual Agent, Now Assist, or other AI-driven capabilities.
• Experience with enterprise platform governance programs. • Experience leading digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience supporting public sector, healthcare, higher education, or large enterprise environments.
• Experience managing ServiceNow roadmaps and platform strategy.

Technical Skills

• ServiceNow Flow Designer.
• IntegrationHub.
• CMDB governance.
• Service Portal or Employee Center.
• Performance Analytics.
• Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks.
• Experience with Agile product delivery methodologies

How do I apply?

Complete your applicant profile on careers.wa.gov and attach the following documents:

• Current resume detailing experience and education.
• Letter of Interest that details how you meet the qualifications for the position.

Supplemental Information:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington's children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our mission to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.
More than Just a Paycheck!
Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career. Like everyone, your first priority is ensuring that you and your family will maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Read about our benefits:
The following information describes typical benefits available for full-time employees who are expected to work more than six months. Actual benefits may vary by appointment type or be prorated for other than full-time work (e.g. part-time); view the job posting for benefits details for job types other than full-time.

Note: If the position offers benefits which differ from the following, the job posting should include the specific benefits.

Insurance Benefits
Employees and their families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout the state.

Staff are eligible to enroll each year in a medical flexible spending account which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care expenses. Employees are also covered by basic life and long-term disability insurance, with the option to purchase additional coverage amounts.

To view premium rates, coverage choice in your area and how to enroll, please visit the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) website. The Washington Wellness program from the Health Care Authority works with PEBB to support our workplace wellness programs.

Dependent care assistance allows the employee to save pre-tax dollars for a child or elder care expenses.

Other insurance coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction.

The Washington State Employee Assistance Program promotes the health and well-being of employees.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation
State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). This is a supplemental retirement savings program (similar to an IRA) that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Social Security
All state employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The state and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness
If you are employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, and meet the qualifying criteria, you may be eligible to receive student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Holidays
Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to paid holidays and one paid personal holiday per calendar year.

Note: Employees who are members of certain Unions may be entitled to additional personal leave day(s), please refer to position specific Collective Bargaining Agreements for more information.

Full-time employees who work full monthly schedules qualify for holiday compensation if they are employed before the holiday and are in pay status for at least 80 nonovertime hours during the month of the holiday; or for the entire work shift preceding the holiday.

Part-time employees who are in pay status during the month of the holiday qualify for the holiday on a pro-rata basis. Compensation for holidays (including personal holiday) will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status in the month to that required for full-time employment, excluding all holiday hours. Pay status includes hours worked and time on paid leave.

Sick Leave
Full-time employees earn eight hours of sick leave per month. Overtime eligible employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month, earn a monthly proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Overtime exempt employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month do not earn a monthly accrual of sick leave.

Sick leave accruals for part-time employees will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.

Vacation (Annual Leave)
Full-time employees accrue vacation leave at the rates specified in (1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Full-time employees who are in pay status for less than 80 nonoverti