Job Description

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values:

• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students.

• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.

• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.

• We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.

The posted salary range budgeted for this position is between $4,848.66 and $6,379.08 monthly. New hires will be typically brought into the agency at a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification in the Office of Technology unless the average pay exceeds the midpoint for the state position's classification salary group. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate's experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who far exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role.

Position Overview

This position serves as the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Customer Support Analyst in the Customer Relationship Division for the Office of Information Technology at the Texas Education Agency. This role is critical for improving school outcomes by supporting TSDS, which is the principal data collection system for the state of Texas public school system, including products for state and federal data reporting requirements.

This position performs advanced (senior level) computer systems analysis work and provides technical support for TSDS data collections and applications. This analyst will be responsible for providing technical support for Tier-3 tickets reported through the TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS) in accordance with the documented service level agreements (SLAs). This position is the primary liaison for escalations into and outside of TEA. Additional responsibilities include facilitating support meetings with our customer and conducting User Acceptance Testing of new system functionality.

This position works under limited supervision with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Please note that a resume and tailored cover letter are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

About Office of IT

The Office of Information Technology works closely with all agency divisions to implement innovative technology solutions in a cost-efficient manner that supports the goals and priorities of the Texas Education Agency. The Office of IT provides efficient technology solutions and stellar customer services to internal staff, 20 Educational Service Centers, and 1,200-plus public-school districts and charter schools. The following services are provided by IT: leadership on IT initiatives; guidance on security/policy issues; new application development/enhancements; software acquisition; technical support; assistance with technical sections of purchasing documents such as Request for Information (RFI), Request for Offers (RFO), Request for Proposals (RFP); and oversight on the data collection process which helps to support and improve outcomes for all of Texas' 5 million-plus students.

Essential Functions

Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. Technical Support: resolves support issues, while satisfying quality assurance measures and service level agreements

2. User Acceptance Testing: completes assigned testing within deadlines; may require work outside normal business hours

3. System Analysis: monitors the TSDS applications and oversees and/or triages support for any identified technical issues

4. Data Analysis: conducts thorough analysis of data submitted by local education agencies to ensure data accuracy and completeness

5. Communication: facilitates meetings and actively engages customers to satisfy customer satisfaction expectations and measures



Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university

• Experience: At least four (4) years of experience in technical support role.

• Substitutions: Each additional year of related experience above the required minimum may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.

Other Qualifications

• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military

• Proven experience in Incident Management Systems, including customer support methodologies practices

• Proven expertise analyzing and troubleshooting complex data issues, system software, and procedures

• Experience writing and interpreting SQL queries

• Experience understanding XML & JSON data types, syntax rules, and dependencies

• Excellent written and oral communication skills to support and train technical and non-technical users

• May be assigned high-priority special projects or requests that need to be completed within a short timeframe and have proven organizational skills and able to cope with rapidly changing information and processes

• Ability to write, edit, and review Knowledge Base articles, Operating Procedures, and support ticket responses

• Preferred experience working with public education data and/or software systems

• Works well under pressure making responsible decisions and superior project and time management ability

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the military employment preference.

To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State's Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military "occupational category" that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.