Financial Application Developer for Custodian of State Portfolio

Found on 08-29-2013 at URL:

https://wisc.jobs/public/job_view.asp?annoid=68315&jobid=67830&org=536&class=97710

---

Investment Board, State of Wisconsin
Business Systems Specialist
Job Announcement Code(s): 13-03289
County(ies): Dane
Classification Title: / JAC: INV BOARD NON-EXEC 13-03289
Job Working Title: Business Systems Specialist
Type of Employment: Full Time (40 hrs/week)
Salary: not specified
Contact: resumes@swib.state.wi.us
Bargaining Unit: Unknown
Area of Competition: Open
Deadline to Apply: 9/3/2013
Deadline to apply is September 3, 2013. Resumes may be accepted after that date if the position has not been filled. Pre-employment background check is required. SWIB is an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Employer Exam Information: Exam cannot be previewed.
SWIB is seeking a Business Systems Specialist to join its Information Technology Group. The Specialist is responsible for developing and supporting SWIB custom applications, configuring third party applications, and the integrating applications. This requires the Specialist to have a deep understanding of business areas and work closely with business staff to identify technology needs, specify/improve workflows, and manage small projects.
It also requires knowledge of programming and configuration of complex applications in addition to the ability to solve complex technical problems. The incumbent will interface with business consultants and work closely with others in the IT group to ensure all applications are being integrated into the environment, adhering to standards, and properly documented.

We interrupt this post for a word from our sponsor:

Thank you for visiting our sponsor!

Job Duties:
• Conduct applications development and support activities including analysis, design, programming, testing, and implementation/installation of new and existing custom-developed software applications primarily utilizing Microsoft development and infrastructure technologies
• Assist in the implementation of newly-acquired third party vendor systems and/or additional modules of software products already utilized by SWIB
• Analyze systems in order implement day-to-day operational efficiencies
• Troubleshoot application problems and system failures
• Lead small projects to fix system issues or enhance systems
• Research technological trends and develop familiarity with the latest information
• Assist other IT staff to support investment and investment support teams as needed
Special Notes: SWIB Offers:
• A comprehensive benefits package
• Educational and training opportunities
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Challenging work in a professional, team environment
The position requires U.S. work authorization and current residency in, or willingness to relocate to, the Madison, Wisconsin area. SWIB is prepared to offer relocation assistance as needed. Occasional travel may be required for this position.
Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Candidate Qualifications
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology or similar degree
• Experience working in an investment setting a plus
• 1 to 3 years application development and SQL experience
• Exceptional analytical skills
• Strong communication skills
• Comfort taking initiative, being resourceful, and performing within a team environment
• Superb work ethic, attention to detail, team orientation, and commitment to excellence
• Ability to multitask and thrive in a fast-paced environment
How To Apply:
Qualified individuals interested in this opportunity should send an email with attached resume, cover letter, and salary history/requirements to:
E-mail: resumes@swib.state.wi.us
Subject Line: Business Systems Specialist, [Your last name]

---

Here’s another application development position -- pretty much every position entitled “business analyst” or “business systems specialist” is a glorified application developer job. The funny thing about these positions is the duty to “identify technology needs” -- it’s not like investment fundamentals change that often, so exactly how does additional technology improve a workflow when it adds another application to be maintained?

At least in the private sector, such identification usually boils down to mimicking the latest technology trends adopted by competitors, but with just enough code modified so that you don’t violate licensing terms with a direct knockoff. Sure enough, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) seeks to reinvent the wheel for one or more software programs which do something or another with financial data; there is about as much federal regulation of financial records keeping as there is for medical records keeping.

I’m guessing the business requirements have to do with grabbing the latest municipal bond rates and other financial market information related to pensions hopefully avoiding the toxic collateralized debt obligation market rampant with underwater mortgages and then adjusting investment returns in real time based on such data. Immediate data on market changes doesn’t really help long-term-only investors who maybe check their portfolios once a year because they understand short-term fluctuations can motivate panicked disinvestment.

However, SWIB and other institutional investors have enough liquidity to partake in massive day trades through which a small percentage change in value equates to thousands of dollars across all shares of a stock. Changes to municipal credit ratings also motivate bond dumping with the goal to free cash for other holdings. Anyone from SWIB is welcome to clarify in the comment section!

'Tis the season to part with your money!

Enjoy unique apparel and stationery!

Application Development Tool (ADT) Guru for Traffic Licensors

Found on 08-29-2013 at URL:

https://wisc.jobs/public/job_view.asp?annoid=65979&jobid=65494&org=395&class=13373

---

Transportation, Department of IS Systems Development Services Specialist - Applications Development Tools - Re-Announcement - Job Announcement Code(s): 13-01647
County(ies): Dane
Classification Title: / JAC: IS SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT SRVCS SPC 13-01647
Job Working Title: IS Systems Development Services Specialist
Type of Employment: Full Time (40 hrs/week)
Salary: Starting salary is between $54,331 and $99,426, depending on qualifications. This position is in pay schedule-range 07-02. A six month probationary period may be required.
Contact: Megan Robarge, HR Specialist: megan.robarge@dot.wi.gov or 608.267.4471
Bargaining Unit: Non-Represented
Area of Competition: Open
Deadline to Apply: 9/9/2013
The previous deadline date was 7/29/2013.
Exam Information: 13373 - 192 IS SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT SRVCS SPC
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) is looking for a person who loves solving problems and implementing solutions to fill our Applications Development Tools: IS Systems Development Services Specialist vacancy in the Bureau of Information Technology Services. If you love to design, configure, and manage applications and tools, this position may be great for you! This position will work on several small teams with a variety of projects and industries – from finance to transportation and everything in between.
This position is located at the Hill Farms building in Madison, Wisconsin – within walking distance to many restaurants and shopping.
Job Duties:
This position will provide technical expertise to professional IS developers, technical support specialists, and end users on optimal usage of ADT tools and methodologies, as well as advanced problem resolution support and diagnosis. This position will review and verify the technical feasibility and integration of new tools and methodologies. As the Applications Development Tools Specialist, this position will plan, implement, and maintain new development technologies, initiatives, and services in the Department of Transportation environments and its multi-jurisdictional business partners.
Application technologies and methodologies included, but not limited to, are: Maven, Subversion, Jenkins, Nexus, My Eclipse Blue, .Net, Java, Visual Basic, MS Visual Studio, Struts, Hibernate, C#, XML, Stylus Studio, SOLR, JavaDcompiler, ChangeMan, Cobol, and JCL.
Special Notes:
Prior to any appointment for positions filled from this recruitment/announcement, candidates may be subject to a comprehensive criminal background check which may include FBI fingerprinting.
Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
   * Knowledge of Application Development Tools facilities and methodologies
   * Skill in problem resolution and technical support technologies
   * Knowledge of the evaluation and implementation of Application Development systems
   * Knowledge of installing, configuring, and troubleshooting corporate Application Development sets.
   * Ability to plan and research solutions for an integrated architecture
How To Apply:
Apply online with a resume and letter of interest which fully details your experience as it relates to the duties and knowledge/skills/abilities of this position. Materials will be evaluated and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. To apply for this position, click “Log In” to access your existing account or to create a new account if you don’t have an account in the system. Once you are logged in, click “Apply Now.” You will be asked to provide your personal information, attach a resume and upload a letter of interest. Questions can be directed to Megan Robarge at megan.robarge@dot.wi.gov or 608.267.4471.
Preview Exam
1. Please copy and paste your letter of interest below. Your letter of interest should clearly identify your education, training and/or work experience in:
  : :* Designing, testing and/or implementing application development tools and methodologies for multiple platforms
   * Analyzing, defining and identifying application development tools support requirements
   * Installing application development tools
   * Maintaining and supporting application development tools
   * Working with a variety of customers on IT development projects

---

 

A potentially humorous note is how the vacancy description begins with, “(We’re) looking for a person who loves solving problems and implementing solutions…” Of course, in May 2012 I created and uploaded a video entitled “The Employee for the 21st Century” which satirizes the techno-business jargon prolifically polluting modern job descriptions. The gimmick had its run, but apparently consulting BS -- Bachelor's of Science, mind you -- is like actual excrement in that it smells best when it's your own.

The job poster may as well excise that position’s feel-good introductory statement because it is worthless; enjoying “solving problems and implementing solutions” doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have that technological swing, namely prior experience designing for a specified stack of technologies and implementing your so-called “proprietary development tool.”

Throughout the vacancy description, references to “application development tools” abound. What are these and why does the position seem to hinge on them? For that matter, why do so many job postings require skill in using such a product when a search for "application development tool"+definition returns zero results?

This obviously is an opportunity for me to dominate that keyword combination in the relevant SERPs. Without further ado, here is my definition:
An Application Development Tool (ADT) is any software which converts user actions (typing, clicking, dragging-and-dropping, etc.) into an executable program or application.

This definition includes Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) which combine a code input window with a graphical preview pane of code output. Organizations occasionally want an ADT with features which differ from available Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) ADTs.

For example, an ADT developer might modify the graphical user interface (GUI) of an IDE to include an additional meta tags field for making uploaded changes searchable by keyword or username. While some effort is inevitably duplicated among organizations developing their own custom ADTs, the extent of redundancy is unknown because companies, governments, and nonprofits generally do not want to license ADTs from each other -- those cheapskates!

A person from outside formal employment within the Information Technology (IT) field is increasingly barraged with IT jargon in business-oriented job descriptions. Besides my definition of “application development tool” articulated above, another opportunity I take for dominating search engines is to provide the first online solution for those entering the string "enterprise website developer"+definition.

In my years of real-world learning, I’ve come to realize the following two definitions create a major distinction between what I call a “website pseudo-developer” and what human resources managers refer to as an “enterprise website developer:”
1) The Website Pseudo-Developer (WPD) modifies and/or develops the website based on pre-designed ADTs; whereas
2) The Enterprise Website Developer (EWB) modifies and/or designs and develops ADTs by which non-IT people in the firm can upload changes to selected portions of the website (depending on authorization).

In the interest of provoking dialogue, I’ll loosely quote a certain nu-metal band: Any “wanna-be bigtime players” who want to “step up to me” and dispute my above explanations are welcome to comment at the bottom of this article -- but I can tell you know, “It’s not to be.”

Some may note the deadline extension from July 29 up through September 9 and wrongfully conclude, like the globalists, that we need to both send millions more students to universities (just to get maybe a few hundred qualified workers while the rest are no better off) and that we need to exempt the State of Wisconsin from having residency requirements for hiring people for these difficult-to-fill jobs (and thereby shortchange Wisconsin residents who have loads of education).

The graduation of at least 25% more university graduates than what is needed domestically dispels the “more graduates means better resource allocation” fallacy. The substantial surplus of highly educated labor makes it more difficult for a state’s own residents to obtain employment -- such as by opening the floodgates to non-residents to compete against the current state population -- is insultingly disloyal no matter how much “benefit” would allegedly be gained through marginally “better productivity” from non-resident workers.

By thus reducing unemployment in other countries by importing labor while maintaining unemployment among current citizens of your own country, you destroy a nation and betray your country like a treasoner -- yes, globalists who import talent instead of train domestic workers ARE unpatriotic, if *not technically* treasoners.

I could say much more about globalists but have other projects on the table. The main takeaway point of this post is, “Don’t trust a globalist because he or she doesn’t have your interests at heart, only plans for whatever placates the Board of Directors.”

Vendor Massager for Agency of Domination, Order, and Control (DOC)

Found on 08-29-2013 at URL:

https://wisc.jobs/public/job_view.asp?annoid=68434&jobid=67949&org=410&class=04373

---

Corrections, Department of
Contracts Specialist-Advanced DCC
Job Announcement Code(s): 13-03375
County(ies): Dane
Classification Title: / JAC: CONTRACTS SPECIALIST - ADVANCED 13-03375
Job Working Title: Contracts Specialist-Advanced DCC
Type of Employment: Full Time (40 hrs/week)
Salary: The starting pay is between $46,451 and $76,646 per year depending on qualifications and in accordance with the state compensation plan. The pay schedule/range is 07-03. A six-month probationary period will be required.
Contact: Jan Zadra, Human Resources Specialist, 608-240-5516, jan.zadra@wisconsin.gov
Bargaining Unit: Non-Represented
Area of Competition: Open
Deadline to Apply: 9/6/2013
Exams must be saved and finalized by 11:59 pm on the deadline date.
Exam Information: 04373 - Contracts Specialist - Advanced DCC
The Department of Corrections administers Wisconsin’s state prisons, community correctional centers, and juvenile corrections programs. It supervises the custody and discipline of all prisoners in order to protect the public and seeks to rehabilitate offenders and reintegrate them into society.
The Department of Corrections, Division of Community Corrections has a vacancy in Madison (Dane County #13).
Job Duties: This position is responsible for the planning, development, and management of a comprehensive evidence based Division-wide and Cross-Divisional Purchase of Service (POS) program. This position works with Division of Community Corrections (DCC) Regional Program and Policy Analysts statewide to provide program planning at a Regional level, information, and POS technical assistance to the Department. This position is responsible for administering a centrally planned and maintained POS system, providing a seamless flow of services to offenders. This position exercises significant discretion and judgment in the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities through the interpretation of state statutes, administrative rules, Department of Administration purchasing policies and research of evidence based practices and programs. This position provides POS information, audits, and training to DCC staff.
Special Notes:
Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the U.S., a lawful permanent resident, an alien authorized to work in the U.S. without DOC sponsorship) at the time of application. The Department of Corrections will conduct criminal background checks on applicants prior to selection. Upon hire, all new DOC employees are subject to fingerprinting.
Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of the principles and practices of public administration in creating and maintaining evidence based programs that target offender criminogenic needs and provide stabilization services; principles of management and data analysis; effective planning principles, practices, and techniques; community programs, program organizations, service provider organizations, and professional organizations for correctional clients; Purchase of Service process and procedures; laws, rules, regulations, and standardized procedures pertaining to the State of Wisconsin purchasing; time management skills, ability to manage multiple complex activities and projects simultaneously, and the ability to prioritize workload; methods for identifying available resources; techniques for effective oral and written communication; program and policy development and implementation and knowledge and experience using computer tools such as Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, Access)
How To Apply:
Apply on-line in WISCJOBS, http://wisc.jobs/public/index.asp by either clicking on "Log In" to access your existing WISCJOBS account and completing a Job Search for keyword 1303375 and clicking on "Apply Now" or applicants new to WISCJOBS will need to create a new account to complete an initial application then apply on-line.
It is recommended that you create your exam answers first in a Word document, then cut and paste to the WISCJOBS exam. WISCJOBS will time out after 20 minutes if your answer has not been saved, then the answer will need to be re-entered.
When you are finished with each page of the exam, click the "Save and Continue" button (bottom of the screen) to save your answers. When you are finished with the exam, click the "Save and Finalize" button and at the exam summary window click the "Finalize" button. If you return later to update your exam you must Finalize again or your exam may not be considered. If you provided an e-mail address when you created your WISCJOBS account, you will be sent an e-mail by the system confirming that the exam process has been completed. This information will also appear in your WISCJOBS job cart.
Preview Exam
1. This position is responsible for the planning, development and management of a comprehensive evidence based Division-wide and Cross-Divisional Purchase of Service Program and requires significant experience in and knowledge of state purchase of service policies and procedures. Please describe your role, education, training and experience specific to the following areas:

1. Purchase of evidence based programs and services
2. Developing bids and proposals
3. Negotiating contracts
4. Contract administration
5. Procurement policies and procedures

2. This position is responsible for the development coordination, maintenance and projections of the Purchase of Service budget for the Division of Community Corrections. Please describe your education, training and experience, including your specific role and budget amounts, in the following:

1. Budget Development
2. Budget tracking, including use and type of budget tracking systems
3. Budget projections
4. Budget analysis

We interrupt this post for a word from our sponsor:

Thank you for visiting our sponsor!

3. This position requires the completion of a variety of tasks and projects within strict timeframes, as well as developing partnerships and maintaining effective working relationships including solving complex issues and problems with a wide variety of individuals and agencies, including corrections staff, vendors, community stakeholders and other state agencies.
Please describe your experience and level of responsibility in working with a variety of individuals, community stakeholders and other agencies. Include in your response a specific example of how you were able to manage multiple duties/tasks within stated timeframes and the outcome of your interactions with other entities. Also include your experience working on workgroups, committees or boards.

---

The contract specialist needs to find the cheapest effective vendors of prison, jail, and community supervision center supplies as well as contracting out certain probation/parole duties such as AODA and psychiatric counseling. Most of this boils down to getting promised prices and deliverables in writing and checking the fine print for exclusions prior to signing a service agreement.

You don’t really need to market the DOC as a buyer because relevant providers are already tripping over each other to score that cushy penal system contract. Therefore, I spend the rest of this article dressing down certain phrases in the job description.

The whole concept of “providing services to inmates” is rather paternalistic because aside from the minority of prisoners who commit crimes primarily to obtain taxpayer-funded food, clothing, and shelter, the imprisonment or invasive supervision under 35+ probation/parole rules being referred to as “serving” the one thus constrained is like saying someone is “served” at a DMV line: The clients don’t want to be there, and most workers involved are doing it because they enjoy job security and/or tormenting others.

Did you notice how the job description calls for “effective oral and written communication” but not for “excellent” or “professional” communication? That’s because explosive Type 2 personalities are common among corrections workers. The DOC is lucky their overweight probation/parole agents don’t get heart attacks from some of their outbursts towards the people they supervise, lest the employees end up having to see the doc. I’ve witnessed situations where agency employees lost their temper and had outbursts.

“Outbursts?” Yes, I’m talking about obscenity-laced provocations uttered by “community supervision” agents to goad their supervised into verbally retaliating in one-on-one meetings, often within earshot of another agent in a neighboring office or outright in public such as when I witnessed what I now tell you. It apparently is permissible for a community supervision agent to utter while on the job, “I’m not going to take your [expletive] [expletive]!” (The guy they the agent and the cops were leading out of the car just looked ahead and didn’t appear to say anything, but I was passing by on the sidewalk adjacent to the community building parking lot; multiple organizations shared the complex.)

Does anyone else reading this feel such conduct should be off-limits for state officials? I highly doubt that swearing at an ex-con will alleviate “crimonogenic” tendencies; I feel it is actually a baiting tactic to push buttons and maybe get an impulsive disorderly conduct-like response to trigger a parole violation and more prison time. The parole agent thereby becomes the instigator or the “crimogen!” What do others think?

'Tis the season to part with your money!

Enjoy unique apparel and stationery!