Lead Mainframe & Data Center Operations Specialist - Evening & Overnight Shifts

About the role

The Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) is seeking a Lead Night Shift Command Center Specialist or Lead Evening Shift Command Center Specialist to work in a dynamic, creative thinking, problem-solving environment. This position serves as a technical specialist directing and coordinating a complex multi-system mainframe environment, ensuring seamless integration and optimal operations.

Responsibilities

• Maintains the mainframe and server environment to ensure appropriate availability and resource status and takes appropriate actions to diagnose and correct issues, including enforcing Data Center key security and key logs.
• Serves as designated lead worker.
• Responds to questions and requests from DoIT and client agencies, including assisting callers by contacting on-call techs for issue resolution, coordinating resources for ticket resolution, and assisting with ticket escalation and ticket routing.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in the information technology field by continuing education through online training platforms, meetings, training sessions, seminars, and conferences to increase familiarity with and remain current on products, vendors, techniques, and procedures.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Requirements

• Knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of high school.
• Four (4) years of previous related experience such as is typically gained at the Data Processing Specialist level.
• Three (3) years of professional experience performing online changes and routine system maintenance, including stopping/starting units, starting/stopping mainframe services, Initial Program Loads (IPLs), checklist-driven operational procedures, system dumps, and other operationally required system commands within a large enterprise environment.
• Three (3) years of professional experience monitoring various mainframe system’s performance and resource status.
• Three (3) years of professional experience responding to mainframe and midrange operational issues including problem resolution, issue escalation, documentation of actions performed, and notification to on-call techs for issues, such as server failures, mainframe subsystem interruptions, connectivity disruptions, hardware malfunctions, or similar failures.
• Three (3) years of professional experience creating, updating, and coordinating daily log reports and incident tickets to accurately and thoroughly document activities.
• Three (3) years of professional experience leading or supervising an information technology operations team, including assigning and reviewing operational work, providing technical guidance and training, coordinating shift activities, ensuring procedural compliance, and advising supervisors on staff performance.
• Ability to analyze data logically and exercise sound judgement in defining and evaluating problems of an operational or procedural nature.
• Ability to gain and maintain effective working relationships with associates, subordinates, vendors, clients, and others.
• Developed verbal and written communication skills to present technical information clearly and precisely to diverse audiences, including business users, subordinates, development teams, and agency executives.

Qualifications

• Requires the ability to meet ALL of the following conditions of employment, with or without reasonable accommodation, to be considered for this position.
• Requires the ability to verify identity.
• Requires employment authorization to accept permanent full-time position with State of Illinois.
• Requires the ability to pass a position specific, agency required background check and requires self-disclosure of criminal history.
• Requires the ability to travel in performance of duties.
• Requires the ability to work outside of normal hours to meet deadlines.
• Requires the ability to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, short notice, evening, weekends, and holidays.
• Requires the ability to use agency supplied equipment such as laptop, personal computer, work cell phone, etc.
• Requires the ability to attend seminars, conferences, and training to remain current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to job duties.
• Requires the ability to lift and carry objects or equipment weighing up to 30 pounds.

Skills

Not specified.

Benefits

This is a full-time position with the State of Illinois. The State offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Competitive Group Insurance benefits including health, life, dental and vision plans.
• Flexible work schedules (when available and dependent upon position).
• 10 - 25 days of paid vacation time annually (10 days for first year of state employment).
• 12 days of paid sick time annually which carry over year to year.
• 3 paid personal business days per year.
• 13-14 paid holidays per year dependent on election years.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Pension plan through the State Employees Retirement System.
• Deferred Compensation Program – voluntary supplemental retirement plan.
• Optional pre-tax programs - Medical Care Assistance Plan (MCAP) & Dependent Care Assistant Plan (DCAP).
• Tuition Reimbursement Program and Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program eligibility.

Pay

Not specified.

Schedule

4:00 PM - 12:00 AM or 11:45 PM - 8:00 AM Monday - Friday (Work hours may vary)