Senior Application Developer

Under direction, designs, develops, tests, and implements custom applications, integration services, automation scripts, and scalable technical solutions that support Court enterprise systems. Performs advanced software engineering tasks including application development, API integrations, data workflows, and architecture-aligned solution design. Conducts technical analysis to translate business needs into functional, maintainable, and secure software components. Leads development activities during system enhancements, major implementations, and modernization efforts. Provides technical leadership, directs complex troubleshooting, and ensures long-term maintainability of developed solutions.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED Receives general direction from assigned supervisory and management personnel. Exercises technical and functional direction over and provides training to assigned staff. This position does not exercise supervision over other staff.

Class Characteristics: This is the advanced journey-level classification responsible for the most complex technical and development work within Court Technology. Incumbents design secure, scalable, integrated application architectures, build custom solutions, and contribute to long-term technology roadmaps. Work requires independent judgment and technical leadership, particularly in system modernization, integration engineering, and enterprise workflow automation. This classification is distinguished from the Application Developer in that it performs the most complex development, integration, and modernization work, and provides technical leadership and functional direction.

Typical Duties

Management reserves the right to add, modify, change, or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.

• Designs, develops, and maintains custom software components, scripts, automations, and integration services to extend enterprise application functionality and support business workflows.
• Develop secure and maintainable REST API integrations, webhooks, and data-exchange processes between Court systems and third-party platforms.
• Performs advanced troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of multi-system, data-level, and integration failures; implements long-term code and architectural solutions.
• Designs component-level and solution-level application and integration designs that align with established enterprise architecture standards
• Develops advanced test scripts, automated tests, and integrated test plans; ensures testing meets design specifications, security requirements, and documentation standards.
• Leads technical components of system implementations, platform upgrades, code deployments, and major system transitions; ensures post-implementation stability and performance.
• Creates and maintains technical documentation, including software specifications, integration models, architecture artifacts, and development standards.
• Apply independent judgment to deliver complex technical solutions, driving scalable and secure internal applications while contributing to technology roadmaps and ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
• Evaluates emerging technologies, tools, frameworks, and integration patterns; recommends solutions that reduce technical debt and improve system maintainability.
• Provides technical mentorship, guidance, and functional direction to lower-level IT staff; serves as an escalation point for complex issues and development challenges., * Enterprise architecture frameworks, webhooks, Rest API, and modern application design patterns;
• Automation frameworks and scripting languages.
• Application development, API engineering, integrations, data validations, and security models.
• Technology evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Standards for documentation, software quality, and technical governance
• Methods for analyzing business processes and translating requirements into technical solutions.

Ability to:

• Apply systems integration design concepts as they relate to applications design and development.

• Multi-task and able to move seamlessly between projects, Internet and intranet technologies.

• Apply relational database theory, design rules and development practices, including data modeling, data flow and entity relationship analysis, data structure analysis and data access methods.

• Plan, organize and complete projects efficiently and effectively to meet stakeholders' requirements.

• Troubleshoot and diagnose problems; make the appropriate repairs to resolve them.

• Prepare clear, concise and accurate reports and other written materials.

• Communicate clearly and effectively orally and in writing to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Exercise sound independent judgment within general policy guidelines.

• Keep technical skills current to meet continuing development assignments.

• Work collaboratively as a team member or leader to ensure project accountability.

• Use tact and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive, complex and/or confidential issues and situations.

• Establish and maintain highly effective, customer-focused working relationships with court managers, court staff and others encountered in the course of work.

• Design and document architecture diagrams, integration points, and security models.

• Assist unit management with organizing and coordinating the work of assigned staff and provide unit training, as needed.

• Design and maintain business logic using Groovy scripts and Velocity templates within enterprise applications.

• Troubleshoot complex systems and recommend architectural improvements.

• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

• Perform testing, quality assurance, and governance.

• Collaborate, provide technical Consultation, and cross-agency engagement.

• System implementations, rollout, and operational support.

• Lead development activities, coordinate with stakeholders, and ensure alignment with enterprise standards.

Do you have experience in Systems analysis?, Do you have a Bachelor's degree?, Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in information technology, computer science, management information systems or a closely related field. Five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience in application development, scripting, integration, API use, and system architecture.

Licenses and Certifications: Possession of a valid California Class C driver's license and the ability to maintain compliance with the Court's vehicle insurance policy, or the ability to provide alternate transportation that meets job requirements, as needed.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and methods of systems analysis, including business process and entity relationship analysis tools and methods.

• Systems design principles and applications development methodologies and tools, including those applicable to client server, traditional procedural and object-oriented programming and design.

• Project management tools and techniques, including preparation and management of detailed project schedules and metrics and change management and control.

• Software development and maintenance tools such as Visual Studio and modern API/data modeling tools.

• Programming languages used in Court applications (e.g., C#, ASP.NET, XML, XSLT).

• Experience in the development of Service Oriented Applications which can asynchronously message data from one endpoint to another

• Operating system capabilities and constraints applicable to information systems and platform operating systems.

• Source Control Methodologies. (Git Hub)

• "Knowledge of modern integration frameworks such as RESTful services, message queues (e.g., Azure Service Bus, RabbitMQ), and event-driven patterns.

• Understanding of message-based integration concepts and queue-based communication patterns.

• Software development and maintenance tools and utilities.

• Standard PC software packages including word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

• Database management systems and software as they affect application design.

Pulled from the full job description

• Health insurance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Disability insurance, Please note, all benefits for Part-Time employment are pro-ratedRetirement Plan: Participation in the Sonoma County Employee's Retirement Association (SCERA), a 1937 Act Retirement Plan based on PEPRA. The 2025/26 mandatory contribution is 7.7% for employees and 29.9% for the Court. This is a defined benefit plan fully integrated with Social Security.

Vacation Leave: Regular, full-time employees in benefit unit 02 on paid status accrue vacation at a rate of 3.5 hours per pay period for the first two years (a little over 2 weeks and 1 day each year), with incremental increases to the accrual rate each year through year 5 and additional increases every 5 years thereafter, to year 20. Maximum accrual balance is 376 hours.

Sick Leave: 12 days per year with no limit on accumulation.

Holidays: 14 paid fixed holidays per year, plus 24 miscellaneous floating holiday hours, granted via compensatory time off.

Insurance: Family vision care, family Dental care as well as employee short and long term disability plans, are fully paid by the Court. Choice of three health plans: Health Net PPO, Health Net HMO, and a Kaiser Permanente HMO plan. The Court's contribution is currently 92% of the premium for the health plan selected.

Life Insurance $50,000 Term Life Insurance is provided by the Court; additional life insurance may be purchased by the employee.

Deferred Compensation: Employees may contribute a portion of their salary into a 457 Deferred Compensation account (up to the IRS annual maximum).

Dependent and Medical Care Assistance Programs: Employees may participate in these tax exempt programs which allow certain personal expenses to be paid from pre-tax salary.