Section Chief, Software Engineering

The Secretary of State's Information Technology Division seeks a strategic, results oriented leader to serve as Section Chief for Software Engineering. Reporting to the Chief Applications Officer (ITM II), the incumbent directs a multi disciplinary software engineering organization responsible for application development, QA/validation, deployments, and ongoing production support for a designated business application portfolio. This executive role provides operational leadership, vendor and fiscal stewardship, and builds high performing teams to deliver reliable, secure, and customer focused solutions that support Secretary of State programs. This position combines technical acumen, strategic planning, budget oversight and people leadership to advance the department's technology initiatives, diversity, equity and inclusion goals, and high-quality customer experience. Job Description and Duties:

• Software Engineering: Lead planning and delivery of development, testing, integration, deployment, maintenance, and support activities; set standards for requirements, documentation, quality, service levels, and system performance; manage software asset lifecycle and operational processes.

• Business Technology Management: Oversee vendor management, procurement compliance, budget forecasting, and Budget Change Proposal coordination; assess legislative and policy impacts; collaborate with security and risk teams on incident response and controls.

• Project Management: Ensure compliance with PMO governance and Project Approval Lifecycle; prepare SOWs/RFOs; evaluate vendor/product solutions; plan staffing and project budgets to meet delivery objectives.

• Marginal Functions: Provide staff development and mentorship; drive cross section collaboration, continuous improvement, and adoption of modern development tools and practices; perform other duties consistent with the IT Manager I classification

Supplemental Questionnaire: Applicants must submit a Supplemental Questionnaire responding to the questions listed below, it should be no more than two (2) pages typed, single spaced, using business 12-point Arial font, and 1-inch margins. Include your name and the Job Control number in the upper right corner. Responses must be numbered and correspond to the questions below. Applications that do not follow the directions as identified above, provide incomplete responses, or do not submit a Supplemental Questionnaire will not be considered.

1. Describe your experience leading supervisors, managers, and/or technical staff in a complex information technology environment. Include how you established expectations, developed staff, managed performance, and promoted accountability, collaboration, and an inclusive work culture.
2. Describe your experience leading software engineering teams responsible for application development, testing, implementation, and production support. Include your experience with Agile, iterative, or hybrid delivery approaches, and how you used standards, metrics, or process improvements to improve quality and delivery effectiveness.
3. Describe your experience managing vendor relationships, contracts, or procurement activities for information technology goods and services. Include how you monitored performance, ensured compliance with contract requirements, evaluated deliverables, and partnered with procurement, legal, or business staff.
4. Describe your experience managing budgets, workload priorities, staffing plans, and technology projects or portfolios. Include how you worked with governance bodies, executive leadership, or project management offices to support planning, approvals, financial forecasting, and successful delivery of technology services., This position provides telework opportunities based upon the agency's telework policy and business needs. Please note that this position may require overtime after the close of business including weekends and may require some travel. All employees who telework are required to be California residents in accordance with Government Code 14200, and may be required to report to the Secretary of State's Office, when needed. Candidates who reside outside of the state of California may be interviewed; however, the selected candidate must have a primary residency in the state of California prior to appointment (and continue to maintain California residency) as a condition of employment. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the job offer being rescinded.

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate: The ideal candidate will demonstrate strength in the following areas:

• Leadership & Staff Development: Proven experience leading supervisors and technical teams; mentoring managers; building high performing, inclusive teams; managing organizational change and succession planning.
• Agile Delivery & Software Practices: Experience with Agile, iterative, or hybrid delivery models; oversight of SDLC, QA, release management, and delivery performance metrics; focus on continuous improvement.
• Vendor & Contract Management: Demonstrated success managing vendor relationships, ensuring contract deliverables, and coordinating procurements with procurement/legal partners.
• Strategic & Financial Management: Experience with budgeting, forecasting, workload analysis, and aligning people/technology to business priorities.
• Communication & Stakeholder Engagement: Strong executive level communication and collaboration skills across technical, program, and control agency stakeholders.

The Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) consists of nearly 750 dedicated public servants who uphold the rights of Californians while also striving to make our government, elections, and businesses both accessible and transparent. Led by an elected leader, accountable to the public, we are dedicated to fostering career development opportunities and growing a skilled workforce that embraces inclusion and values diversity. Located in downtown Sacramento, the SOS building is within walking distance to a variety of eateries and amenities. Light Rail, State Capitol, Downtown Commons (DOCO), and Golden 1 Center, just to name a few. Conveniently located in the SOS building, the Gold Rush Grille offers delicious daily specials for breakfast or lunch and is open to the public. Our on-site childcare incorporates programs for children six weeks to five years old. Priority waitlist access and special discounted rates are available for SOS employees.