IT SPECIALIST-APPLICATIONS (Junior Data Engineer)

Job Description

IT SPECIALIST-APPLICATIONS (Junior Data Engineer) | The City of Houston

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at The City of Houston, located in Houston, TX. The City of Houston is the fourth largest city in the US, managing a substantial budget and workforce across 23 departments, generating a wealth of data. The Enterprise Data Office, part of Houston IT Services, provides critical city-wide services focusing on Open Data, Data Community, Targeted Data Governance, and a Modern Data Stack. This role is essential for building and maintaining robust data systems that support the City’s analytics and business needs, ultimately contributing to public service and fostering healthy, resilient communities.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full Time
• Location: Houston, TX
• Pay: $31.18–$38.94 hourly
• Team: Houston Information Technology Services (HITS) – Enterprise Applications Services (EAS), within the Enterprise Data Office
• Mission: Assist in building and maintaining data systems that support the City’s analytics and business needs.
• Tech Stack: Microsoft Azure, AWS, Snowflake, SQL, Python, Power BI, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Shiny

What You’ll Actually Do
• Data Integration: Support data integration by working with various sources such as databases, APIs, and external providers.
• Pipeline Management: Monitor and troubleshoot data pipelines to maintain reliability and performance.
• Data Preparation: Prepare data by cleaning, transforming, and validating data to ensure quality and consistency.
• Cloud Technology: Learn and apply cloud technologies such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Snowflake for data storage and processing.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with team members and analysts to understand data requirements and deliver solutions.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Management and Information Systems (MIS), or a closely related field. Application-specific technical certifications may be considered for substitution for one year of experience.
• Experience: At least three years of technology experience creating or configuring software applications. Related professional experience may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.
• Skills: Knowledge of SQL and experience writing queries; programming with Python and its core libraries; familiarity with cloud platforms (Azure or AWS); understanding of data concepts like data modeling, ETL, or data warehousing; ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively.
• Bonus: Experience with data visualization tools such as Power BI, Matplotlib, Seaborn, or Shiny; relevant coursework, internships, and certifications.