Information Systems Advisor II - Data & Operations Support

Office of the Illinois Secretary of State

Alexi Giannoulias

Overview:

Acts independently in a senior technical role providing hands-on technical leadership, platform oversight, and supervisory guidance for the agency’s enterprise data operations environment; ensures reliable execution of data pipelines, stable platform operations, and secure/NIST‑aligned data handling practices across the organization; supervises data engineers, ETL specialists, support analysts, and operational staff who maintain data pipelines, ingestion processes, data quality checks, monitoring, and platform‑level support functions; responsible for ensuring data availability, performance, operational reliability, and compliance.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership & Operational Architecture: Provides technical direction for enterprise data operations, including ingestion pipelines, ETL/ELT workflows, scheduling, monitoring, and failure recovery practices; Designs secure and scalable data processing architectures aligned with enterprise standards; Leads root‑cause analysis, optimization efforts, and modernization of operational data tools and workflows. For example, Azure Data Factory & Synapse pipelines using Pyspark for Medallion Architecture.
• Team Supervision & Staff Development: Supervises data operations engineers, ETL specialists, and support personnel; Assigns work, reviews technical deliverables, conducts performance evaluations, and provides coaching and mentorship; Ensures cross‑training, skill development, and adequate staffing coverage for mission-critical operations.
• Security, Compliance, and NIST-Aligned Practices: Ensures all operational processes comply with NIST-aligned security controls and ILSOS/statewide cybersecurity policies; Implements secure data transport methods, access controls, encryption standards, and audit logging requirements; Coordinates with cybersecurity and governance teams on data classification, retention, and secure handling of sensitive data; Assists with audits, compliance reviews, and agency-wide modernization activities using tools such as Microsoft Purview.
• Cross-Functional Coordination & Incident Management: Collaborates with Data Governance & Compliance, Data Analytics & BI, Application Development, and Infrastructure teams to support integrated workflows; Serves as an escalation point for operational incidents affecting data availability, ingestion pipelines, or platform stability; Communicates operational impacts, timelines, and resolutions to stakeholders and leadership using services such as Azure monitoring and Log analytics.
• Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement: Establishes operational KPIs and quality thresholds for pipeline success, uptime, latency, and data freshness; Leads automation initiatives, performance tuning, documentation improvements, and operational standardization; Evaluates new tools, technologies, and platforms to improve reliability and efficiency; Provides support for special projects, enterprise initiatives, and additional responsibilities assigned within the Enterprise Data Practice for example DevOps and pipeline observability frameworks.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to the completion of two years of college, with coursework in the computer science field AND 4.5 years of experience with technical systems and/or programming experience and/or IT project management, including at least 1-year supervisory experience or any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Requires extensive knowledge of systems design and implementation, including the way programs are written, compiled, and tested, the methods of operating computers, and the way data is transcribed into a suitable form and has an appreciation of the wider business context for those programs. Requires excellent oral and written communication skills for effective engagement with colleagues and internal users/customers. Requires extensive knowledge necessary to effectively perform the ability to exercise sound judgement in analyzing, evaluating, and solving problems of a procedural, organizational, administrative, and/or technical nature. Requires the use and understanding of appropriate methods, tools, applications, and processes to demonstrate a rational and organized approach to work. Requires awareness and adherence to organizational standards for security, privacy, and ethics. Requires extensive knowledge of the devices for capturing data for computers and the means available for receiving and transmitting data from remote locations to a computer. Requires extensive knowledge of the principles and techniques of computer system documentation. Requires the desire to seek to identify learning and professional development opportunities. Requires extensive knowledge of the advantages and limitations of computer communication, and information retrieval systems as management information tools. Requires the ability to follow oral and/or written instructions and to carry out routine operations, once established, without further instructions. Requires the ability to organize facts and findings, analyze data logically and to present results with clarity and comprehension, orally and in written or graphic form. Requires willingness to travel and possession of a valid Illinois driver’s license as required by individual positions within the class. Requires the ability to lift, carry, and push/pull 0 – 50lbs.

Application Process:

Please visit https://ilsos.applytojob.gov/apply to apply by completing the online application; you may also upload a resume or other attachments as needed. Preference will be given to Illinois residents in the hiring and selection process, in accordance with the Illinois Secretary of State Merit Employment Code. Questions regarding this posting or Illinois Secretary of State employment practices may be directed to Job Counselors at our Personnel offices in Chicago (312-793-5515) or Springfield (217-782-4783).

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Applicants must be lawfully authorized to work in the United States. Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, or the presence of a non-job-related medical condition or disability.