Technical Services Support Specialist II- Fire Rescue Services Technology Services

Howard County:
Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government:
Howard County Government is a leader in innovation best practices and sustainability. It is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2024 Howard County Government received a recordbreaking 63 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) the most awards in the state of Maryland and the fifth highest in the nation as compared to more than 3000 counties. NACo Achievement Awards are the premier national honor to recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents improve existing programs upgrade working conditions and enhance citizen participation and public policy making.

What are we looking for
We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What youll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
• We have a highly talented diverse and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard but it will be encouraged!
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical retirement and wellness programs.
• As a member of the Howard County Government team youll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

Under general direction perform the full range of system design development implementation and maintenance activities related to the Countys Fire Department and telecommunication systems. Provide technical advice and support to users of networkbased applications. Participate in evaluating and recommending new technologies which enhance and support the Departments business plan and provide technical advice and support to Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS) in the appropriate use of technology. This position requires the ability to make decisions independently potentially affecting the fire departments network services. Work to support Department of Technology and Communication Services (DTCS) network and cybersecurity initiatives. Support HCDFRS during offduty hours as oncall support.

Include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Assists in managing the HCDFRS Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) Fleet including inventory configuration and troubleshooting.
• Maintains proficiency in communications technology including GPS and remote monitoring/control software that keeps the MDT Fleet in contact with CAD.
• Assists/trains users working with COTS software packages.
• Maintains Bureau Intranet pages.
• Handson knowledge with PCs laptops printers.
• Works with DTCS and Vendors to support HCDFRS webbased products.
• Maintains network security and antivirus / antimalware directed by DTCSs current cybersecurity policies.
• Troubleshoots basic Internet networking issues.
• Conducts problem analysis resolution and tracking of user problems including followthrough escalation procedures.
• Followup and update customer status and information.
• Assists in training users and documenting procedures.
• Identifies and implements Enterpriselevel solutions to IT problems and needs.
• Ensures Data Integrity and Disaster Recovery capabilities for HCDFRScontrolled systems.
• Participates in planning and implementation of new IT systems.
• Oncall afterhours for Helpdesk support including assistance to field units with portable radio needs MDT functionality and network connectivity Station Alerting systems and afterhours notifications to DFRS staff members in accordance with the BOTS After Hours policy.
• Assist DTCS with applications related to DFRS personnel including Email and Cloud Services.
• Serves as the primary IT Helpdesk Technician.
• Maintains HCDFRS IT Inventory and Asset Management.
• Administers the invehicle cellular and network connectivity devices.
• Work with U.S. Digital Designs (Honeywell) to design configure and maintain fire station alerting systems for fire stations and during the upgrading of existing alerting systems.
• Administers Cloudbased solutions (GoCanvas VMWare DropBox HCDFRS Intranet etc.
• Assists with administrating ID card issuance and design using HCDFRSs solution IDentiCard.
• Configures and maintains Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) solutions for Apple and Windowsbased products.
• Administers VPN software in conjunction with HCPD Computer Ops that enables MDTs to communicate with the county network to maintain connectivity with CAD and RMS.

Bachelors Degree and one 1 year related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Public safety IT experience.
• Technology or system Help Desk experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills to perform clientfocused services.
• Training or experience with VMWare application delivery.
• Requires familiarity with major offtheshelf operating systems and database platforms (Windows 10/11 Mac OS Apple iOS Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 MS Office Suite Office 365 Microsoft SQL Server).
• Working knowledge of Web server packages e.g.: IIS ASP.
• Working knowledge of Webbased collaboration and publishing technologies e.g. WordPress Wiki platforms.
• Requires familiarity with Network security and antivirus / antimalware applications.
• Familiarity with basic Internet networking principles.
• Basic knowledge of Fire Department operations.
• Needs to have good oral and written skills for client interaction and presentations ability to set priorities and multitask project management skills are a must must be able to work both independently and in a team environment.

• While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to sit.

• The employee frequently is required to stand walk and talk or hear.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision peripheral vision depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet

• Ability to read analyze and interpret general business periodicals professional journals technical procedures or governmental regulations.

• Ability to write reports business correspondence and procedure manuals.

• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers clients customers and the general public.

• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts interest commissions proportions percentages area circumference and volume.

• Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.

• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written oral diagram or schedule form.

• USDD Certified Installer preferred.
• Utility Rocket Certified Installer preferred.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY:You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening background screening and reference checks.

At time of application please submit a copy of any college degree coursework licenses or certifications that you have referenced on your who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard Countyis an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity equity and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color religion age sex ancestry creed national origin disability status genetics marital statusmilitary service sexual orientation gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at .Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.