Van Buren County

Digital Systems Developer

Digital Information - Paw Paw, MI - Full Time

Pay Rate: $35.23 - $42.95 based on experience                                                                                     
Full-Time: 37.5 hours per week                                                                           

JOB SUMMARY: The Digital Systems Developer supports Van Buren County’s Digital Information Department and the Digital Innovation Collaborative Exchange (DICE), a regional initiative modernizing local government services through automation, data systems, GIS, and AI. Working within a small, high-impact technical team, this position is responsible for ensuring the production reliability, quality, and security of county-owned digital infrastructure, including compliance-critical systems handling federal grant data affecting residents across Southwest Michigan. The position works alongside a PhD-level mathematician, a GIS specialist, and a digital communications lead to build and maintain systems with direct community impact.


PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The following duties are normal for this position.  These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive.  Other duties may be required and assigned.

  • Design and maintain automated test suites (unit, integration, and end-to-end) to ensure reliability of compliance-critical systems.
  • Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines to support repeatable, reliable deployments and testing workflows.
  • Establish monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to detect issues before they affect program operations.
  • Review applications for edge cases, failure modes, and data integrity risks prior to deployment.
  • Contribute to application development under the direction of the Digital Solutions Specialist, including database design and SQL query work.
  • Support API integrations with external government systems, including SAM.gov debarment checks and HUD reporting platforms.
  • Help ensure systems meet federal data security requirements for programs handling HUD and MSHDA grant data.
  • Document systems, configurations, and technical processes to support long-term maintainability and audit readiness.
  • Communicate and coordinate with program staff, county departments, and external partners to translate compliance requirements into working technical systems.

QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE:
  • Strong fundamentals in relational database design and SQL—this is the technical baseline for the role.
  • Application development experience in at least one modern language (Python strongly preferred; JavaScript/web fundamentals helpful).
  • Familiarity with testing frameworks and the discipline to write tests as part of development.
  • Understanding of version control and CI/CD development workflows.
  • Comfort working with APIs and external data integrations.
  • Strong written communication and documentation habits.
  • Interest in or experience using AI-assisted development tools and AI-integrated systems.
  • Preferred: Exposure to DevOps practices including deployment pipelines, infrastructure reliability, monitoring, and logging.
  • Preferred: Experience with workflow automation platforms (n8n, Power Automate, Zapier, or similar) and/or data visualization tools (Power BI or similar).
  • Preferred: Familiarity with government, nonprofit, or compliance-sensitive environments, including federal grant programs (HUD CDBG, MSHDA, or similar).
  • Preferred: Experience or interest in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on open source platforms (QGIS, MapLibre, PostGIS, or similar).
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or related field preferred. Equivalent demonstrated experience will be considered.


OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
Employment is dependent on background check, criminal history, and drug screen.  Applicant must complete County application form.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Direct Reports:              None

Delegation of Work:       Not applicable

Supervision Given:        Not applicable

Reports To:                   This position reports to the Director of Digital Information.

WORK LOCATION AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
This position works in a typical office environment using standard office equipment such as telephone, computer, copier, etc. No hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions (such as in a typical office).

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The County of Van Buren is committed to ensuring honorably discharged members of the armed forces of the United States are provided preference in public employment consistent with Michigan Public Act 205 of 1897, as amended. If you meet the definition of a “veteran” provided by MCL 35.61.

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