Open Competitive
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
CIVIL SERVICE CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
County Service · Westchester Medical Center ·Towns · Villages · School Districts · Special Districts · Cities of Peekskill & Rye
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Applications Continuously Accepted Revised: 8/15/05 |
Exam #: 10-004 |
Exam Date: CONTINUOUSLY
HELD DURING THE WEEK
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SOFTWARE ARCHITECT II
Westchester County
A NON-REFUNDABLE $25.00 APPLICATION FEE IS REQUIRED. SEE APPLICATION FILING FEE STATEMENT ON LAST SECTION OF ANNOUNCEMENT.
Successful candidates in this examination will have their names interfiled (placed) on the continuous recruitment eligible list in the order of final scores. The names of candidates will remain on the eligible list for a period of one (1) year. Candidates who wish to retest in this title may do so after one (1) year.
The results from this written examination are used for appointment to applicable positions in Westchester County service.
SALARY
$63,540 - Starting
Salary
$83,910 - Maximum reached in four additional steps
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Either: (a) a Bachelor’s Degree* and two years of experience (pre- or post-degree) designing and programming application software in Java; or, (b) a Bachelor’s Degree* or a Master’s Degree* in Computer Science, Information Technology, or closely related field which included or was supplemented by a computer programming course† in, or including coursework in JAVA, and a course† in database design (see definition), and one year of experience as stated in (a).
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: At time of permanent appointment, must provide evidence of satisfactory completion of one of the following industry-standard certifications from the vendor of the software tool: SUN Java or Oracle DBMS SQL.
DEFINITION: A course in database design is defined as a course that covers how to analyze, classify and maintain an organization’s data and data relationships and develop data models and data dictionaries.
NOTE #1: Experience solely on a home personal computer may not be used as a substitute for the aforementioned experience.
NOTE #2: Unless otherwise noted, only experience gained after attaining the minimum education level indicated in the minimum qualifications will be considered in evaluating experience.
*SPECIAL NOTE: Education beyond the secondary level must be from an institution recognized of accredited by the Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education as a post-secondary, degree-granting institution.
†NOTE: For the coursework in Java and database design, the only courses that will be accepted are courses taken at recognized colleges and universities (as defined above in the Special Note), or a vendor approved course from a commercial business.
UNLESS SPECIFICALLY STATED OTHERWISE IN THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS ABOVE, ONLY EXPERIENCE GAINED AFTER ATTAINING THE MINIMUM EDUCATION LEVEL INDICATED IN THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED IN EVALUATING EXPERIENCE.
ALL CANDIDATES QUALIFYING BY POST HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION MUST SUBMIT AN OFFICIAL (RAISED SEAL AND SIGNED BY REGISTRAR) TRANSCRIPT(S) TO THIS OFFICE BEFORE BEING APPROVED AND ADMITTED TO TAKE THIS EXAMINATION, UNLESS ALREADY ON FILE IN OUR OFFICE. IF IT IS ON FILE, PLEASE INDICATE THIS ON YOUR APPLICATION.
CANDIDATE’S OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT MUST BE RECEIVED WITHIN 60 DAYS OF FILING APPLICATION. IF NOT RECEIVED WITHIN 60 DAYS, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED TO TAKE THIS EXAM AND MUST RE-FILE.
NOTE: If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.
RESIDENCE
There are no residence requirements to participate in the examination, but preference in appointment may be given to eligibles that have been residents in the appointing jurisdiction for 30 days prior to the examination and at the effective date of appointment.
DUTIES
Under general supervision, incumbents of this class, located in the Department of Information Technology, are responsible for providing technical leadership in the design, development, building, configuration, integration, testing and operation of custom programming projects and systems, including in-house and third party software components, as well as off-the-shelf software modules, in order to provide quality IT services to user departments. Incumbents are expected to supervise other departmental staff and function as a team leader and manage vendor relationships. Does related work as required.
VACANCIES
The eligible list established as a result of this examination will be utilized, where appropriate, for filling any current or future vacancies in all agencies under the jurisdiction of the Westchester County Department of Human Resources.
This examination will also be given on a promotional basis on the same day, and the resulting eligible list will have preference in making appointments. If you are interested and qualify, you must file a separate application for the promotional examination at the same time, as your participation in an examination for this title will be limited to once every twelve months.
SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION
The examination will consist of two parts: a rated evaluation of training and experience and a qualifying PC-administered test. You must pass both tests in order to be considered for appointment. Only your rating on the evaluation of training and experience will be considered when computing final scores.
If your application is approved, you will be directed by either mail or e-mail to log onto a secure website at the New York State Department of Civil Service where you will complete the Training and Experience portion of the examination. You will not be required to complete this portion all at once, and will be given a maximum of two weeks to complete it, because there is information requested that you may need time to put together. You will be contacted to schedule your participation in a PC-administered qualifying written test conducted by the Westchester County Department of Human Resources.
Rated Evaluation of Training and Experience
You will complete a questionnaire that asks for specific information on your information technology education (formal degrees, IT-related training courses, certifications) and experience. You will also be asked to briefly describe a significant achievement in each of the job's areas and to provide the name and contact information for someone who can verify your information. The information you provide about your experience will be rated against the following areas:
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Computer Programming |
User Support |
Qualifying Tests
1. Qualifying Multiple-Choice Test of Logical Reasoning and Interpreting Instructions for Computer-Related Positions - These questions test for ability to reason logically and interpret instructions in a computer-related context. They cover verbal and quantitative reasoning, flowchart interpretation and applying written directions. The verbal and quantitative reasoning questions include logical implications (e.g., if A and B, then C) and relations (e.g., greater than). Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is necessary, but neither mathematical sophistication nor computational speed is needed. The flowchart interpretation questions require prior knowledge of flowchart conventions. The interpreting instructions questions provide the instructions and specific rules for applying them. All the information needed to answer the questions is presented with the questions.
2. Qualifying Simulation Test on Working Effectively with Others to Solve Job-Related Problems This test requires candidates to assume the role of a staff member in an Information Technology work group who is working with colleagues during a time of change in policy or procedure, in a particular agency. During the test, candidates will be required to deal with obstacles within the working environment, which includes peer relations and the demands of handling multiple tasks. Candidates will be required to demonstrate the ability to be flexible, creative and persistent as a team player. They will also need to demonstrate the ability to cooperate, show initiative, and establish positive working relationships with peers and administrators.
3. Qualifying Simulation Test of User Support and Training - The test requires candidates to assume the role of a staff member in a Help Desk support unit. Candidates will be presented with a users problem. During the course of handling the problem, candidates will be required to: demonstrate communication skills, apply troubleshooting practices and tools, determine the appropriate level of training needed by the user, and educate the user on the proper use of computers.
WAIVER POLICY: If a candidate has passed, within the past 12 months, an IT Qualifying Test prepared by the New York State Department of Civil Service using the same test plan, the qualifying test is waived. A candidate requesting such a waiver must submit verifiable evidence of passing the qualifying test, including the name of the Civil Service agency that administered the test and the test date.
NOTICE TO CANDIDATES FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS
1. Unless otherwise notified, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, ‘Spell Checkers,’ ‘Personal Digital Assistants,’ ‘Address Books,’ ‘Language Translators,’ ‘Dictionaries,’ or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials to the examination location.
2. ELIGIBLE LISTS - Successful candidates in this examination will have their names interfiled (placed) on the continuous recruitment eligible list in the order of final scores, regardless of the date on which they filed for or took the examination. The names of candidates will remain on the eligible list for a period of one (1) year, unless permanently appointed.
3. RETESTS - Candidates are barred from taking this examination for one (1) year from the last date on which they participated.
4. FOR COUNTY EMPLOYMENT - In accordance with Westchester County’s comprehensive Drug-Free Workplace Policy and Procedures, and commitment to maintain a safe, alcohol and drug- free work environment, you may be required to submit to a urinalysis and/or blood test.
5. FOR COUNTY EMPLOYMENT – If offered employment, you will be subject to the Westchester County Fingerprinting Policy under which your appointment may be conditioned on the results of a fingerprinting investigation.
6. This examination will be prepared and rated in accordance with Section 23(2) of the Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Law, rules and regulations dealing with the preparation and rating of examinations will apply to this examination.
7. Disabled and non-disabled veterans, who meet the criteria set forth in the Application for Examination, may be eligible for additional credits added to their earned scores if successful in examination. CREDITS MUST BE CLAIMED AT THE TIME OF FILING YOUR APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATION AND YOU MUST ATTACH A COPY OF YOUR DD214 SEPARATION PAPERS. If claiming credit as a Disabled Veteran, attach form 102. If these documents are not submitted within sixty days of filing your application, your claim will be denied. "Active duty members of the Armed Forces have the right to request veteran credits prior to discharge. If you are currently on active duty you should check the appropriate box on the application and attach a letter requesting the use of credits with documentation verifying your active duty status: i.e. copy of military ID, military orders, official documents indicating current service, etc." See our website section "Special Rights for Veterans" for details regarding the use of these credits."
8. In conformance with section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty are entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served. If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established.
HOW TO APPLY
APPLICATION FILING FEE
A $25.00 APPLICATION FEE IS REQUIRED FOR EACH SEPARATELY NUMBERED EXAMINATION FOR WHICH YOU APPLY. THE FEE MUST ACCOMPANY YOUR APPLICATION (S). SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO THE WESTCHESTER DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES WITH YOUR APPLICATION. WRITE THE EXAMINATION NUMBER (S) AND THE APPLICANT’S NAME ON THE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER. CASH WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
APPLICATION FEES ARE NOT REFUNDABLE. IF YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE EXAMINATION, YOUR FEE IS NOT REFUNDED. WE URGE YOU TO COMPARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS CAREFULLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION AND FILE ONLY FOR THOSE EXAMINATIONS FOR WHICH YOU ARE CLEARLY QUALIFIED.
IF YOUR APPLICATION IS RECEIVED WITHOUT THE REQUIRED FEE, IT WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU.
THE APPLICATION FILING FEE IS SUBJECT TO BEING INCREASED WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.
You may obtain application forms in person from the:
WESTCHESTER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
SUITE 100, MICHAELIAN OFFICE BUILDING
148 MARTINE AVENUE
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK 10601
NOTE: RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION - If special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate this on your application.
DISABLED APPLICANTS - If special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate this on your application.
Candidates are responsible for reporting in writing, all changes in name and/or address directly to the “Recruitment and Selection Unit” at the above address. Please include examination number on all correspondence.
Candidates, who receive disqualification notices and wish to appeal such disqualifications, must do so in writing.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. WOMEN AND MINORITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. It is the policy of Westchester County to provide for and promote the equal opportunity of employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sex, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other protected status.