Senior Software Engineer - Advanced Capital Planning

THE AGENCY
The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide and sharing its perspectives on growth and community needs with sister agencies in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

DCP's work is guided by five strategic pillars: Inclusive Planning, Sustainability, Housing Access, Economic Opportunity, and Informed Decision-Making. DCP is a great place to work – cultivating intellectual inspiration, professional development, and creativity. Visit our website at www.nyc.gov/planning to access the full listing of job opportunities and to learn more about our great agency.

THE DIVISION
Information Technology Division’s (ITD) vision is to become a dynamic and vibrant technology delivery organization of the New York City government that leads business transformations and technology innovations to enable citizen-centric smart urban planning, while promoting a culture of collaboration, talent development, and equity. ITD is responsible for developing technology solutions to support agency needs and citywide requests, including City Charter mandates, grant funding requirements, and citywide geospatial services, and maintaining systems infrastructure and endpoint assets, to optimize operational efficiency, promote innovation, and collaborate with other city agencies to enhance service accessibility to citizens. The division provides necessary computing infrastructure and productivity-enhancing technology tools in a hybrid mode (on premise and in the cloud), to support DCP’s interdisciplinary staff across five boroughs, including planners, urban designers, project managers, and executive management. The division is comprised of experienced and talented software engineers, geographic specialists, service engineers, and technology leaders who specialize in managing system infrastructure, cyber security, geospatial data engineering, application services, and portfolio management.

Within ITD, the Geographic Data and Engineering (GDE) unit consists of application engineering, data engineering, geographic information systems, and geographic research teams, responsible for creating and implementing the agency’s data strategy and data governance policy, updating and maintaining core citywide datasets in support of 911 dispatch and critical city operations, improving the creation, use, and availability of geospatial datasets within the agency, and providing data products and map-based visualization systems for the agency, other agencies, and the public.

THE ROLE
GDE is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join the Application Engineering team that consists of motivated, team-oriented, full-stack developers responsible for developing and maintaining web applications used by the agency and the public. The applications make data more accessible and understandable, facilitate better planning decisions, support essential public services provided by the agency, and leverage agile development processes, rapid prototyping, and human-centered design through collaboration with other teams and stakeholders. Regular updates to several of the data products within these applications are required under the City Charter. The selected candidate will participate in all aspects of web application development, ranging from building complex geospatial UIs, to designing and implementing APIs and relational databases, to improving CI/CD pipelines and workflows.

Under supervision and general direction, with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment, the Senior Software Engineer’s responsibilities include, but may not be limited to:
- Building complex geospatial frontend applications using modern JavaScript frameworks such as React or Ember.
- Building RESTful APIs using frameworks such as Nest.js, Ruby on Rails, or Django.
- Applying a thorough understanding of web accessibility best practices and implementation.
- Writing effective, reliable unit and end-to-end tests.
- Possess a deep understanding of Git and platforms such as Gitlab or GitHub for collaboration.
- Writing full stack Typescript and showing proficiency with all aspects of the JavaScript ecosystem including npm module publishing, ES6, and build tools such as Webpack, Parcel, or Vite.
- Designing and building relational databases, particularly with PostgreSQL, and knowledge of relational database best practices and domain modeling.
- Proficiency with spatial data and modern web mapping technologies, including PostGIS, Deck.gl, MapboxGL, vector and raster tiles, and GeoJSON.
- Writing concise documentation and showing a willingness to evangelize lessons learned both within the agency and the open-source software community at large.
- Configuring cloud services like Heroku, Netlify, DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services, or Azure.
- Writing CI automations with tools like GitHub Actions or Circle CI.
- Participating in code reviews, pair programming, and architecture discussions.
- Mentoring and teaching junior and mid-level engineers.

Authorization to work in the United States is required for this position. NYC Department of City Planning does not provide sponsorship for international employees for visa applications, extensions, or status changes, including STEM/OPT visas. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet all qualifying requirements for this position, at the time of application.

Only applicants under consideration will be contacted. Appointments are subject to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval.

This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed to between the City and the labor unions.

NOTE: If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation during your visit or have questions regarding the accessibility of our facilities, please reach out to [email protected] or call 212-720-3508 at least three business days prior to your arrival.

IT PROJECT SPECIALIST - 95710

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college in computer science, engineering, human computer interaction, interactive media, digital and graphics design, data visualization, communication or a related field, and four years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain; or

2. An associate degree from an accredited college in computer science, engineering, human computer interaction, interactive media, digital and graphics design, data visualization, communication or a related field, and six years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain; or

3. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, and eight years of satisfactory full-time experience related to the area(s) required by the particular position and a specialization in a relevant technology, process, methodology and/or domain; or

4. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1", "2", or "3" above.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.