What are the responsibilities and job description for the Utilities GIS/Asset Specialist position at City of La Crosse?
The City of La Crosse is accepting applications for a full-time GIS/Asset Specialist to be an essential member of the Utilities team. As a professional position, the GIS/Asses Specialist provides technical support to the Water, Sewer, and Stormwater Utilities. A balance of office and field work includes collection and management of data for Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The position assists with maintenance and management of GIS Mapping and Databases, as well as Asset Management Programs. The position provides cross-functional support for the Utility Management Team and the City’s GIS Coordinator, being responsible for accuracy, integrity, and quality of Utility asset data in the GIS and Computerized Maintenance Management (CMMS) environments.
Work includes developing and administering policies & procedures and standards & guidelines for access to, and utilization of, the Utilities’ GIS and CMMS with the Utility Management Team. Duties may include work in technical areas of system architecture, data maintenance, conversion workflows, field GPS locating, GIS analysis and application development, and project management. Directly reporting to the Deputy Director of Public Works & Utilities, this position will be expected to exercise independent judgment and discretion in development and implementation of the programs. Working in the Utilities’ Office with the Utilities Finance & Compliance Manager, daily work may include record keeping, customer service, and miscellaneous admin duties in a small office environment. Starting wage for this non-exempt position ranges from $31.86 - $36.49 per hour (80 hours bi-weekly), depending on candidate qualifications.
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in GIS, Geography, Computer Science, or closely related field, and two (2) years’ experience implementing GIS solutions, with a preference to focus on utilities, or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities. Preference to high proficiency with use of GIS- and GPS-related software, products, and services, including ESRI, Arc GIS Pro, Experience Builder, Dashboards, Field Maps, and Survey 123. Beneficial for candidates to have basic knowledge and understanding of water, sewer, and stormwater systems, as well as experience in applying GIS and CMMS principles and software, statistical analysis, life-cycle cost and triple-bottom-line analysis. Familiarity with computer terminology, engineering applications, relational databases, database reporting, and project management applications preferred. Expected baseline skills include language, writing, and communication, and MS Office Suite products. Valid driver’s license required.
Benefits: The City of La Crosse offers a comprehensive benefit package including medical benefit plans, Wisconsin Retirement Plan, deferred compensation, Roth IRA, life insurance, accident insurance, income continuation insurance, voluntary dental and vision plans, paid holidays, vacations, and sick leave. Benefit perks: traditional or high deductible (with HSA) medical plan options available; participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System with 7.20% employer contribution; 10 paid holidays, ability to earn up to 12 sick days per year, and vacation time available as of date of hire.
Selected candidate subject to background check & post-offer/pre-employment drug screen. Applications accepted until position is filled, with initial review of applications on November 17, 2025. To be considered, submit an employment application by visiting the City of La Crosse website and clicking on City Services, then clicking Career Opportunities or by visiting https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacrossewi.
The incumbent in this position will manage and maintain the professional and technical work for the Water, Sewer, and Stormwater Utilities’ Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data conversion, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) data collection, GIS and Asset Management Programs and Information Databases. This position will support the cross functional Utility Management Team and the GIS Coordinator in the planning, development, implementation, and maintenance of the Utility’s Geographical Information System (GIS) and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and quality of Water, Sewer and Stormwater Utility asset information within the Computerized Maintenance Management (CMMS) and GIS environment.
The work involves developing and administering policies, standards, procedures and guidelines relating to access to, and utilization of the Utilities GIS and CMMS. These duties include work in the areas of system architecture, data maintenance and conversion workflows, complex GIS analysis, GIS application development, GIS database administration, and project management. Working under the direction of the Utilities Finance & Compliance Manager, this position will be expected to exercise independent judgment and discretion in development and implementation of the programs.
Duties and Responsibilities
The following duties are normal for this classification. These duties are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive.
Other duties may be required and assigned.
- Knowledge of Esri's ArcGIS Enterprise software and tools, including ArcGIS Pro, Portal for ArcGIS, web maps, applications, and mobile apps.
- Skilled in developing and supporting web GIS applications using ESRI Experience Builder, Dashboard, Story Maps, Field Maps, and Survey 123.
- Perform GIS data maintenance to support water, wastewater, and stormwater utility operations.
- Manage and administer utilities GIS database(s) in an enterprise environment.
- Read and interpret as-built, record, and other engineering documents and make appropriate edits to water, wastewater, and stormwater data to include attribute and geometric updates from plans, record drawings, or incorporate data collected in the field.
- Use global position system (GPS) and/or GNSS (global navigation satellite systems) equipment to collect and update asset information; integrate field data collection equipment with GIS solutions.
- Provide assistance to end users of GIS applications and technology; troubleshoots issues; and provides basic training as needed.
accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential
accommodations with the employer.
- Maintain a working knowledge of software advances related to the geographic information system software and attend seminars, workshops, and training sessions as appropriate.
- Design and implement business process workflows. Identify and aid in development of service requests, work orders, preventive maintenance items, and asset inspections.
- Develop and maintain processes to support data automation related to GIS and CMMS.
- Identify areas of integration with other Utility systems such as SCADA and billing.
- Perform GIS data QA/QC, ensuring compliance with established topological and attribution standards as well as data integrity with integration with CMMS program.
- Support development, maintenance, and management of Asset Inventories.
- Maintain up to date and accurate maps to ensure standard quality.
- Produce high-quality cartographic maps, exhibits, presentations, graphs, and charts to support utility CMMS application and other tasks as needed by other departments/utilities, including both internally and externally facing web maps.
- Review the use of data from the Utility’s CMMS to inform maintenance and condition assessment activities.
- Thorough knowledge of the operation, use, applications, capabilities, and limitations of GIS software.
- Ability to work independently and to recognize, analyze and solve complex problems as they relate to GIS.
- Knowledge of CADD to GIS or GIS to CADD conversion.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with system users and associates.
- Strong organizational, analysis and communications skills with the ability to effectively interface with both internal and external customers.
- Identify, communicate, and provide training to support work processes that support work efficiency and data integrity.
- Provide frontline internal technical support for incidents and update requests related to the GIS and CMMS.
- Provide end user training in the usage of the GIS and CMMS applications.
- Must maintain confidentiality of Utility data and other proprietary information.
- Complies with all City and department policies and procedures, to include, but not limited to: PCI, PII, and CJIS.
- Maintains regular and predictable on-site attendance.
- Behaves in a professional, courteous and respectful manner towards department personnel, city staff, elected representatives, contractors, vendors and the general public at all times.
accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential
accommodations with the employer.
Additional Tasks and Responsibilities
While the following tasks are necessary for the work of the unit, they are not an essential part of the purpose of this
classification and may also be performed by other unit members.
- Maintains regular and predictable on-site attendance.
- Performs related functions as assigned or required.
- Bachelor’s degree in GIS, Geography, Computer Science or other closely related field with two (2) years of work experience implementing GIS solutions, preferably with a focus on water, wastewater and storm water or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities.
- Highly proficient in use of GIS-related software, products, and services to include experience with ESRI software, specifically ESRI Arc GIS Pro, Experience Builder, Dashboards, Field Maps and Survey 123 within the ArcGIS Online Platform or Portal.
- Beneficial for candidate to have specific knowledge and understanding of water, wastewater and stormwater utilities as well as experience in applying GIS and CMMS principles and software, as well as statistical analysis principles; experience with life cycle costing and triple-bottom-line analysis. Familiarity with computer terminology, engineering applications, relational databases and database reporting applications preferred.
- Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills. Able to communicate effectively with non-technical staff and with members of interdisciplinary teams.
- Ability to organize work, establish priorities, meet established deadlines, and follow up on assignments with little direction.
- Valid driver’s license.
Language Ability and Interpersonal Communication
- Requires the ability to perform mid-level data analysis including the ability to audit, deduce, assess, conclude and appraise. Requires discretion in determining and referencing such to established criteria to define consequences and develop alternatives.
- Ability to decide the time, place and sequence of operations within an organizational framework, and to implement their execution. Ability to analyze and categorize data and information using established criteria, to determine consequences and identify and select alternatives.
- Requires the ability to persuade, convince, influence, train and monitor, in favor of a desired outcome. Ability to advise and interpret regarding the application of policies, procedures and standards to specific situations.
- Ability to utilize a variety of advisory and design data and information.
- Requires the ability to utilize a variety of reference, descriptive and/or advisory data and information such as reports, logs, lists, documentation, manuals, software, policies, procedures, guidelines and non-routine correspondence.
accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential
accommodations with the employer.
- Requires the ability to communicate orally and in writing with the department staff, other City departments and computer users, City Council, vendors and the public.
- Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; calculate percentages, fractions, decimals, interest, discount and ratios; may require the ability to perform mathematical operations with fractions and algebra. Ability to interpret descriptive statistical reports.
- Requires the ability to apply principles of rational systems. Ability to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic or schedule form. Ability to utilize scripting and batch languages. Ability to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objective.
- Requires the ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental and/or subjective criteria, as opposed to criteria that are clearly measurable or verifiable. Ability to establish priorities.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Requires the ability to operate, and perform complex rapid adjustment on equipment, machinery and tools such as a computer and other office machines, vehicles, test instruments, and/or related materials used in performing essential functions.
- Requires the ability to coordinate eyes, hands, feet and limbs in performing movements requiring skill and training, such as keyboarding, maintaining computer systems.
- Tasks involve the intermittent performance of light physical work, typically involving some bending and reaching. Large percentage of time is spent sitting at application development workstation.
- Requires the ability to recognize and identify similarities or differences between characteristics of colors, shapes and sounds associated with job-related objects, materials and tasks.
- Work is performed mostly in an office setting; hand-eye coordination is necessary to operate computers and various pieces of office equipment. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
- Some time may be spent outdoors confirming addresses or GPS locations through direct observation or through the use of a GPS device. Occasional exposure to weather conditions, heat, cold, and/or wetness/humidity.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently is required to stand and talk or hear; use hands and fingers to handle, feel, or operate objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms.
- The employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; or smell.
- The employee must lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential
accommodations with the employer.
Environmental Adaptability
- Ability to work under generally safe and comfortable conditions where exposure to environmental factors may cause discomfort and poses a limited risk of injury.
Salary : $32 - $36