Murrieta City Council
October 6, 2026

GIS ADMINISTRATOR
$107,332.40 - $130,463.20

DESCRIPTION
Under general direction, the GIS Administrator plans, organizes, and performs advanced professional and technical work in support of the City’s enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The position designs, develops, configures, and maintains GIS applications and system integrations; supervises assigned GIS staff; administers enterprise geospatial databases; and ensures the reliability, security, and performance of the City’s GIS environment. The GIS Administrator provides technical leadership and direction, establishes work priorities and technical standards, coordinates GIS activities across departments, and makes recommendations to the Information Technology Manager regarding GIS operations, technology, and resource needs.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
Receives general direction from the Information Technology Manager. Exercises direct supervision over assigned GIS staff. May provide technical and functional guidance to Citywide staff who use GIS systems or data.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS
The GIS Administrator is a professional, supervisory-level classification responsible for advanced enterprise GIS administration, technical operations, and supervision of assigned GIS staff. The classification exercises independent judgment in establishing technical priorities and standards, directing and reviewing assigned work, resolving complex GIS issues, and making recommendations to the Information Technology Manager regarding technical, operational, resource, and personnel matters. It is distinguished from the GIS Analyst by its supervisory responsibilities, enterprise-level system administration and architecture, broader technical decision-making authority, and responsibility for long-range GIS technology planning and system integration.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Management reserves the right to add, modify, or remove job duties as necessary and will make reasonable accommodations consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to enable qualified individuals to perform the position’s essential functions. The omission of a specific duty does not preclude it from being assigned if it is similar, related, or logically aligned with the role’s overall responsibilities.  Administers, maintains, and performs hands-on technical work within the City’s enterprise GIS environment, including ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Portal, servers, services, applications, and related GIS infrastructure.

GIS Administrator

 Designs, implements, monitors, and optimizes geodatabases, data models, versioning workflows, and related data processes.
 Ensures GIS system and service reliability, security, performance, updates, backups, and recovery; troubleshoots and resolves GIS system and service interruptions.
 Develops and enforces GIS data standards, metadata standards, and best practices.
 Develops, implements, and maintains Citywide GIS procedures, workflows, technical standards, and recommended practices for Citywide use.  Plans and coordinates GIS operational goals, work plans, schedules, service levels, and performance metrics; exercises independent judgment in determining technical approaches, work priorities, and resource needs.  Coordinates GIS-related activities with internal departments, regional partner agencies, consultants, and the public.
 Evaluates GIS technologies, tools, platforms, and business needs; conducts technical and feasibility analyses and recommends system enhancements, upgrades, purchases, and program improvements to the Information Technology Manager.
 Designs, develops, configures, and oversees GIS applications, dashboards, mobile solutions, and web maps for operational and public use.  Creates, maintains, reviews, and oversees the quality assurance, quality control, and distribution of geospatial datasets and map products.  Performs complex geospatial analyses, develops custom scripts/tools, and supports advanced geoprocessing workflows.
 Ensures data accuracy, integrity, and accessibility across all departments.  Manages GIS-related projects, including project scope, priorities, resource allocation, schedules, cost estimates, consultant and vendor coordination, contract deliverables, software licensing, and related documentation.  Prepares project documentation, feasibility analyses, cost estimates, and technical reports.
 Participates in Citywide technology initiatives involving geospatial components.  Consults with City departments to identify operational and business needs, evaluate GIS opportunities, translate ideas and requirements into practical geospatial solutions, and provide technical guidance regarding GIS capabilities, integrations, and data needs.
 Supports user training on GIS applications, data consumption, and geospatial tools.
 Serves as the City’s GIS representative in regional GIS collaboratives and multiagency initiatives.  Provides technical expertise and GIS support to other governmental agencies and community stakeholders.

GIS Administrator

 Plans, organizes, assigns, directs, reviews, and evaluates the work of assigned GIS staff; establishes work priorities and performance expectations; provides training, coaching, and technical guidance; and ensures work is completed accurately and effectively.
 Participates in the selection of assigned staff and effectively recommends hiring, promotion, discipline, and other personnel actions to the Information Technology Manager.
 Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience
Any combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications includes:
 Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Geography, GIS, Computer Science, Information Systems, Geomatics, or a closely related field; and  Five (5) years of increasingly responsible professional GIS experience, including at least two (2) years in enterprise GIS administration or GIS systems management.

Highly Desirable
 Master’s degree in a related field.
 Experience providing lead direction, coordinating complex GIS work, or supervising staff.
 Esri Enterprise System Design, Esri Desktop Professional, GISP Certification.

Licenses and Certifications
 Ability to travel to meetings, trainings, site visits, and special events throughout the City may be required. Employee must have access to reliable transportation as needed.

Special Requirements
Disaster Service Worker
In accordance with Government Code 3100, this position is declared to be a disaster service worker subject to such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

Basic Pre-Employment Requirements (Tier 1)
Final candidates must successfully complete a basic pre-employment screening process, which includes a Department of Justice Live Scan (DOJ/LS) background check and a non-safety pre-employment physical examination to ensure the ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

GIS Administrator

KNOWLEDGE OF
 Enterprise GIS architecture and administration, including Esri ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Server, Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Pro, web services, user access, and system configuration.
 Geodatabase architecture, geospatial data modeling, topology, and versioned editing.
 GIS scripting, programming, and automation tools and techniques, including Python, Arcade, SQL, and ModelBuilder.
 Web GIS technologies, dashboards, and mobile GIS workflows.  Cartographic principles and advanced geospatial analysis techniques.  Municipal operations and the role of GIS in government service delivery.  Metadata standards, QA/QC methodologies, and GIS data governance.  Principles and practices of budget development, project management, contract administration, procurement, purchasing, and contract compliance.  Applicable laws, regulations, policies, and standards related to GIS, public records and open data, data privacy, information security, and records management.  Principles and practices of leadership, long-range technology planning, service planning, and continuous process improvement.
 Applicable labor relations principles, including the interpretation and administration of employee policies, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and personnel rules within a public sector environment.
 Principles and practices of personnel management, including employee supervision, coaching, training, performance evaluation, and progressive discipline.  Principles and practices of records management, data stewardship, and GISsupported asset and inventory management systems.  Coordinate systems, projections, spatial reference systems, geocoding, and geospatial data transformation techniques.
 Principles and practices of enterprise GIS system security, authentication, access control, backup and recovery, system monitoring, and performance optimization.  GIS system integration concepts, APIs, web services, and methods for exchanging geospatial data between enterprise business systems.
 Modern office practices, methods, and computer applications related to the work

ABILITY TO
 Administer, secure, and optimize enterprise GIS systems.  Plan, organize, assign, direct, review, supervise, and evaluate the work of assigned staff; provide coaching, training, and technical guidance.  Manage multiple complex GIS and technology projects, establish priorities, allocate resources, and meet established schedules and deadlines.  Design and implement GIS solutions supporting City operations.

GIS Administrator

 Communicate complex geospatial and technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
 Prepare clear, concise, and accurate technical documentation, reports, maps, presentations, records, and correspondence.
 Work collaboratively with staff at all organizational levels.  Exercise independent judgment in establishing technical and operational priorities, resolving complex problems, and developing sound recommendations.  Assist in developing and administering operating and capital budgets.  Participate in the development, negotiation, and administration of professional service and technology contracts; prepare and present reports and recommendations to executive management and the City Council.  Evaluate GIS infrastructure, software, licensing, and technology lifecycle needs and recommend replacement, upgrade, and investment priorities.  Analyze complex technical and operational problems, evaluate alternatives, and develop and recommend effective solutions.
 Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those encountered in the course of work.
 Perform advanced geospatial analysis, geoprocessing, data modeling, and GIS application development.
 Design, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot enterprise geospatial databases, GIS services, applications, and integrations.
 Develop and maintain scripts, automated workflows, and other tools to improve GIS processes and system efficiency.
 Interpret and apply GIS data standards, technical standards, policies, procedures, and data governance requirements.
 Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including computers, mobile devices, large-format monitors, plotters, and related technology interfaces. Vision requirements include the ability to read printed materials, computer monitors, maps, and related technology interfaces. Hearing and speech abilities are required for in-person, telephone, and videoconference communication. This is primarily a sedentary office classification, although standing and walking between work areas may be required. Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard, mobile device, or other standard office equipment. Positions in this classification occasionally require bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Employees must be able to occasionally lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects up to 25 pounds.

GIS Administrator

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
This classification is primarily based in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous materials.

However, the position may occasionally require working outdoors or at City facilities and project sites, where employees may be exposed to varying weather conditions, including heat, rain, and cold.

FLSA Status: Exempt
Organization: Murrieta Supervisors’ Association
City Council Adopted: October 6, 2026