Applications Specialist IV

Applications Specialist IV

Rancho Santiago Community College District

Salary Range: Grade 22: $128,632.78 - $164,205.18

Job Type: Full Time

Job Number: CL25-01344

Location: Santa Ana, CA

Division: DO Educational Services

Closing: 3/3/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

POSITION DETAILS

About Rancho Santiago Community College District is one of the most established districts in the state and has been in operation for nearly 50 years. Located in the heart of Orange County, it is one of the largest of California's 72 community college districts, based on the number of credit and non-credit students. RSCCD encompasses 25 percent of Orange County's total area and serves a population of more than 700,000 residents in the communities of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, Villa Park, and portions of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Tustin, and Yorba Linda. The district includes Santiago Canyon College and Santa Ana College, as well as the Centennial and Orange Continuing Education Centers, the Digital Media Center, the Joint Powers Fire Training Center, the Orange County Sheriff's Regional Training Academy, the College and Workforce Preparation Center, and the District Operations Center. RSCCD's three (3) auxiliary Foundations are actively involved in supporting both community and campus programs.

RSCCD's student population is a direct reflection of the diverse communities in the surrounding neighborhoods. As a whole, the district has the honor of serving approximately 55,537 students: 51% Hispanic/Latinx, 20% White, 9% Asian & Filipino, and 2% are African American. RSCCD is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and serves predominately historically underrepresented students. There is a commitment to foster student centered values among our employees to provide equitable student learning, academic excellence, and workforce development. By delivering high-quality educational programs and student support services, the district ensures that students have the appropriate resources to achieve their goals.

At RSCCD, our mission is to integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and justice into all aspects of student academics and employee relations. Thus, creating transformational experiences that prepares students and employees to engage in the world with a renewed sense-of-self. Through this commitment, Rancho Santiago Community College District strives to cultivate a learning environment that prioritizes respect, to ensure that RSCCD stakeholders feel valued and supported throughout their academic and professional careers.

About the Position

The ideal candidate will demonstrate cultural competency in serving diverse community college populations, including faculty, management, and students from varied ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This includes those with differing abilities, AB 540 students, DACA recipients, Foreign Residents, VACA participants, and Continuing Education students. They will support RSCCD's mission to promote self-awareness, knowledge, and communication skills, enabling all members of the college community to participate creatively and confidently in an ever-changing world.

Candidates will contribute to an inclusive and collaborative workplace culture that supports the diverse needs of faculty, management, staff, and students. They will effectively provide services and support to individuals with differing academic preparation levels and unique learning or workplace needs, ensuring equitable access and opportunities for success. Candidates should demonstrate cultural competency, sensitivity, equity-mindedness, and a commitment to anti-racism in all interactions and contributions. Through their role, they will empower students to achieve their educational and career goals while promoting a positive and inclusive environment where faculty and management can thrive, fostering creativity, confidence, and lifelong learning throughout the college community.

Class Summary

Develop, administer, and integrate, District websites and advanced multi-tier computer systems. Responsible for planning, analysis, design, development, testing, implementation and maintenance of information systems. May also act as a coordinator for information systems projects including district-wide public and employee only websites and student web portal.

Representative Duties

Project Coordination: identify scope of project; develop detailed task list and interdependencies; estimate time requirements; identify critical milestones; identify and assess risks; prepare contingency actions; coordinate project activities with project team. May setup and configure the District's Web Content Management system (WCM) server farm including user access and security. Administer both website application and SQL database servers; integrate to Active Directory Services, and assimilate into the District network infrastructure.

Planning: assess current functional organization, processes, and information systems; develop information systems model, research and evaluate new web and mobile technology, including portable devices, related products, hardware tools to optimize development and functionality of websites and applications.

Analysis: gather data to identify customer requirements; interpret and evaluate requirements; define scope of work to meet customer requirements; identify time, technology, and resource constraints; develop high level systems and functional specifications; prepare cost/benefit analysis (feasibility study), alternative options with pros & cons, and risk analysis; develop test strategy. Researches, evaluates, and recommends new software packages as needed.

Design: develop detailed design specification including website governance plans, entity relationships and business process models; identify maintenance requirements; perform feasibility studies for alternative designs; identify physical requirements for system implementation; prepare and conduct design review; identify impact on existing systems; determine deployment impact on website and users, perform usability testing and human factors analysis; develop test plan; define security requirements; develop system design prototype.

Development: create new and/or modify existing system interfaces, business rule logic, databases and environments. Write new or customize existing server web application components as well as mobile applications. Create, maintain, manage and implement WCM's branding solutions, master site collections, templates, cascading style sheets and site collections. Assists other developers and performs analysis to resolve complex project issues including analysis of technical feasibility of proposed systems solutions.

Testing: perform unit, integration, system, volume, and performance testing; perform data conversion and user acceptance testing. Implement preventative maintenance procedures for the live website environments.

Implementation: install and tune production systems, perform user training, and post-implementation assessment, and perform follow up procedures after implementation of district websites.

Maintenance: plan, analyze, design, develop, test, and implement system enhancements including existing Web Content Management (WCM) system functions.

Organizational Relationships

This position reports to the designated supervisor or administrator.

QUALIFICATIONS

Training and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science or related field and five years experience as programmer/analyst with systems analysis and applications design, including experience in system or database design and transaction processing, implementation of web and mobile technologies; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Knowledge: Problem Definition: problem identification techniques; information summarization and generalization techniques; detailed anomaly documentation; inquiry framing and clarification; relevancy and accuracy assessment information. Problem Analysis: symptom v. cause categorization; hypothesis formulation and testing; system-wide impact analysis; creative problem solving; situational application of principles. Solutions Testing: solution feasibility and relevance assessment; test procedure organization; data synthesis; solution integration. Resolution Planning: complex process organization and management; solution selection facilitation; data collection and analysis for decision making; contingency planning. Solution Implementation: change management processing; obstacle mitigation techniques; new process organization; outcome forecasting; technical documentation. Fundamental Principles: website architecture and design; server and client side programming; mobile technology applications development.

Ability: Basic: probe, qualify, analyzes, interpret, and summarize information; compose and edit documents for appropriate purpose and audience; convert numerical data and predicts arithmetic results; summarize, interpret, and translate mathematical data. Good oral and written communication skills. Thinking: develop and apply creative solutions to new situations; analyze situation and consider risks, implications, and multiple viewpoints; examine information, analyze causes, and recommend action; analyze relationship between parts and whole, and process and procedures; investigate and apply new learning techniques and tools; analyze logic and principles, and examine information for relevance and accuracy. Personal: Maintain effective and cooperative work environment with departmental staff, faculty, administrators and vendors. Technical: analyze, integrate, and compare data; analyze organization of information and convert formats; analyze system configuration, and identify strengths and limitations; administer and maintain WCM systems, develop server, client, and mobile device applications, adjust and monitor system operation, and troubleshoot system malfunction and failures; recommend system modifications and improvements; analyze task and technology relationship and recommend solutions.

Physical Requirements: Ability to use a computer workstation throughout the workday.

Additional Qualifications

Candidate must demonstrate clear evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, staff, and the community.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To ensure full consideration, all applicants must submit a complete Rancho Santiago Community College District online application that includes the items listed below by the position's closing date. Recruitment will review all applications for completeness, and only complete application packets will be forwarded to the screening committee for further review.

A Complete Application Packet Must Include the Following:

• RSCCD Online Application
• Resume - details all relevant education, training, and other work experience
• Academic Transcripts (Unofficial copies of undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate transcripts).

Foreign Degrees

Transcripts from countries other than the United States must be evaluated by an agency that is approved by or a member of the National Association of Credentials Evaluation Service or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. or Commission on Teacher Credentialing ().

Application Screening

Job announcements will include screening criteria to be used during screening and interviews. This may include, but is not limited to:

• Education experience (breadth and depth)
• Work experience (breadth and depth)
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with others
• Bilingual ability (if needed)
• Demonstrated experience and sensitivity to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Professional growth activities
• Specialized skills training
• Leadership skills
• Written and/or oral communication skills
• Presentation
• Problem Solving.

Based on the information presented in the application materials, a limited number of candidates with qualifications most pertinent to the position will be invited to participate in the selection process, which may include a written test and an oral interview. Meeting the position's minimum requirements does not guarantee advancement in the selection process. Candidate qualifications will be assessed to determine those who meet and exceed requirements and are deemed the most competitive in the applicant pool.

Interview

Applicants selected for an interview may be required to take additional tests or assessments and will be notified of such prior to the date of the interview. During the oral session, those selected for interviews will, in addition to the above, also be evaluated on the following factors:

• Oral communication skills
• Presentation
• Problem-solving skills

A predetermined set of questions will be asked of all applicants interviewed. Applicants are requested to provide thorough yet concise information on their related experience to ensure the correct evaluation of their qualifications. Evaluation criteria will be applied consistently to all applicants.

Disability Accommodations

Individuals who require reasonable accommodations in the Application or Interviewing Process in accordance with ADA should notify the Recruitment Office in the Human Resources Division at least two days prior to the closing date, by calling .

Conditions of Employment

The selected candidate is required to complete the following before employment as part of the onboarding process:

• Present original documents for proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
• Provide a certificate of Tuberculosis Exam.
• Fingerprints (by a Live Scan Agency at the candidate's expense, and clearance must be received before the first day of employment)

EEO STATEMENT

The Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) is an equal opportunity employer. The policy of the District is to encourage applications from persons who are economically disadvantaged and individuals belonging to significantly underrepresented groups within the District's workforce, including ethnic and racial minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. No person shall be denied employment because of ethnicity or race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or political or organizational affiliation.

RSCCD will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional employment offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if RSCCD is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.