Join Solano County’s innovative GIS team as a Principal GIS analyst and technical lead. In this creative, senior-level role, you will drive cutting-edge GIS solutions across the County and our regional partners. Our team values curiosity and innovation – after all, GIS is “an exciting, rapidly changing” technology– and we want someone who brings passion for geography and fresh ideas. You won’t just enter data; you’ll supervise and mentor junior analysts and tackle meaningful problems. The County’s GIS “plays a central role in how the County plans infrastructure, responds to emergencies, manages assets, and delivers public services”, turning complex location data into actionable insight. In this role, you will unleash the full potential of GIS, using modern tools to go beyond routine tasks and pioneer new mapping and analysis solutions.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in GIS, Geography, or a closely related field and six (6) or more years of GIS analysis experience with at least two years in a project lead or senior analyst role. In addition, they will possess the characteristics and experience described below.

• GIS Expertise: Proven mastery of Esri’s ArcGIS platform (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, etc.) and other GIS software. Industry research notes that expertise with ArcGIS provides “a versatile and powerful toolkit” for efficient, innovative GIS work. You should be comfortable managing geodatabases, writing Python, FME, or SQL scripts for GIS tasks, and customizing GIS applications. Experience with open source solutions is welcome.
• Technical Skills: Strong skills in cartographic design and spatial analysis. You should excel at turning data into high-quality maps and reports. Familiarity with remote sensing (satellite/drone imagery, LiDAR), 3D GIS (e.g. Esri’s 3D Analyst or CityEngine), development analysis (Urban Footprint) and emerging geospatial AI/ML techniques is highly desired. Experience with GIS web applications and emerging tools (e.g. GIS for mobile/field data collection) is a plus.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Experience mentoring or supervising technical staff is required – as one guide advises, effective GIS leaders “mentor [their] team through active coaching, clear direction, and regular feedback”. You should be proactive in collaborating with colleagues across departments and with external partners, explaining GIS benefits and building consensus.
• Problem-Solving Mindset: A passion for creative problem solving and lifelong learning. We want someone who is energized by challenges and eager to try new approaches. GIS is fundamentally about asking “what if?” – if you love maps and exploring data (remember: “maps are not just reference sources, they are dynamic, and you can change them to suit whatever need you have or problem you are trying to solve”, you’ll thrive in this role.
• Local Government Experience (preferred): Familiarity with municipal or regional GIS operations and data (parcel maps, planning layers, utility networks, etc.) is a plus. Previous work with multi-jurisdictional GIS consortia will help you hit the ground running.