Principal Information Technology Analyst

About the Community:
Butte County Superior Court is located in beautiful Northern California, where the valley floor meets the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains, approximately 1.5 hours north of Sacramento.  At over 1,600 square miles and with a population of approximately 225,000, Butte County is full of natural beauty and provides endless recreational opportunities.  It is home to one of the largest municipal parks in the country, Bidwell Park, which boasts over 3,600 acres of hiking and mountain bike trails, swimming holes, picnic areas, golf and disc golf courses, and more!  Outdoor adventures also await in places like Lake Oroville, Feather Falls, Table Mountain, and Lassen and Plumas National Forests which border the county to the east.  In the county’s urban center of Chico, you’ll find a vibrant downtown, art, culture, unique restaurants, music, and weekly farmers’ markets. Right in the center of it all is the CSU, Chico campus, which provides a stunning backdrop and a variety of events and activities throughout the year.

About the Court: 
Butte County Superior Court is a unified superior court operating two facilities, one courthouse in Chico, and another courthouse in the county seat of Oroville.  All legal, operational, and administrative functions of the court are governed by the Presiding Judge and the Court Executive Officer. The court has thirteen judicial officers, or eleven judges and two commissioners, and approximately 135 support staff.  Despite its size, Butte is recognized throughout the state as a leader in many court collaborations, including self-help services, case management system consortiums, our highly acclaimed and model civic outreach program, and numerous multi-court employee education events. Butte County is home to a community with diverse needs, and the court continually adapts to provide effective and reliable access to justice.  

The Position: 

Under the direction of the Information Technology Director, the Principal Information Technology Analyst serves as a highly skilled generalist and key technical leader responsible for addressing the court’s technology needs, high-priority projects, and critical system upgrades. This role provides expert-level support in networking, systems administration, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, and cloud infrastructure, ensuring the stability and modernization of the court’s information technology environment.

This position serves as the second-in-command within the Information Technology Department. The incumbent assists with strategic planning, complex technical initiatives, project prioritization, and policy implementation. The incumbent may provide supervisory oversight and direction, and/or training to subordinate staff if assigned to do so. The Principal Information Technology Analyst role requires strong leadership, cross-functional expertise within the information technology field, and hands-on problem-solving skills to support critical information technology functions and ensure long-term systems sustainability.

This is a full-time, at-will position that is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).


The following duties are typical of those performed by the incumbent in this classification.  However, other duties may also be required.

• Leads strategic initiatives to address the court’s technology needs, modernize information technology infrastructure, and improve system efficiency.
• Serves as the primary technical lead for complex information technology projects, including enterprise application deployments, cybersecurity enhancements, cloud migrations, and network modernization.
• Assesses, designs, and implements solutions to optimize court information technology infrastructure, including servers, networks, databases, software, and cloud environments.
• Provides support to programmer functions such as development and maintenance of custom applications, query and report creation, evaluating source code and creating documentation, and designing systems architecture.
• Develops and enforces information technology policies, procedures, and security protocols in collaboration with leadership.
• Provides expert-level support in multiple information technology domains, including systems administration, software development, cybersecurity, and data management.
• Identifies and resolves critical technical issues affecting information technology operations, escalating as needed.
• Leads the evaluation and recommendation of new technologies and vendor solutions to meet court needs.
• Assists in disaster recovery and business continuity planning, ensuring information technology infrastructure and systems resiliency and preparedness.
• Develops and maintains comprehensive documentation, including system configurations, technical standards, and operational procedures.
• Acts as a technical liaison between the Information Technology Division and other divisions, ensuring clear communication and responsive services.
• Represents the court in local, state, or industry information technology committees and collaborates with external partners on technology-related initiatives.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of: 

• Principles and methods of programming, systems, and procedures analysis; principles, techniques, and capabilities of electronic data processing, including office automation and personal computers.
• Principles and practices of public administration as it relates to the management of computer systems operation and support, local and wide area data communications, and a variety of telecommunications systems;
• Fundamental principles and practices of organizational techniques and management procedures in the information technology field.
• General practices and specific software pertinent and unique to the court.
• Local Area Network (LAN), Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), and Wide Area Network (WAN) administration and network engineering principles, including server/client protocols. 
• Advanced terminology used in electronic data processing and information technology.
• Workflow scheduling, records and forms design, and control requirements.
• Legal terminology; basic mathematical computations; principles of English grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Personal computers including word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications; modern legal office methods, equipment, and practices.
• Multi-agency collaborative program design and implementation.
• Principles and methodologies of effective project management, including project cost accounting and project change management and control.
• Emerging technology trends, including artificial intelligence, automation, and cloud services.
• Principles of risk management, data security, and regulatory compliance.

Ability to:  

• Lead high-level information technology initiatives with minimal supervision, making independent technical decisions. 
• Read, interpret, and apply complex technical publications, manuals, and other documents.
• Analyze complex data and information technology problems, evaluate alternatives, project consequences, create analysis reports, make sound logical recommendations based on findings, and implement decisions in support of goals.
• Under general direction, establish and implement policies, procedures, protocols, and goals.
• Gather and analyze complex data; conduct feasibility studies to determine needs and implement findings.
• Represent the court effectively with county departments and other external entities and partners.
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Work cooperatively with those contacted in the course of work.
• Maintain and research technological changes and developments in the computer hardware and software industry.
• Exercise initiative in developing and applying effective operating procedures applicable to information technology and office automation programs in a multiple operating system environment.
• Administer projects, as part of a team or as project lead, within the project scope, time constraints, and resource constraints to achieve the desired objective.
• Manage and maintain a hybrid server environment, including Microsoft Exchange mail servers.
• Work under the pressure of deadlines, conflicting demands, and emergencies.
• Mentor and provide guidance to Information Technology Division staff without direct supervisory authority.
• Complete all duties as assigned timely and accurately.

Any combination of education, training and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience: Five (5) years of progressively responsible information technology experience with at least two (2) years in a senior or specialist capacity managing complex IT projects and/or enterprise systems.

Education: Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, MIS, Business Information Systems, or closely related field. 

Certifications: CCISP and current Microsoft certifications or experience that demonstrate foundational knowledge and the ability to manage a Microsoft 365 tenant.

Additional Information   

Criminal History Requirement: Candidates are required to pass a criminal history background check.

License Requirement: Possession of a valid California Class C driver's license may be required or the ability to provide alternate transportation that meets job requirements.

Physical Requirements: The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an incumbent to successfully perform the essential functions of this classification. 

Personal mobility to work in various office settings, locations and in confined work spaces; manual dexterity to use computers and standard office equipment; ability to lift and carry items occasionally weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds; pushing objects weighing up to 200 pounds and pulling objects weighing up to 100 pounds; physical ability to sit for extended periods of time; stoop, reach overhead, bend, crawl, climb stairs and occasionally climb ladders to access equipment; vision which can be corrected to a level sufficient to read hand-written, typed and computer generated information and data, as well as computer terminal displays; hearing and speech ability sufficient to enable communication by telephone and in person.  

Work Environment: While performing the responsibilities of this classification, the following work environment characteristics are representative of the environment an employee will encounter. 

Incumbents will perform work inside of buildings, in an office environment and in a controlled environmental facility, with little exposure to outdoor temperatures, dirt, or dust.  The working conditions are typically quiet but may be loud at times at some locations and will require working alone or closely with others.  The noise level and traffic level in the work environment are similar to a busy office. This role requires heavy use of a computer or laptop, including keyboard and mouse, and routine use of other standard office equipment.

Travel to visit other branches within the county, or neighboring counties, and travel to attend professional meetings and trainings in and outside of the county may be required on a frequent basis.

Normal court business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Projects, maintenance work, and other position duties which impact court operations may necessitate this position working beyond normal business hours or on the weekend.  Alternate work shifts may occur.

Disclaimer: This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by an incumbent assigned to this job classification.  It is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of incumbents so classified.

Reasonable accommodations may be available to a qualified individual with a disability which will enable them to perform the essential functions of the classification.

Application Process

Please submit a complete online application, including responses to the required supplemental questions, at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/buttecourt.  Applications will not be accepted by other means.

This recruitment will remain open until April 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM.  The best-qualified candidates will be selected to advance to an interview.

Salary : $95,115 - $115,612