Senior ArcGIS/SQL Server Engineer – Legacy Environmental GIS Application Support

Overview We are seeking an experienced ArcGIS Enterprise/SQL Server engineer to assist with the support and ongoing maintenance of a specialized production GIS application used for environmental and habitat conservation workflows. The application, proprietary environmental GIS application, is a mature custom GIS environment built on legacy Esri and Microsoft technologies. It is currently operational and business-critical, but we are expanding the technical team capable of independently supporting it. This is not primarily a greenfield development engagement. The immediate requirement is for an engineer who is comfortable entering an existing legacy GIS environment, understanding its architecture and dependencies, troubleshooting production issues, safely modifying data and services, and documenting their work. The right candidate should be comfortable working methodically in an environment where data integrity, rollback capability, change control, and validation are extremely important. Known Technology Environment The environment includes technologies such as: - Esri ArcGIS Server/ArcGIS Enterprise - ArcGIS REST Services - ArcSDE/Enterprise Geodatabase - ArcMap and MXD-based map services - Microsoft SQL Server - SQL Server Management Studio - SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) - IIS - Windows Server - JSON-based web application configuration - Microsoft Azure-hosted virtual machines/infrastructure - Browser-based custom GIS applications The environment includes legacy components, so candidates must be comfortable supporting older versions of Esri and Microsoft products rather than expecting a fully modern ArcGIS deployment. Example Architecture One documented workflow follows this application/data path: Browser Application → Configuration JSON → ArcGIS REST → ArcGIS Map Service → ArcSDE Feature Class → Microsoft SQL Server** The environment contains multiple applications, map services, databases, reports, and infrastructure components, so engineers must be able to trace dependencies rather than make assumptions about where data originates. Responsibilities Production Support & Troubleshooting - Diagnose GIS application performance and availability issues. - Troubleshoot ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS REST services. - Troubleshoot SQL Server and ArcSDE connectivity. - Investigate application, IIS, Windows Server, and database issues. - Diagnose SSRS/report-generation failures. - Troubleshoot user access, authentication, and application provisioning issues. - Review logs, services, server resources, and application dependencies. - Identify root causes rather than simply restoring service temporarily. GIS Application & Data Maintenance - Maintain ArcGIS Server services and supporting data. - Work with ArcSDE-registered feature classes. - Review and maintain ArcMap MXDs and associated service bindings. - Safely modify GIS attribute data stored in SQL Server. - Incorporate approved environmental/species data updates. - Validate changes through SQL, ArcGIS REST endpoints, and production application behavior. - Understand relationships between web applications, map services, feature classes, databases, and reporting components. SQL Server Candidate should be comfortable with: - SQL Server Management Studio - T-SQL - Database/schema discovery - Tables, views, functions, stored procedures, triggers, and SQL Agent jobs - Transaction-controlled updates - Database backup and recovery concepts - Data integrity validation - SQL performance troubleshooting SSRS/Reporting - Troubleshoot SQL Server Reporting Services. - Diagnose missing or inaccessible reports and folders. - Review report definitions and data sources. - Troubleshoot report execution and application-to-SSRS integration. - Maintain existing reports where appropriate. Infrastructure - Work within Windows Server environments. - Troubleshoot IIS-hosted applications. - Understand DNS, SSL/TLS, networking, ports, and firewall/security rules. - Review VM CPU, memory, storage, and performance. - Work within Azure-hosted infrastructure. - Safely administer remote production systems. Change-Control Expectations Changes to this environment must be performed conservatively. Engineers will be expected to: 1. Determine the authoritative data source before modifying production. 2. Identify downstream dependencies. 3. Establish an appropriate backup/rollback mechanism. 4. Preview or test changes where practical. 5. Use transactions when modifying production SQL data. 6. Validate results at multiple layers. 7. Document exactly what was changed. 8. Maintain a repeatable procedure for future administrators. A previous production remediation, for example, was validated independently at the SQL Server, backup comparison, ArcGIS REST, and browser application layers. We want engineers who naturally work this way. Required Qualifications - Strong Microsoft SQL Server experience. - Strong Esri ArcGIS Server/Enterprise experience. - Experience with ArcGIS REST services. - Experience supporting ArcSDE/Enterprise Geodatabases. - Experience troubleshooting existing production applications. - Strong Windows Server administration skills. - Ability to understand unfamiliar legacy systems through systematic investigation. - Strong documentation skills. - Ability to communicate findings clearly to technical and nontechnical stakeholders. Highly Preferred Qualifications - ArcMap/MXD experience. - Experience with older ArcGIS Server environments, including the ArcGIS 10.x generation. - SSRS / Report Builder experience. - IIS administration. - Azure VM/infrastructure experience. - GIS application migration or modernization experience. - Experience with environmental, utility, energy, engineering, or regulatory GIS systems. - Experience reverse-engineering undocumented or poorly documented applications. Initial Engagement The first phase will focus on: - Reviewing existing GIS documentation. - Reviewing the current environment and server roles. - Validating the documented architecture. - Identifying undocumented dependencies. - Understanding user administration. - Understanding SQL and GIS data structures. - Reviewing current application/reporting issues. - Performing supervised maintenance/support tasks. - Expanding operational documentation and runbooks. The objective is for the selected engineer to become independently capable of supporting the system rather than remaining dependent on previous developers or administrators. Longer-Term Opportunity For the right engineer, the engagement may expand into: - Ongoing GIS support. - Application performance improvements. - Infrastructure stabilization. - Security remediation. - ArcGIS upgrades. - SQL/database modernization. - Migration away from legacy Windows/ArcGIS components. - Architecture redesign. - Development of a future-generation GIS platform. What We Are Looking For We are particularly interested in engineers who can say: “Give me the architecture, documentation, and access. I can trace how the system works, validate my assumptions, document the dependencies, and establish a safe support procedure.” We are NOT looking for someone who needs the original developer available to explain every component. When Applying Please include: 1. Your experience with ArcGIS Server/Enterprise and which versions you have supported. 2. Your experience with ArcSDE/Enterprise Geodatabases. 3. Your SQL Server/T-SQL experience. 4. Whether you have supported ArcMap/MXD-based applications. 5. Your SSRS experience. 6. Your experience troubleshooting legacy production systems. 7. Any experience with environmental, energy, utility, or regulatory GIS applications. 8. Your hourly rate. 9. Your current availability. 10. A brief example of a legacy or poorly documented system you successfully took over.