Job Description

GIS Technician

Buncombe County Tax Assessment Department is comprised of 35 employees who are responsible for identifying, listing, and appraising all real and personal property within Buncombe County in accordance with state laws. The department strives to ensure fair and equitable property assessment that forms the basis for local taxation, helping to fund vital public services such as schools, emergency services, parks and much more.

The GIS Technician role provides technical and analytical support for Buncombe County's Geographic Information System (GIS) and Land Records management. The ideal candidate for this position is a detail-oriented professional with a strong foundation in Esri GIS software, working knowledge of land surveying principles, and the ability to interpret legal documents such as deeds, plats, and wills related to property ownership and transfers. The role requires a collaborative, service-driven individual who excels at problem-solving and can work across departments and with the community to support fair and equitable property assessment. Strong communication skills are essential, including the ability to clearly explain complex regulations to the public. This position is in-person during the training period and located at 182 College Street in downtown Asheville. Free parking is provided in our accessible parking deck. After the training period (3 to 6 months) this position will be hybrid, both working from home and from the office. Employees in positions that are approved for remote work must reside within a 2-hour drive from the position's assigned Buncombe County facility. The position is posted now with interviews occurring in late July and an anticipated start date in early August.

The purpose of this position is to perform technical work in the coordination of the County's Geographic Information System (GIS) and Land Records management Program to facilitate efficiency and accuracy in the production of cadastral data.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire): Associate degree in areas of Computer Science, Surveying, Paralegal, Computer-aided Drafting and Design or Geographic Information Systems and a minimum of three (3) years of hands-on experience in any of these fields; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Training and Experience: Within 2 years of hire, employee must obtain Certification as North Carolina Secretary of State Property Mapper by completing North Carolina Property Mappers School and UNC School of Government Fundamentals of Listing and Assessing. Recertification every two years is required by completing continuing education hours.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Utilize Arc GIS and other appropriate programs to develop maps and GIS layers for the benefit of Land Records and the Appraisal Departments.
• Analyze, update, and maintain the county parcel layer based on information provided by recorded deeds, plats, and other legal documents using GIS software.
• Research deeds, wills, plats, and other legal documents to clarify information and confirm that data for the subject parcel(s) is accurate as needed.
• Provide general and technical assistance to the general public, coworkers and other county departments concerning real estate transactions, data analysis, mapping issues and resolutions, and property location.
• Perform corrective mapping tasks as necessary to provide accurate base data for appraisal.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Considerable knowledge of ArcGIS editing and analysis tools, map preparation and understanding of geo databases.
• Basic understanding of Python, SQL, and other programming languages that relate to GIS.
• Considerable knowledge of Arc Toolbox and Arc Catalog tools and features.
• Considerable knowledge of standard practices used in land surveying.
• Considerable knowledge of cartographic principles.
• General knowledge of procedures, laws, maps, and forms used in real estate transfers.
• Ability to interpret deeds and transfer pertinent data to maps.
• Ability to determine errors and inconsistencies in deed descriptions and utilize the information available, to achieve the best configuration of the parcel.
• Ability to read and interpret US Geological Survey Topographical maps, and NC Department of Transportation maps, and relate them to cadastral maps.
• Ability to explain and interpret real property transfer polices and methods to the general public.

In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions.

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected classes. In addition, the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.

Job Tags

Similar Jobs