Opportunity for Quality Assurance Migration Analyst!

We have a rather different opportunity available right now for an individual to help manage the migration of new code and new programs from the test to the acceptance to the production environment. The formal job announcement is below but in talking with the hiring manager, Stewart, I found he is looking for someone with strong related technical skills as well as the ability to interact very effectively with other team members and customers. This position does work occasional nights and weekends as items are migrated and this position is also on-call on a rotating basis with other members of the team. If you have the skills listed below we would love to hear from you!

Quality Assurance/Migration Analyst

Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance/Migration Analyst who’s primary responsibility is to maintain version control while working with developers to implement all changes and maintain the turnover process of programs and procedures from the test environment to production. Among the key duties are:

• Design, manage and optimize daily batch processes.
• Update and maintain Designer with all table modifications, new tables, views, sequences and generating the appropriate ddl's.
• Apply all changes to the Acceptance database for user testing.
• Maintaining and administering Mitigation of Objects.
• Coordinating moving of modules and insuring that the proper versions are moved.
• Promote all objects to appropriate environment and ensure that all invalid objects are recompiled.
• Work closely with the developers to implement their projects into Acceptance database and ensure that everything is production ready.
• Communicate with Database Administrators when changes are ready for production and the proper sequence for the changes to be made.
• Monitor nightly production batch.
• Ensure that the acceptance environment is in sync with production for accurate batch testing.
• Assist developers with Appworx questions and design.
• Notify and assist print operations with batch processing questions, reprints, and problems.

Knowledge of, and experience with Unix and SQL Plus are required with exposure to Oracle Forms and Oracle Designer a plus. This position also requires effective verbal, written, and interpersonal communications skills, excellent organization skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities. Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or Business preferred but will consider equivalent related technical work experience on a year for year basis. 2 to 3 years experience in programming required with 1-3 years related experience in a quality assurance role a plus.

This position does require that a beeper be carried at all times and employee be on-call at designated times. When on-call, the employee must be able to respond to a pager call within 15 minutes. Employee will be required to resolve the issue/problem either by dialing in from home or returning to the workplace within one hour if required. Occasionally will work evenings and weekends to migrate code to production environments.

For immediate consideration, please complete an expression of interest via our company website at http://www.pinnacol.com/careers/current-opportunities. To explore what it is like to work with our company please visit our Careers Blog at http://pinnacolcareers.blogspot.com/.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

2011 has flown by and here we are a week away from Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the traditional start of the Holiday season. Of course the holiday ads are already well underway on T.V. and driving home from work last night I saw several houses already decked out in their holiday lights.

Thanksgiving in this country dates back to 1621 though it wasn't until 1863 that it was recognized as a national holiday (for a quick history of Thanksgiving click here). The "banquet" the survivors of the Mayflower partook of 390 years ago bears little resemblance to the 'traditional' feast many Americans look forward to today, but the heart of the holiday still remains the same - taking a moment to pause and give thanks.

One of our staffing partners, Stivers, sent me a letter yesterday that included the following reflections on this that I thought I'd share with you before we all get caught up in the inevitable hustle and bustle that this time of year brings.

On Second Thought,

I’m Thankful for

 

…the mess to clean after a party, because it means I’m surrounded by friends

 

…the taxes I pay, because it means I am employed

 

…the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat

 

…my shadow who watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine

 

…a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home

 

…all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech

 

…the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking

 

…my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm

 

…the lady behind me who sings off-key, because it means I can hear

 

…the piles of laundry and ironing, because it means my loved ones are nearby

 

…weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been productive

 

…the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means I am alive to see another day

In today's challenging times I know not everyone enjoys all of the blessings mentioned above. Still I appreciated the sentiment that the very things that we sometimes see as burdens may actually be reflections of the things we have to be thankful for. With that in mind, here is wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!  

New Business Representative opportunity now open!

Pinnacol Assurance has an immediate opportunity for a New Business Representative to write and review workers' compensation insurance policies, review and resolve policy problems, and assist with audits as needed for new policies.

This position serves as the primary point of contact for quoting and issuing many of our new policies. Ensuring the accuracy and completion of all forms needed to issue a policy, processing applications, and attending agency visits are key functions of this role. This position requires strong computer skills, the ability to type a minimum of 35 words per minute, and an understanding of basic accounting and mathematics. The ability to organize and prioritize caseloads and manage multiple priorities along with handling customers in a professional, courteous manner are critical. Bilingual (Spanish) is a plus. Two years of college with 1-3 years of customer service are also required.

Interested candidates are asked to complete an expression of interest via our company website at www.pinnacol.com/careers. We had an opportunity in this area a couple of months ago and you can see a video of one of our NBR's discussing the position under that announcement.

Write It Right: re·dun·dan·cy



 I was meeting yesterday with one of our managers and reviewing resumes of candidates applying for one of our current opportunities. Like may of our managers she has a pet peeve against spelling, punctuation, and gramatical errors on cover letters and resumes. She's pretty quick to move those containing such errors from the 'maybe' pile to the 'no' pile.

Michelle, who works on our communications team, continues to write articles to help our employees improve their writing skills, and many of these articles are pertinent to candidates interested in positions with our company. Michelle's latest article concerns redundancy (re·dun·dan·cy  Excessive wordiness or repetition in expression):

Some things that sound OK in conversation look fairly silly in writing.

Some words simply "say it all." Avoid these redundant words and phrases in your writing.
•"We're absolutely certain the figures are correct."

"The results are absolutely guaranteed."

If you're certain, then you already have no doubt. And a guarantee is by nature absolute. "Absolutely" is unnecessary — and redundant — in both cases.

•"We arrived at these conclusions through actual experience."

"It's an actual fact that revenue is down."


An experience is something that occurred. A fact is something confirmed to have happened. "Actual" is extraneous in these instances.

•"They may add additional benefits to the program."

To add is to provide another of something. "Additional" is extraneous.

•"We're offering this as an added bonus."

A bonus is an extra feature, so "added" is unnecessary.

•"We should provide some advance (insert any of the following) notice/planning/warning for this change."

Notices, planning and warnings are all actions that occur before an event.
"Advance" is superfluous.

•"At the present time, we are addressing the issue."

"Are" is a present-tense verb, i.e., it's happening now. "At the present time" is unnecessary.

•"I'll provide the basic (insert either of the following) fundamentals/essentials for the project."

Fundamentals and essentials are by their nature elementary. Remove "basic" from either phrase.

•"The accident occurred at a time when safety procedures weren't being followed."

"When" is more than adequate as a time reference here. "At a time" is redundant.

•"The two teams should (insert either of the following) collaborate/meet together."

"Collaborate" and "meet" are both actions done collectively. "Together" is unnecessary in either case.

•"I am currently working on the proposal."

"Am" is another present-tense verb; therefore, "currently" is unnecessary.

Michelle will look at more redundant words and phrases in a future upcoming (oops) column.

Business Intelligence Programmer opportunity

I had just posted a Microstrategy Architect position and am now adding an additional opportunity for a Business Intelligence Programmer. Both of these positions are part of our Decision Support team. The Business Intelligence Programmer develops, maintains, and assists in the design of our business intelligence systems including, but not limited to, ETL scripts, html and Java interfaces in Microstrategy and our mobile device applications. This position also codes, maintains and assists in the design of data mart/warehouse tables, queries and metadata, tunes data mart/warehouse queries and other programs as required, and works with our Application Services and Data & Network Services teams to create and maintain interfaces between data marts/warehouse, information tools and production systems. Candidates must be able to establish and maintain strong relations with Decision Support Services staff and internal customers. 

This position plays support role in DSS-related portions of IS Application Development projects, company-wide strategic initiatives, and business-focused initiatives.

Candidates should possess expertise in, and the ability to mentor, SQL, PL/SQL and SQL*Plus, as well as have expertise in ETL practices, html and Java. Also required is a high proficiency in advanced SQL tuning, table creation, indexing and links along with proficiency in data warehouse theory and applications, and star schema (Kimball Model). Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience; computer science degree/MIS, business/economics or statistics preferred. Experience with Oracle and/or other relational database management systems, the use of database query tools using SQL, working with data warehouse design, 3+ years related experience in Programming is required. Phew! If you have all that, we'd love to hear from you!

Microstrategy Administrator opportunity now open!

Our IT group has a full crew of programmers and developers, database administrators and network engineers, and help desk staff to support all the technology we depend on. We also have a group of dedicated staff who work in our Decision Support team who's job it is to get the right data from the database and then translate it into useable information for the business side. We use a tool called Microstrategy to aid in this function and we have an opportunity for a Microstrategy Administrator. The requirements for this position are pretty specific and there are not a whole lot of these folks out there, but if you have the skills described below we would love to talk with you! Local candidates as well as candidates interested in moving to Colorado should submit their information via our company website at www.pinnacol.com/careers/current-opportunities. Here is what we are looking for:

Pinnacol Assurance is looking for a Microstrategy Administrator to be responsible for design and implementation of the Microstrategy schema layer, Microstrategy web interface, object and user management and assisting analysts with complex problem solving.This position architects highly reliable, scalable, extensible, and maintainable BI projects using MicroStrategy.

Working with business users and Product Managers to understand project requirements, the Administrator creates and maintains MicroStrategy metadata objects, handles MicroStrategy user and Microstrategy Narrowcast management and provides support to report developers in creating complicated objects. This position also works closely with data modelers to make sure physical database schema is optimal for MicroStrategy usage and works closely with DWD and Analysts to define and architect features and products that require significant cross-component coordination.

Responsibilities also include evaluating and suggesting ways to optimize systems usage, supports team training projects as needed, and acts as a mentor and role model to team members by assisting them with required job responsibilities and providing input to their skill and knowledge growth. Requirements include experience as a MicroStrategy schema manager, user management, narrowcast and report creator, and BI project design experience with MicroStrategy. SQL, PL/SQL and SQL*Plus, Oracle and Unix, Data warehouse and data modeling skills, Web development languages- Java, ruby, flash, and Writing design documents and technical specifications are also important competencies.

 

Records Technician opportunity now available!

Pinnacol Assurance has an opening for a Records Technician to deliver and maintain accurate corporate claims and policy files and to continue to create a "paperless" file system by scanning physical files to electronic form. We haven’t had one of these openings in quite some time so I caught up with Amanda, who manages this group, to find out what she is looking for in the ideal candidate. What I found out is that this really is a tremendous opportunity for the right candidate to join our company and begin growing their career. I wasn’t surprised to find that this position requires good spelling, punctuation, grammar and filing skills. Strong time management and accurate and thorough data entry skills are also a must. And, as you might imagine, our Records Technicians also need to have  strong attention to detail along with an ability to work independently with little direction or supervision. A minimum of a High School Diploma or GED  is required but Amanda will also consider those with higher education seeking to begin their careers and wishing to advance within our company. If interested in this opportunity please complete an expression of interest via our company website.