Analyst II, GIS

City of Fort Collins Utilities

Environmental Data Science
Water Resources
Build and automate the spatial data behind a city’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.

City of Fort Collins Utilities · Fort Collins, CO (hybrid possible, Colorado residents) · $76,745 – $127,908 (hiring range $88,000 – $104,000)

Based on a real posting (view original, posted November 2, 2026 (closes November 13, 2026), accessed November 3, 2026; the official listing is on the City of Fort Collins careers site). Postings close. Interview for it anyway.

The role

  • Build and maintain GIS data models and databases for the city’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems (“One Water”).
  • Write scripts to automate data capture, conversion, and quality checks.
  • Run spatial and statistical analyses, and produce operational and regulatory maps.
  • Configure and support GIS apps and servers used by field crews.
  • Train staff, and communicate with both technical and nontechnical users.

What they’re looking for

  • 6 years of combined related experience or education in fields such as geospatial science, environmental science, or computer science. Education counts toward this.
  • Strong ArcGIS Pro skills and familiarity with an enterprise GIS environment.
  • Ability to query and manage enterprise databases.
  • Knowledge of coordinate systems, map projections, and federal geospatial data standards.
  • Strong written and verbal communication.

Know the employer

Fort Collins Utilities is a city-owned utility. Its “One Water” approach manages drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater as a single system, which makes good integrated spatial data especially valuable.

Interview room

Candidate: stop reading here. Everything below is for the panel.

Panelists: open only your own seat. Each seat’s questions were written for this job. Ask one of them, then follow up in your character’s style.

Every round, each panelist draws a mood card. Keep it secret and play it lightly.

Tap to draw. Draw again each round.

Here, you are: GIS Manager for Utilities. You designed the current data model and know where its weak spots are.

Ask one of these:

  1. “Field crews say the stormwater map on their tablets is wrong about where pipes actually are. How do you figure out whether it’s a data problem, a sync problem, or a people problem?”
  2. “Tell me about a repetitive data task you automated. What did it save, and what broke the first time you ran it?”

Then follow up: when they use a buzzword (modeled, analyzed, managed, data-driven), ask “What specifically did you do?” or “How would you know if that was wrong?”

More about Riley

Story. A data feed your team depends on broke again last week, and you’ve been patching it ever since. You’ve been burned by hires who listed “R” and “GIS” on their résumé and then couldn’t clean a messy spreadsheet.

Quirks. Friendly but literal. You ask for numbers (“How many sites? How many years?”) and take notes.

Listen for: specific tools and steps, real QA/QC habits, and honesty about gaps.

Here, you are: One Water Field Operations manager. You set the team’s priorities and answer to leadership.

Ask one of these:

  1. “Requests come in from water, wastewater, stormwater, and leadership, all marked urgent. How do you decide what gets done first?”
  2. “A regulatory map is due to the state in two weeks, and the source data has known errors. What do you deliver?”

Then follow up: politely interrupt idealistic answers with “That sounds great in a seminar. What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?” If an answer runs past about 90 seconds: “Give me the headline.”

More about Pat

Story. You chair this search committee. Your puppy chewed up a corner of the carpet overnight, so the morning started early, and you have a budget meeting right after this. You love good science that ships on time.

Quirks. You keep an eye on the clock.

Listen for: prioritization, concrete deliverables, and concise answers.

Here, you are: Field crew supervisor who will be the main user of whatever this person builds.

Ask one of these:

  1. “You’ll be training field crews who’ve done this job for 20 years without a tablet. How do you get them to actually use the new app?”
  2. “Tell me about a time you explained a technical problem to someone who was frustrated and not technical.”

Then follow up: “What would the other person say happened?” or “What did that teach you about how you work?” After each answer, pause for a few seconds before speaking.

More about Morgan

Story. Last week you ran a field day for a group of ninth-graders, and it reminded you how hard it is to explain this work simply. You’ve seen strong scientists struggle because they couldn’t explain their work to a non-scientist or get along with the person at the next desk.

Quirks. Warm, and comfortable with silence.

Listen for: a real story (STAR), empathy, self-awareness, and plain language.

Here, you are: A Fort Collins City Council member who just got a call from an upset resident.

Ask one of these:

  1. “A resident’s basement flooded, and they say the city’s stormwater maps were wrong. What would you tell me before I call them back?”
  2. “Why should the city keep paying for GIS software when the old maps worked fine?”

Then follow up: say “Huh?” every time they use an acronym or jargon without explaining it.

More about Dale

Story. You’re not on staff. You drove a couple of hours to sit in on this panel because this hire will be working with you.

Quirks. Plainspoken and skeptical, but not hostile. If they actually listen, you warm up.

Listen for: plain language, respect, and whether they ask you questions.

Pods of 3 only. You’re both Riley and Pat. Ask one Seat A question and one Seat B question from this job, and use both follow-ups: “What specifically did you do?” and “What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?”