Lead Developer (Web and Digital) - IT Services - 34447 - Grade 8

IT Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £41,526 to £49,553 with potential progression once in post to £55,750

Grade 8

Full Time

Permanent

Closing date - 5th August 2021

Job Summary

The primary responsibility of the Lead Developer (Web and Digital is to deliver quality software solutions on time and to budget that meet the needs of the organisation and to provide third line support for those solutions once they are live.

Main Duties

Solution Architecture

Leads the development of web and digital solution architectures for complex systems, ensuring consistency with specified requirements agreed with both external, and internal customers and the Business Analyst. Takes full responsibility for the balance between functional, service quality and systems management requirements within a project. Establishes policy and strategy for the selection of systems architecture components, and co-ordinates design activities, promoting the discipline to ensure consistency. Ensures that appropriate standards (corporate, industry, national and international) are adhered to. Within a business change programme, manages the target design, policies and standards, working proactively to maintain a stable, viable architecture and ensure consistency of design across projects within the programme.

Systems Development Management

Defines solution development projects which support the organisation's objectives and plans. Ensures that senior management is both aware of and able to provide the required resources. Contributes effectively to improving solution development processes within the organisation justified by measurable business benefits. Facilitates availability and optimum utilisation of resources, especially in Agile projects. Monitors and reports on the progress of development projects, ensuring that projects are carried out in accordance with agreed standards, methods and procedures (including secure software development). Applies secure development improvement practices.

Systems Design

Specifies and designs large or complex web and digital software. Selects appropriate software design standards, methods and tools, consistent with agreed enterprise and solution architectures and ensures they are applied effectively. Reviews others' systems designs to ensure selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources, and integration of multiple systems and technology. Contributes to policy for selection of architecture components. Evaluates and undertakes impact analysis on major design options and assesses and manages associated risks. Ensures that the system design balances functional, service quality, security and systems management requirements.

Programming/Software Development

Sets local or team-based standards for programming tools and techniques, including security guidelines, and the selection of appropriate development methods. Advises on application of standards and methods and ensures compliance. Takes technical responsibility for all stages and/or iterations in a software development project, providing method specific technical advice and guidance to project stakeholders. Assigns work packages, monitors performance and manages change control dynamically, to optimise productivity. Provides advice, guidance and assistance to less experienced colleagues as required.

Testing

Accepts responsibility for creation of test cases using own in-depth technical analysis of both functional and non-functional specifications (such as reliability, efficiency, usability, maintainability and portability). Creates traceability records, from test cases back to requirements. Produces test scripts, materials and regression test packs to test new and amended software or services. Specifies requirements for environment, data, resources and tools. Interprets, executes and documents complex test scripts using agreed methods and standards. Records and analyses actions and results, and maintains a defect register. Reviews test results and modifies tests if necessary. Provides reports on progress, anomalies, risks and issues associated with the overall project. Reports on system quality and collects metrics on test cases. Provides specialist advice to support others.

Software release and deployment

Assesses and analyses release components. Provides input to scheduling. Carries out the builds and tests in coordination with testers and component specialists maintaining and administering the tools and methods - manual or automatic - and ensuring, where possible, information exchange with configuration management. Ensures release processes and procedures are maintained.

Porting/Software Configuration

When required leads a team, providing expert technical knowledge in the systems testing of platform-specific versions of the software products, on varying platforms. Provides specialist guidance information to support, systems testing and quality assurance functions to assist in improving procedures.

User Experience Analysis

Analyses the implications of the context of use for system development. Advises on tools and methods to be used and clarifies and communicates the user experience, users' characteristics and tasks, and the technical, organisational and physical environment in which products or systems will operate. Advises on interpretation of the organisation's branding for new digital environments.

User experience design

Develops visual user experiences across digital assets by guiding project teams to evolve key elements of a digital proposition. Combines understanding of customers and market conditions, with knowledge of digital trends, to create concepts that are both user-centred and competitively differentiating. Facilitates the generation of new concepts and ideas and illustrates concepts with impact. Manages client expectations, explaining the costs and benefits of user experience activities, and advising on risks resulting from poor user experience.

User Experience Evaluation

Advises on achievement of usability (including health and safety and accessibility) of specific visual design approaches and their suitability for different audiences. Advises on what to evaluate and type of evaluation. Manages evaluation of systems, products or services, to assure that the stakeholder and organisational requirements have been met, required practice has been followed, and systems in use continue to meet organisational and user needs. Evaluates design aspects of web tenders and a proposals including wireframes and mockups. Ensures that the results of evaluations are understood by system developers. Influences design teams to take action on the findings of usability tests

Technical Specialism

Provides leadership and guidelines to promote the development and exploitation of the following applications and technologies in the organisation and therefore must have up to date knowledge and skills, as well as being a highly competent developer in one or more of the following technologies.

• Javascript
• Contensis
• Git
• ReactJs
• .Net

Will provide software development and third line support which includes user requirements gathering, design, development, unit testing and deployment in one or more of the following areas:

• Contensis
• Public website
• Wordpress blog service

Web and Digital Development Methods and Tools

Provides expertise and support on use of methods and tools.

Emerging Technology Monitoring

Maintains awareness of opportunities provided by new technology to address challenges or to enable new ways of working. Within own sphere of influence, works to further organisational goals, by the study and use of emerging technologies and products. Contributes to briefings and presentations about their relevance and potential value to the organisation.

Technology Leadership and Innovation

Provides organisational leadership and guidelines to promote the development and exploitation of web and digital solutions in the organisation. Recognises potential strategic application of web and digital development capabilities. Initiates and manages investigation and development of innovative methods, practices and technology, to the benefit of the organisation. Plays an active and dynamic role in improving the interface between all interested parties, facilitating knowledge flow to enable sharing and development of creative ideas.

Supplier Management and Sourcing

Reviews business cases (requirements, potential benefits and options) and determines appropriate procurement routes. e.g., open market or collaborative framework. Using market knowledge to inform specifications, ensures detailed pre-qualification questionnaires and tender invitations are prepared. Collects and collates data to support collaboration and negotiates terms and conditions to reflect the scale of requirements and encourage good performance. Evaluates tenders based on specification and evaluation criteria, prepares acceptance documentation and advises on contracts and service level agreements. Monitors and reports on supplier performance, information security, customer satisfaction, and market intelligence. Investigates, resolves or escalates problems. Implements supplier service improvement actions and programmes.

Contract Management

Sources and collects contract performance data (such as pricing and supply chain costs), and monitors performance against KPIs. Identifies and reports under-performance and develops opportunities for improvement. Monitors compliance with Terms and Conditions and take appropriate steps to address non-compliance. Pro-actively manages risk and reward mechanisms in the contract. Monitors progress against business objectives specified in the business case. Identifies where change is required, and plans for variations. In consultation with stakeholders, ensures that change management protocols are implemented.

Relationship and Stakeholder Management

Implements stakeholder engagement/ communications plans, including, for example; handling of complaints; problems and issues; managing resolutions; corrective actions and lessons learned; collection and dissemination of relevant information. Uses feedback from customers and stakeholders to help measure effectiveness of stakeholder management. Helps develop and enhance customer and stakeholder relationships.

Risk and Sustainability Management

Investigates and reports on hazards and potential risk events within the Web and Digital Development function. Assesses and reports on how different tactical decisions affect organisational sustainability. Evaluates factors and risks (political, legislative, technological, economic, social) that impact on operational processes and strategic direction.

Project Management

When required defines, documents and carries out small projects or sub-projects (typically less than six months, with limited budget, limited interdependency with other projects, and no significant strategic impact), alone or with a small team, actively participating in all phases. Identifies, assesses and manages risks to the success of the project. Agrees project approach with stakeholders, and prepares realistic plans (including quality, risk and communications plans) and tracks activities against the project schedule, managing stakeholder involvement as appropriate. Monitors costs, timescales and resources used, and takes action where these deviate from agreed tolerances. Ensures that own projects are formally closed and, where appropriate, subsequently reviewed, and that lessons learned are recorded.

Person Specification

Dimensions and Impact

Staff and students demand more from web and digital services than ever before. Expectations are rising as technology becomes interwoven into people lives driven by increased internet usage, social media, mobile devices, cloud computing and the ever more sophisticated delivery of online commercial and public services. Students particularly expect to be able to access information and services anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices. Failure to provide digital solutions comparable with educational institutions and commercial organisations they are familiar with, will be reflected in poor NSS scores. The public website and associated digital marketing services are increasingly influential in our aim to attract the right students to the University. The University also expects to gain efficiencies and a potential advantage over competitors from improvements in self-service, communication, collaboration and workflow capabilities enabling a more informed and motivated workforce, leaner processes, decreased cycle times and more up to date insightful information.

The Lead Developer (Web and Digital) will be responsible for developing tactical and strategically significant web and digital solutions utilising multiple technologies, sometimes by leading a small team to do so. They will continually scan the external environment for emerging technologies, assess these technologies against the needs of the organisation and show technology leadership in advancing their use and adoption as well as their impact on organisational strategy, performance and competitiveness.

Knowledge

Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role, including broader sector/commercial awareness. Detailed knowledge and understanding of systems/services in own area and their varied applications. Working knowledge of the work of others inside and outside the university, relevant to own area.

Communication

Must be able to effectively communicate with user/customer areas to understand their requirements and then deliver them. Must have good supervisory and coaching skills to manage, motivate and develop staff. Must be able to provide advice to others and often required to persuade them to follow a particular course of action.

Dealing with problems

Must be able to anticipate, interpret and assess customer needs, identifying trends, generating original ideas and testing innovative solutions. May have to resolve issues, which may not have arisen before, relying on own experience and judgement, but with regard to wider implications across the University.

Organisational Skills

Plan and organise individual and team activity to meet broader defined objectives. Requirement to integrate and co-ordinate work across different parts of ITS and the University, sometimes on a project basis. Must be able to lead small groups of developers within projects when required.

Qualifications and Experience

Likely to be either professionally qualified/relevant degree and have significant experience in software development or have substantial on the job experience in this area. Must have strong people and project management skills where needed. Proven analytical and problem solving skills with sufficient technical skill and knowledge to be able to act as a mentor and coach. Must have strong software and solution development experience with a proven record of delivering and supporting complex web and digital software solutions in medium to large organisations, on time and to budget. Must have experience of web and mobile development technologies. Experience of delivery methodologies such as Kanban, Scrum and other agile approaches highly desirable.

Informal enquiries can be made to Christopher Withers - c.withers@bham.ac.uk