Post Details / Last Updated: 19/09/2014
Faculty/Administrative/Service Department / IT Services
Job Title / IT Change and Problem Management Analyst
Job Family / Professional Services / Job Level / 3
Responsible to / IT Service Planning Manager
Responsible for (Staff) / N/A
Job Purpose Statement
The IT Service Planning team manages and supports all of the IT Service Management (ITSM) functions and process across University IT. The IT Change and Problem Management Analyst role operates and administers one or more ITIL processes under the guidance of the IT Service Planning Manager. The processes include, but are not limited to, IT Change Management and IT Problem Management, as specialisms with engagement into the Major Incident Management as required.
The role is critical in ensuring that all operational IT Services provided to the University are of a consistently high and improving standard for the benefit of all students, staff and visitors.
Key Responsibilities
  1. Responsible for undertaking the administration of the IT Change and Problem Management processes used by the University IT Services department.
  2. Management of IT Change processes to ensure that they are appropriately recorded, approved and implemented within appropriate timescales, whilst recording and managing the outcomes of all changes ensuring lessons learnt are acted upon for the purpose of continuous service improvement (CSI).
  3. Analysis and Management of Problem Records (Problems). Problems will be identified, categorised, prioritised, investigated, tracked and resolved effectively in order to either remove the root cause or agree a known error.
  4. Liaison with internal support teams, third-party suppliers and senior (IT) stakeholders to resolve highly disruptive service affecting Incidents and Problems to drive down the number of incidents logged to the IT Service Desk.
  5. Organisation of regular scheduled meetings relevant to the administration of Change Management, Problem Management and Major (IT) Incident Review.
  6. Production of Management information in the form of monthly service performance reports using data, graphs, trend analysis and commentaries to support the position of IT Service Delivery to the customer groups for Change and Problem activities.
  7. Operation of Service Management and IT Service administration toolsets to facilitate the effective management of IT Services.
  8. Foster and maintain good working relationships with members of IT Services and all IT stakeholders across the University in order to promote the processes and benefits of IT Service Management through the ITIL framework.
N.B. The above list is not exhaustive.
All staff are expected to:
  • Positively support equality of opportunity and equity of treatment to colleagues and students in accordance with the University of Surrey Equal Opportunities Policy.
  • Work to achieve the aims of our Environmental Policy and promote awareness to colleagues and students.
  • Follow University/departmental policies and working practices in ensuring that no breaches of information security result from their actions.
  • Ensure they are aware of and abide by all relevant University Regulations and Policies relevant to the role.
  • Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager.
  • Work supportively with colleagues, operating in a collegiate manner at all times.
Help maintain a safe working environment by:
  • Attending training in Health and Safety requirements as necessary, both on appointment and as changes in duties and techniques demand.
  • Following local codes of safe working practices and the University of Surrey Health and Safety Policy.

Elements of the Role
Planning and Organising
  • The post holder is responsible for tracking Problem Management issues through the University’s central helpdesk system and for taking action such as escalating problems and tasks, in order to meet and improve service standards.
  • It is expected that the post holder will plan and prioritise their work activities and that they will set their own short term targets with the assistance of their line manager, in order to ensure that Problems support requests are resolved within the agreed timescales.
  • The post-holder will be responsible for organising their time so that they can deal with conflicting priorities and provide customer focused assistance to the User Community. They will need to demonstrate a considerable level of flexibility in order to respond to the urgent queries from Users, and unforeseen problems.

Problem Solving and Decision Making
  • The role requires the post holder to provide guidance and advice to colleagues and customers on IT policy and procedures as well as ensuring that process has been followed, taking appropriate steps to address issues via line management as they arise. Therefore an in-depth understanding of IT Service Management protocols and internal procedures is required.
  • The post holder may occasionally experience more unusual queries or issues where there is no formal guidance. In these cases the post holder is required to interpret past precedents and apply their judgement to determine an appropriate course of action, or, where resolution is not straightforward, to refer the matter to their line manager for guidance/resolution.
  • The role will involve liaison, compromise and negotiation in order to manage the progress of Problems and Changes to agreed service levels. This will require the post holder to be capable of receiving and processing verbal and written information from a range of sources and apply critical/analytical thinking, good judgement, assertiveness and creativity in order to formulate an effective response to situations arising.
  • Although there are standard departmental procedures and policies available to guide the post holder, there may be times where it is necessary to apply pragmatic/unscripted actions to resolve a situation. Where situations dictate that a non-standard approach is required to resolve a situation, guidance shall be sought from the IT Service Planning Manager

Continuous Improvement
  • The post holder is expected to take a pro-active approach to their work and encouraged to provide input to matters of continual service improvement as part of IT Services’ Service Management Strategy. This includes (although is not limited to) assistance in incident trending, call handling training and monitoring, and case quality management activities.
  • The post holder will be expected to keep professional knowledge up to date and make recommendations on the future development of IT Services’ processes and procedures.

Accountability
  • The role will regularly involve reference to existing procedures; however the post-holder will be expected to take responsibility for producing procedures and standard operating procedures for the team where they do not already exist.
  • The post holder will operate within formally managed departmental processes, operating procedures and to an agreed quality standard.
  • Errors of judgement or a failure to follow documented procedures may result in the loss of data, security breaches or impact on the ability of the University to perform critical activities.
  • Whilst the post holder is not directly responsible for any staff, due to their specific experience and knowledge, they are required to provide advice, pass on best practice knowledge and offer training to other team members. The post holder will also liaise with other IT staff, providing advice and guidance where needed, to ensure effective transfer of skills/knowledge and compliance with regulations and codes of practice.

Dimensions of the role
  • As a Problem ‘Manager’ (an ITIL term for someone who drives the progress of Problem Records within a support service) the post holder will have oversight and coordination of all Problem Records logged within the IT Service Management System, ensuring that they meet agreed service levels and drive down the average number of Incidents.
  • As a Change ‘Manager’ (an ITIL term for someone who oversees the recording and progress of the Change Management process) the post holder will be responsible for the oversight and coordination of all Requests for Change (RFC) logged within the Change Management System, ensuring that they fulfil agreed IT Services and Business objectives.

Supplementary Information
  • The post holder is responsible for providing high levels of customer service and a professional image on the telephone, via email and in person to those making contact with them.
  • The post holder can expect to come under considerable pressure from staff and must be able to retain their confidence through effective communication and delivery of commitments.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
HNC, A level, NVQ 3, HND level or equivalent with a number of years’ relevant experience
Or
Broad vocational experience, acquired through a combination of job-related vocational training and considerable on the job experience, demonstrating development through involvement in a series of progressively more demanding relevant work / roles. / E
ITIL Foundation Certificate / E
Technical Competencies (Experience and Knowledge) This section contains the level of competency required to carry out the role (please refer to the Competency Framework for clarification where needed and the Job Matching Guidance). / Essential/
Desirable / Level
1-3
Good and broad understanding of IT Services and Support / E / 2
Knowledge of the work IT Services Management practices, processes and procedures based on ITIL best practice / E / 2
High level of accuracy and attention to detail. / E / 2
Good analytical skills with experience of performance reporting or trend analysis / E / 2
Experience of the HE Sector / D / n/a
Special Requirements: / Essential/
Desirable
There may be a requirement for the post holder to work outside normal working hours on occasion / D
Core Competencies This section contains the level of competency required to carry out this role. (Please refer to the competency framework for clarification where needed). n/a (not applicable) should be placed, where the competency is not a requirement of the grade. / Level
1-3
Communication
Adaptability / Flexibility
Customer/Client service and support
Planning and Organising
Continuous Improvement
Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
Managing and Developing Performance
Creative and Analytical Thinking
Influencing, Persuasion and Negotiation Skills
Strategic Thinking & Leadership / 2
2
2
2
2
2
n/a
2
2
n/a
Organisational/Departmental Information & Key Relationships
Background Information
University IT offers a wide range of administrative and academic computing and information technology services for all staff and students at the University.
University IT is organised into a central department, providing services and support for business administration departments and students, and 4 faculty based departments, focusing on academic and research IT Services.
In addition to working closely with the Service Desk, Service Planning, Development and Technical Support Team, the analyst will have significant interactions with University staff outside IT and potentially with students. As well as having a wide ranging knowledge of IT Service Management Processes and tools, the post holder will need to demonstrate excellent communication skills, a confident and welcoming manner and the ability to work under pressure.
IT Service Planning at the University of Surrey is based on ITIL Best Practice Methodology
Department Structure Chart

Relationships
Internal
  • All IT Services staff
  • Business Systems staff and end users
External
  • Third Party Suppliers
  • Subject Matter Experts through Forums and Special Interest Groups