X Principal Engineer - Business Intelligence

x Principal Engineer - Business Intelligence

Agenda for Change Band 7

Salary Range £31,072 – 40,964

(depending on qualifications and experience)

The IT SBUis one of five Strategic Business Units within NSS, and provides IT Services across the NSS and to the wider NHS and Public Sector. These services include Contract & Vendor Management, Architecture & Solutions, National Infrastructure, Projects & Service Management, NSS Infrastructure and Business IT.

The Business Intelligence Service is part of the Architecture and Solutions Service, and delivers innovative software solutions across the Agency, includingthe on-going development of an OracleCorporate Data Warehouse, complex BusinessObjects applications, and Data Visualisation using Tableau. Through the delivery of these solutions, the Business Intelligence Serviceprovidesunique and highly valuable management and research resources to end users across Scotland. The Service oversees the national SAP BusinessObjects contract on behalf of NHSScotland,and provides BI standards, advice and guidanceto developers across the NHS. The Service also provides hosting and support of Finance Reporting across NHS Scotland.

Due to growing demand for the Business Intelligence Service, we seek to appoint two enthusiastic, self-motivated and experienced IT professionals to the role ofPrincipal Engineer. The successful candidate will have first-class inter-personal and organisational skills,as well asan enthusiastic, ‘can do’ attitude.

A degree, or equivalent, is required plus significant experience in thedelivery ofenterprise-wide software solutions and in the management of multi-disciplinary teams.

Our benefits package includes final salary pension scheme, comprehensive range of work life balance policies, occupational health services, learning resource centres and discounted leisure, financial and shopping benefits.

For an informal discussion please contact Neil Sinclair on 0131 275 6952.

Application forms and further information can be obtained from the

Divisional HR Office

Area 012, Ground Floor

Gyle Square

1 South Gyle Crescent

EDINBURGH

EH12 9EB

Tel: 0131 275 7274 or email

For an application pack please complete the online application form on the SHOW website Ref G27215

Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail only, so please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders).

"NHS National Services Scotland is the common name of the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service."

NHS National Services Scotland is an equal opportunities employer. Candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

JOB DESCRIPTION

1. JOB DETAILS
Please complete all details below apart from the job reference and note that the job holder(s) should not be named on this form. It is intended that job descriptions will be anonymous for banding purposes. The AfC Team will devise a confidential system to link job holders with their job descriptions and accordingly will complete the job reference.
Job Title: / Principal Engineer
Immediate Senior Officer/Line Manager: / Principal Department Manager/Senior Department/Department Manager
Department(s):
Division:
Job Reference:
2. JOB PURPOSE
Responsible for providing technical advice and solutions to business users and IT colleagues across the organisation.
Responsible for ensuring the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and systems documentation.
Provision of specialist project tasks.
3. DIMENSIONS
NSS IT is a key component of NHSS.
There are over 4500 direct users of services with many thousands of indirect, but significantly dependent, users across NHSScotland in Trusts, Boards and Practices.
NSS IT has direct responsibility for over 400 essential servers running over 250 applications.
NSS IT has direct responsibility for over for the NSS Local and Wide Area Networks, as well as the telephone system.
NSS IT manages 15.0 terabytes of data and processes over 75 million data records per year.
4. ORGANISATION CHART
5. ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT
NSS IT departments are flexible organisations that react quickly to changing business needs in order to provide an efficient and effective service to the NSS and the wider NHS. The Divisional IT departments are made up of four functional areas:
Application Development
This Service is responsible for full life cycle delivery of development projects covering all aspects of new systems or enhancements to existing systems. These include projects that are deemed to achieve NHSS strategic benefit of both financial and patient care significance, on behalf of senior sponsors i.e. SE, Chief Executive.
Business Projects
The Business Project Service is responsible for initiating and managing the development and implementation of the IM&T strategy for the NSS IM&T Strategy Group (reporting directly to the NSS board). The Service manages the rolling 3 year IM&T Strategy and implementation plan. Based on this corporate plan, the department prepares annual objectives for the NSS that must be incorporated into divisional business plans: coordinating the management of budgets, risks and issues during the implementation. The Service is responsible for the Project Support Office managing the necessary procedures and metrics to underpin IT projects and to provide directors and senior management with performance figures as well as operational managers with data to manage resources.
Business Systems
This Service supports all the business systems and infrastructure for the NSS. It is the focal point of contact for all NSS, NHSS, the general public and external commercial groups. The group is made up of discrete Business System teams focussed on the management of operational or production systems to specific business clients. This includes the data collection and processing of approximately 33 national datasets to over 250 NHSS Customers. It also provides a full Helpdesk service for IT, NSS and NHSS customers.
Demand Management
The Demand management Service is responsible for managing the relationship with business clients. It works closely with clients to develop business plans making best use of technologies and leverages the improvements due to the IM&T strategy into the business. The department manages demand (on NSS IT) and therefore enables a flexible response to changing client requirements.
6. KEY RESULT AREAS

• Interpret user requirements and identify possible actions to meet the requirement. Design, develop, implement and maintain support IT solutions and information systems that fulfil requirements and meet internal and external audit requirements
• Investigate and understand a range of complex problems, identifying possible solutions and recommending best options where appropriate.
• Responsible for planning and monitoring specialist tasks within projects, taking corrective action as and when necessary.
• Responsible for the allocation of the required skill-sets to specific project tasks to ensure timely and accurate delivery of objectives.
• Responsible for the secure manipulation of data across multiple databases and/or technical platforms. May be required to tune or configure these environments.
• Responsible for the configuration, support and maintenance of hardware and software, e.g. servers, applications and business software packages. This will include the amendment and subsequent testing of systems to ensure continuing support of user requirements.
• Will be required to simultaneously support and maintain a number of IT systems.
• Provide complex information to people with little knowledge of the specialist area in a way that is easily understood. Interpret system messages and determine appropriate actions.
• Undertake research and developments on emerging IT technologies and products to allow NHS NSS to take early and cost effective advantage of beneficial technological innovations and more effective ways of working.
• Ensures the successful implementation of current IM & T policy and strategy. Will contribute to the proposed amendment of policy ensuring impact across the organisation is recognised.
• Liaise closely with colleagues within the IT department and with third party suppliers to make the best use of available resources and optimise service delivery.

7. ASSIGNMENT AND REVIEW OF WORK and DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
The Principle engineer reports to the Principal Department Manager/Senior Department/Department Manager. Performance is reviewed informally on a regular basis and formally on a quarterly basis, in line with NHS NSS appraisal guidelines.
The post holder is responsible for delivery of agreed objectives within guidelines provided, but he/she will frequently be required to determine how this is best achieved. The nature of the post requires the post holder to react to a significant proportion of day-to-day requirements by managing his/her own workload within previously agreed parameters. The post holder is frequently required to advise on a range of technical issues.
A significant portion of the work undertaken by the post holder will be project-based. In relation to such work, the post holder may work closely with a designated project manager in addition to the Specialist Department/Department Manager
8. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

Direct communication with business users to optimise the level of service provided and to ensure that users fully understand any complex issues involved.
The postholder will communicate on a daily basis with colleagues within the IT Department. Such discussions will generally be technological or procedural in nature and will be aimed at ensuing customers are provided with coherent and integrated solutions from the IT Department.
Cross-Divisional communication to ensure standardisation across divisions.

External

The postholder will be responsible for developing and supporting a number of applications and services utilised by colleagues employed at NHS institutions around Scotland. Communications with this element of the customer base can be challenging because face-to-face contact is often not possible and because technological inconsistencies may exist between NSS and the institution involved. The postholder must be skilled in communicating information clearly in order to resolve issues, gain co-operation, ensure confidential data is not compromised and to understanding the requirements of the customer.
Direct communication with third party vendors. These communications will normally be related to technical issues but, in some cases may be related to contractual or financial matters.
9. MOST CHALLENGING PARTS OF THE JOB

• The postholder will be expected to undertake a wide variety of work which may have conflicting priorities. This includes providing ongoing support of existing IT solutions while delivering new projects and initiatives, providing technical expert advice to both IT and business team members and keeping up-to-date with ever changing current and emerging technologies. This mix of workload and the overall volume which it represents needs to be managed and undertaken in a manner which results in the best possible service being delivered to the customer base

• Undertaking research and development with a view to ensuring that NHS NSS adopts those emerging technologies which represent real business benefits and which can be proven to be more cost effective than solutions which are currently utilised.

• Implementing policies and technological solutions in a manner which complies with the organisation’s IM&T strategy.

10. SYSTEMS
Responsible for the design, development, test, implementation, maintenance and support of major IT information systems and solutions across the agency incorporating: operating systems (e.g. Unix, Linux and NT); database and warehousing software (e.g. Oracle, SQL Server); web technologies (e.g. JSP, ASP, Java, Apache and Tomcat); web services monitoring (e.g. Big Brother and Nagios); Business Information software (e.g. BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports); communications infrastructure (e.g LANs, WANs and associated security hardware); desktop application support (e.g. Microsoft Office suite), backup and recovery procedures (e.g. Commvault) and Helpdesk support (e.g. Assyst).
11. PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL EFFORT

Physical Effort

• The post may be involved in the maintenance and administration of a variety of computer systems and peripherals. In such cases, the postholder must have the ability to relocate such equipment. Such activity may be a frequent (daily) feature of this post.
• The postholder may be required to rebuild a machine or replace specific parts to resolve some issues.

Mental effort

• Ability to concentrate for prolonged periods of time, e.g. when designing and development complex IT systems or when investigating complex technical issues.
• Ability to move rapidly from one task to another where there is contention for service, e.g. when a major service has to be restored as a matter of urgency. This may involve progressing a number of tasks in the same timeline.
• Ability to keep one’s own emotions under control when dealing with conflicting situations in a pressurised environment.

Emotional Effort

• Ability to cope with unexpected problems and to take responsibility
• Ability to cope with pressure

12. ENVIRONMENTAL/WORKING CONDITIONS & MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
The post may require regular presence in a facility which is designed to provide an optimal environment for computer equipment rather than staff. The temperature, level of light and noise in this environment are considerably below that which would normally be considered acceptable for standard office accommodation.
The nature of this post may require regular maintenance of computer equipment which is essential to the ongoing business continuity of NHS NSS and, exposes the postholder to the following situations;

• Working in proximity to live electrical circuitry.
• Working in camped conditions, occasionally below floor level.
• Working in conditions and with equipment which are unclean.
• Continuous use of VDU.

13. KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB
The Principal Engineer should be educated to degree level in a technical subject, or should have obtained degree-equivalent qualifications such as professional membership of the British Computer Society. Ideally, the postholder should hold, as a minimum, the Foundation Level ITIL qualification.
The Principal Engineer should have at least 7 years’ experience in a technical IT role, with at least 5 year’s experience in the required skillset (e.g. Oracle, NT).
The postholder should have at least 3 years experience in the area of staff supervision.
Additionally, the postholder should have an appreciation of the business requirements of his or her customers and combine this knowledge with finely tuned customer relation skills.
14. JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT
A separate job description will need to be signed off by each jobholder to whom the job description applies.
Job Holder’s Signature: / Date:
Head of Department Signature: / Date:
HR Department will check job description format and content and then send the job description to the AfC Team
HR Representative’s Signature: / Date:

JOB DESCRIPTIONADDENDUM

ADDITIONAL ITEMS (to add specific technical, managerial requirements for the actual role)

DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS

SYSTEMS

EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY

Job Holder’s Signature / Date:
Line Managers Signature / Date:
HR Representative’s Signature / Date:
PERSON SPECIFICATION / JOB TITLE: Principal Engineer –Business Intelligence
Essential / Desirable
PHYSICAL / N/A / N/A
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE
Educational attainments
Job Experience / Degree or equivalent
At least 7 years’ experience in IM & T, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience developing innovative software solutions. / Experience in one or more is highly desirable:

• design and implementation of an Oracle data warehouse using Kimball design methodology
• design and implementation of enterprise-wide BI reporting and visualisation solutions, including the use of Business Objects and Tableau.

ITIL Service Management certification is highly desirable
BOCP and/or OCP certification is highly desirable
A working knowledge of NHS systems is highly desirable
SPECIAL APTITUDES / Ability to provide innovative technical solutions to difficult problems
Effective communication and interpersonal skills
Clear & concise report and documentation writing skills.
Good understanding of current state and future trends in business intelligence.
INTERESTS / N/A / N/A
DISPOSITION / Work well within a team environment and on own initiative.
A ‘can do’ attitude is essential
CIRCUMSTANCES / Knowledge of NSS strategic objectives / The successful candidate will ideally have a good understanding of the theory and practice of business intelligence, and how it can make a difference to the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland.
Knowledge of the eHealth Strategy
Knowledge of health care issues in Scotland an advantage.