Operations and Change Senior Analyst
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 21st November 2024
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About the job
Job summary
APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.
Do you enjoy exploring data to uncover insights that empower strategic decisions and service improvements?
Are you someone who can lead and manage change in a challenging and dynamic environment?
Can you build strong, influential relationships with a broad range of stakeholders?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
Job description
As a Senior Executive Officer (SEO) within IT Operations and Change you will play a pivotal role in promoting and supporting the delivery of the Agency’s Vision, Mission and strategic objectives, by providing high-level oversight of and support for the delivery of services and projects within your area of responsibility, ensuring the implementation of policies and operational procedures and the effective management of teams.
You will work to ensure APHA’s IT services and products are managed effectively and efficiently to serve business needs. This will include transforming our IT business applications but also a range of other operational IT activities such as handling IT service escalations, managing IT risks and issues and building roadmaps.
You will develop a broad knowledge of APHA’s business processes and an understanding of established and emerging technologies within the agency, particularly cloud platforms, to improve and transform the IT services that support business critical activities and the wider APHA IT landscape.
You will carry out duties commensurate with the grade and purpose of the role including, but not limited to, the following:
IT Change
- Work with IT delivery partners (primarily Defra’s IT Department ‘DDTS’) to deliver new, or manage change of existing, corporate IT services as part of wider projects and programmes, assuring the quality of the new IT services for APHA’s uses.
- Work with IT delivery partners to deliver existing corporate IT services and ensure the quality and availability of the business-as-usual service, manage the operational impact of changes and upgrades, minimising downtime and disruption to the business through applying appropriate governance and user acceptance testing before changes are released into business-as-usual.
- Develop and maintain the agency’s IT roadmap for corporate IT products and systems, such as incorporation of new technologies and infrastructure upgrades, largely achieved by working with Defra DDTS and APHA Projects and Change to prioritise, order and sequence the implementation of the right projects and upgrades.
IT Operations
- Curate and maintain the relevant application service knowledge to ensure the smooth running of corporate IT services and APHA applications in terms of resolving issues, raising requests and operating the applications efficiently. Gathering input from business and technical subject matter experts, as required, to create accurate and informative knowledge.
- Act as an interface between DDTS and APHA staff on IT service escalations about operational issues that are of a complex nature or require support to resolve, respond to queries from within APHA or within Defra DDTS about how corporate IT services work or how APHA uses them, raise complex requests requiring specialist input or management and help provide an overall single point of contact function between APHA and Defra DDTS about operational services.
- Identify and resolve operational risks and issues around IT applications in partnership with IT delivery partners. Working closely with APHA’s IT Strategy and Governance function to ensure risks and issues are captured within the appropriate governance forums and managed through the correct processes.
- Support the IT response to major incidents, helping the business and DDTS to understand the service impacts, supporting post incident reviews and working with DDTS to deliver mitigation measures to prevent reoccurrence.
Leadership and Management
- Manage and co-ordinate work across a number of sections, function or geographic locations, as required, ensuring alignment with the Agency’s strategic objectives and goals.
- Monitor own and team’s performance, take action as required to keep work on track and maintain high standards of performance.
- Be responsible for leading the professional and skills development of team members, as required.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and alignment with APHA’s objectives.
- Work collaboratively with team members and other departments to achieve common goals.
- Build communities of interest for IT business applications and databases in line with APHA’s wider IT Governance, establishing best practice, seeking business input and communicating relevant topics such as service knowledge, service improvement, upcoming changes, progress towards resolving risks and issues and more.
- Develop a strong relationship with key DDTS stakeholders to overcome shared challenges and work towards common Defra goals, eliminate any duplication of effort and deliver positive outcomes.
Data Analysis and Reporting
- Play a key role in the development, production and analysis of high quality, accurate and timely data, intelligence, and management information that informs decision making and drive great outcomes for IT services.
- Develop processes and standards to track and analyse data and produce reports, highlighting and anticipating issues and opportunities.
- Maintain MI regarding key IT issues for reporting, identifying supplier issues and informing decision making regarding IT change and service improvements.
Continuous Improvement
- Review existing and embrace / promote new systems, processes and ways of working, ensuring harmonisation across APHA and the wider Defra group, where appropriate.
- Identify opportunities for process improvements and implement changes to enhance service delivery or improve operational. efficiency.
- Develop technical and business expertise about APHA’s applications and the business functions they support, to identify IT service improvements and work with DDTS and stakeholders across the Agency to implement functional or efficiency improvements.
Person specification
We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the following skills and experience:
Experience
- Experience of working in an IT, Digital or Data environment, or acting as a lead/power/super user for business IT/Digital applications, databases.
- Experience working in complex and multi-stakeholder environments to deliver services.
- Working knowledge of core concepts in IT operations and IT change and experience of using this knowledge to provide advice and guidance to more senior grades and those in your team.
- Experience of managing and developing team / professional skills and capabilities.
- Experience of developing, producing and analysing data, intelligence, and management information to inform decision making and drive great outcomes.
- Experience of articulating user requirements for IT/Data systems and translating technical information for non-technical audiences.
- Experience of collaborating with a variety of technical and non-technical stakeholders to deliver new or improve or maintain existing IT and Data services.
Skills and Ability
- The ability to motivate and support teams to achieve high performance.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders and break down complex technical information or processes.
- Ability to persuade and influence senior grades and stakeholders, and to advise and guide more junior employees on complex or contentious issues.
- Excellent planning and organisational abilities, with a keen attention to detail.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to address and resolve issues proactively.
- Adaptable with ability / willingness to embrace change
- Ability to deliver results efficiently in a fast-paced and complex work environment.
Technical
- Working knowledge of key processes in IT change and IT operations.
- Knowledge / understanding of continuous improvement practices.
- IT/Digital Application or Database design, support or development, or similar Power/Lead/Super user or intelligent Digital/IT customer/client experience.
Learning and Development
Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role.
In return for your dedication, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA.
Workplace arrangements
Our Worcester County Hall office is temporarily closed. Candidates based at this location may be asked to work from home until further notice.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Changing and Improving
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Leadership
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- IT/Digital/Data development, design, operational or support experience, or similar Power/Lead/Super user or intelligent customer/client experience.
Benefits
Further benefits offered also include:
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities tailored to your role.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
- Staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme.
- Making it work for you - With so many flexible options, most people can find a work schedule to suit their circumstances.
These are just a few of our benefits we offer. To find out the full range of what we offer refer to the Information Pack attached for more detail.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application Process
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- A full CV.
- A 750 word Personal Statement.
- A 250 word Behaviour Statement for Leadership.
- A 250 word Technical Statement concerning the topic 'Your IT/Digital/Data development, design, operational or support experience, or similar Power/Lead/Super user or intelligent customer/client experience'.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on your experience, behaviours and technical skills.
Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.
For the purposes of the selection process, the Lead Behaviour will be Communicating and Influencing.
Location
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).
Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.
Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.
The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Near miss
Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Defra which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.
Salary
New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
Criminal Record Check
If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check maybe carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/ Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Internal Fraud Database Check
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
NSV
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Higher Security Clearance
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.
All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Medical
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Recruitment Hub Team - Kay Edwards
- Email : recruitment.sdd@apha.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : DEFRARecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
