Head of Systems Support and Maintenance

Grade 9

The Head of Systems Support and Maintenance role is one of the four senior management roles in the Software Solutions group which sits within IT Services. Software Solutions is responsible for the delivery and subsequent enhancement of the University's business critical software applications and several services that facilitate and disseminate research, support teaching and learning, increase access to museums and collections, and facilitate and optimise internal administration. The activities undertaken in the group include consultation, design, development, implementation and third level support of software packages, bespoke software solutions and web applications in line with the University’s software, data and interfacing architecture standards. Software Solutions works closely with Admin IT Group, Academic IT Group, Infrastructure Services Group, and other groups as required, across all programmes and projects to deliver software solutions and subsequent enhancements and upgrades.

Following the formation of IT Services, Software Solutions is re-organising itself in order to create appropriate focus and enhance its capability to deliver its objectives. The Head of Systems Support and Maintenance is a new role with responsibility for the support and maintenance activities in all the technologies that Software Solutions utilises. Currently our system landscape is underpinned by varying technologies, including different coding languages (including PL/SQL, Java, PHP, Python, MS Dynamics), different databases (including Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL), and different operating systems (including UNIX, Linux, MS Windows). The Head of Systems Support and Maintenance will be accountable for providing third line support and maintenance for all the applications Software Solutions is responsible for, such that we ensure the continuation and enhancement of their operational effectiveness. In addition this role will have some strategic aspect too. The Head of Systems Support and Maintenance will be responsible for capturing and evaluating support trends for each major application and cluster of applications and to assess their health. This information will be critical in the development of road maps for the portfolio of applications.

Essential selection criteria

  • Education to degree level in a computing or IT-related subject or able to offer the equivalent in terms of professional training and experience
  • A strong understanding of the full life cycle of software development gained from previous employment in a commercial software development environment or major software implementation project
  • Knowledge and understanding of
    • Microsoft technologies (Dynamics CRM, BizTalk, SharePoint, SQL Server, Reporting and Analysis Services, C#, .Net and ASP)
    • Oracle, web and open source technologies
  • A ‘Can do/Make it happen’ attitude, taking ownership of issues and offering and implementing steps to resolve them
  • Knowledge and experience of implementing standards and quality assurance in delivering software solutions
  • Experience of managing, motivating and developing a technical development team
  • A proven track record of experience in systems analysis, relational database design, software design and the development of Oracle and Microsoft systems
  • The ability to maintain and develop good technical knowledge of ICT innovations and strategic technical direction
  • An aptitude for planning, resource allocation and problem solving
  • The ability to plan and manage resources across multiple activities to meet agreed deadlines
  • The ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with support centre staff, business users and other colleagues within IT Services and the wider University
  • The ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical colleagues at all levels in both verbal and written communications

Desirable selection criteria

  • Experience of working in the higher education sector

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