Systems Developer - Castle Point Borough Council

Why Castle Point? Castle Point Borough Council is a statutory body responsible for employing nearly 350 staff, and delivering over 150 council services, both statutory and for the community's well-being and benefit. Castle Point Borough Council aims to provide high-quality and financially sustainable services while prioritising outstanding customer service, transparency in decision-making, and promoting local democracy. Additionally, the council seeks to transform, modernize, and improve its performance, as well as support and enable the communities within its jurisdiction to be strong, healthy, and thriving.

Our values: Trust, Respect, Improving and Learning, and Customer Focus

Overall, this role is responsible for ensuring the effective governance and performance of the organisation at operational level to support the development and delivery of high-quality services.

Key Responsibilities:

This role involves the development, maintenance, and support of IT systems. Key responsibilities include:

• System Development and Configuration: Designing, developing, and configuring systems to meet business and statutory requirements.

• System Security and Integrity: Implementing and maintaining robust security measures to protect system data and prevent unauthorised access.

• Project Management: Managing IT system development and integration projects, ensuring timely delivery and adherence to project plans.

• Technical Support: Providing technical support to users, troubleshooting system problems, and implementing software patches and updates.

• Data Analysis and Reporting: Designing, developing, and maintaining reports and data extracts to support decision-making and regulatory requirements.

• System Optimisation: Monitoring and optimising system performance to ensure efficient and effective operations.

• Stakeholder Management: Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, including suppliers and business users, to gather requirements, provide technical guidance, and resolve issues.

• Training and Development: Training and mentoring team members to enhance their skills and knowledge in IT systems.

• Representation: Representing the organisation at industry events and conferences to share best practices and promote continuous improvement.

Accountabilities

Develop and implement changes to IT systems through working with suppliers and internal colleagues to design, develop and configure IT systems to meet business and statutory requirements, using established project management techniques where appropriate.

Develop and maintain system documentation to support system operation and ensure all design and development work is documented appropriately, including effective change control processes.

Ensure that procedure guides and training are provided to staff as appropriate.

Monitor and critically analyse key processes and systems to ensure they are optimised to enable efficient and effective performance at all times.

Maintain adequate internal controls for the security and integrity of the systems, ensuring that fraud and other losses are prevented.

Design and develop bespoke, ad hoc and routine performance data, management information reports and statutory returns from IT systems, undertaking a range of quality assurance checks to ensure accuracy of the data.

To control and maintain a range of routine and automated tasks from IT systems across the Council.

Ensure patches and new releases provided by software suppliers are researched, tested and installed.

Develop and manage any interfaces with other systems, ensuring that relevant processes and procedures are carried out to ensure data flows and system design is validated and fit for purpose in conjunction with IT colleagues and suppliers.

This role has a focus on system development of our Revenues and Benefits software, CIVICA. We would be interested from hearing from candidates who have a background in other Revenue and Benefits systems.

Systems support and development for issues identified by users:

• Ensure accurate records of incidents and requests are recorded and investigated and reported to the software supplier as required; and
• Configure, develop or test fixes provided by the supplier and load onto the systems following governance and change control whilst maintaining technical documentation.

Represent the Council at IT-related partnership meetings, including IT supplier User Groups, Account Management meetings and relevant sub-groups of the Essex Online Partnership

Deputise for IT Business Partners, when required.

Support and mentoring to the IT Advisor, IT Support Executive and IT Apprentice

The Experience You Will Bring

• Ability to think originally and creatively and to work as part of a team to provide innovative, effective and achievable IT-based solutions to support service delivery.
• Developed organisational and prioritisation skills, proven ability to take the initiative and identify and address changing and conflicting priorities whilst meeting tight deadlines.
• Ability to convey technical concepts in a clear, understandable way, breaking down complex information for non-technical audiences.
• Excellent verbal and numerical reasoning skills; able to communicate effectively at all levels both orally and in writing.
• Strong customer service ethos, ensuring client satisfaction and positive interactions
• Level 4 qualification or equivalent by experience
• Well-developed understanding of IT systems, networks, and security best practices.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies and their potential applications.
• Knowledge of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and their application to IT systems
• Knowledge of operation of standard IT equipment plus proficiency in the MS Office suite of programmes, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Castle Point Borough Council is proud to be a disability confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

Castle Point Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.