Job responsibilities
- Assisting the Senior Specialist Engineer to ensure that any hardware, software, operating systems or associated technology is designed, procured and delivered in the most efficient and cost-effective manner and that all resources are used in such a way that maximizes the benefit to UKHSA.
- Work in a collaborative manner with other ICT colleagues to deliver tasks successfully.
- Plan, configure, manage and maintain all hardware and software components of specialist area to deliver optimum system availability to users, and ensuring all supplier provided patches and upgrades to the operating system, database, tools and utilities are applied in a timely manner.
- Maintain the security and integrity of all systems related to specialist area including managing all user access rights and implementation of backup regimes and other disaster recovery procedures.
- Providing technical and administrative support for specialist systems, including the production of system specification documentation and the production of relevant procedures and protocols.
- Monitoring and managing system performance and capacity growth, providing advice on necessary upgrades and replacement of hardware and software so as to maintain the reliability of the systems. Implement hardware changes and upgrades and database upgrades and migrations to maintain system performance and growth capacity.
- Ensuring compliance with UKHSA ICT and other relevant policies.
- To maintain awareness of technical developments and research new technologies with a view to providing advice to the Senior Specialist Engineer on suitable deployment strategies for UKHSA.
- To conduct such work as directed by the Senior Engineer or Team Manager consistently with departmental standards and to agreed timescales.
- Responsible for maintaining own specialist skills with appropriate professional training
- To provide the Senior Specialist Engineer or Team Manager with estimates of effort and timescales for tasks as required.
- Carry out support and service to all customers during the agreed working hours, including any out of hours working.
- To comply with departmental and UKHSA requirements for the reporting of all absences.
- Provide a level of work that adheres to the high standards and best practices in line with the SLAs as agreed with UKHSA Users.
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Essential Criteria:
This is a role that demands detailed knowledge and considerable experience of specialist technologies. Therefore, each candidate must be able to demonstrate qualification and expertise in multiple integral technologies as indicated on the list below.
Extreme Networks and Cisco network equipment.
Network routing and TCP/IP protocols.
Palo Alto Firewalls..
Extreme Networks (or equivalent) wireless access point technologies.
VPN deployment and configuration.
CESG requirements for the implementation, management and administration of secure networks.
Familiarity with CESG Good Practice Guidance.
Understanding of network security principles and practises, data encryption and remote access technologies.
WAN/LAN/WLAN Architectures.
Application deliver controllers and/or load balancing technologies.
- Must have previous experience of undertaking a specialist role and of managing systems for a large user base.
- Ability and experience to speak credibly and authoritatively to technical and non-technical audiences and assimilate technical language quickly and effectively.
- Experience with monitoring a network infrastructure to optimize performance and support capacity planning.
- Clear communicator with excellent writing, report writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences.
- Evidence of excellent customer service skills and a commitment to improving services and performance for end users.
- Ability to analyse and interpret information, pre-empt and evaluate issues, and recommend and appropriate course of action to address the issues.
- Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience with Network Function Virtualisation and Software Defined Network architecture.
- Skills for communication on complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence.
Selection Process
This vacancy is using Civil Service Competencies and will assess your Behaviours and Experience
Stage 1: Application & Sift
As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement / Statement of Suitability in no more than 500 words. We will be assessing essential and desirable criteria at sift
This should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the Experience criteria or the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).
You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history. This will be used in the sifting process and will be scored
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview
Stage 2: Panel Interview
All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed on behaviours / experience / technical / ability through Success Profiles. The interview will be conducted remotely via Teams
When assessing strengths, we want to find out whether you and the job role are a good fit. We will look at what you enjoy doing and what you do well and often. By ensuring that the role is the right fit for you, you are more likely to enjoy it and perform well.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace
Reserve List:
Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.
If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.
DBS - People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is BPSS however there may be a requirement for this role to be SC cleared and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.
This role is Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants. Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of theEuropean Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Government baseline personnel security standard
Its important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:
- life sentences
- arson
- sexual offences
- hate and terror offences
Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role
Contact Details Sophie.Rigney@reed.com
