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JOB APPLICATION

PACK

Job Title: Support Analyst/Programmer – Web Services

Department: ICT Location: Twickenham

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Dear Candidate Thank you for your interest in working for Thames Valley Housing. In this pack you find the Job Description and Person Specification for the role you are applying for. We encourage you to read the guidance notes and fill in the application form carefully. The criteria set out in the person specification contains all the competencies for this role and will be assessed at different stages of the selection process. Please see the guidance notes for further information on this. Thames Valley Housing is a user of the government’s “two ticks” disability symbol, which recognises organisations that are positive towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the short-listing criteria are guaranteed an interview. I hope that you find the job description interesting and decide to apply. I wish you success and we look forward to receiving your application form. Thames Valley Housing Recruitment Tel: 0300 456 2929 Email: recruitment@tvha.co.uk Web: www.tvha.co.uk/careers

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CONTENTS Guidance Notes for Applicants………………………………………………………………………………….4 Job Advert………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Job Description…………………………………………………………………………………………………………8 Person Specification…………………………………………………………………………………………………11 Our Competency Framework……………………………………………………………………………………14

Appendix 1……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15

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GUIDANCE NOTES FOR APPLICANTS

Before you complete your application

Please read the job application pack before you apply online for the position - this contains

all the information you need to decide whether the job is right for you.

Read through the job description and person specification – they are the best places to find

out exactly what experience, skills and competencies you need to be successful in the role.

The person specification highlights the competencies we want to asses as part of our

recruitment process. Our competency framework is at the back of this pack.

You’ll need to prepare a CV – we ask you to upload your CV as a Word document as part of

our online application form.

Completing your application

When you’re ready to apply, click ‘Apply here’ at the bottom of the job advert for the position

you’re interested in and complete the online form.

We’ll ask you about your skills and competencies – as well as your CV, we’ll also ask you to

upload a personal statement or answer some questions online about how your skills and

experience match the essential criteria and competencies in the person specification.

You’ll need two good references - we will ask for contact details for your references in the

online application, but we won’t contact them until the offer stage. Your references should be:

- Your current employer. If you are unemployed, this will be your most recent

employer. This will be someone senior to you who can assess your work for us, not a

colleague or friend at work.

- A previous employer or someone with a senior role who can vouch for you.

We’ll ask you for some personal information to help us monitor diversity and equality – the

only people who will see this information are the HR team who will use it for equal

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opportunities monitoring purposes. It will be treated in the strictest confidence and does not

form part of the selection process.

What happens next?

Assessments/Interviews

Our Recruitment team will contact you a few days after the application closing date if your

application has been short-listed. We will invite you to a competency-based interview, and ask you to

complete some tests. These could be ability tests, written exercises, job-related tests, psychometric

tests or IT tests. We will also let you know if you have not been shortlisted this time.

Driving

If the job needs you to drive, we will need to see your driving license.

DBS check

For some jobs we will need to carry out a Disclosure & Barring Service check. We’ll say so in the job

description if that’s the case.

Eligibility to work in the UK

It’s against the law for us to take on people who do not have the right to work here. If we offer you a

job, we will ask you to prove this to us. We’ll send you a list of documents you can use for this.

Data Protection

By law, we have to let you know that we keep the personal information about you that you put in a

job application. When you sign and send an application in, we take this to mean that you are giving us

permission to keep it, and to use it to get in touch with you, if we find a job we think would suit you in

the following six months.

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Your Views

We’re happy to hear from you. We want to improve our recruitment, so please complete the

Recruitment Survey. https://tvhahr.wufoo.eu/forms/recruitment-what-was-your-experience/

Getting in touch

If you have any questions or problems at any stage of your application, please do get in touch with

our recruitment team on recruitment@tvha.co.uk.

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JOB ADVERT

SUPPORT ANALYST / PROGRAMMER - WEB SERVICES Location: Twickenham

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: £44,700 per annum

Hours: 35 hours per week

Closing date: 27 June 2016, Midnight

Interview & Assessment Date: 6 July 2016

About the role

We are currently looking to recruit an experienced Support Analyst / Programmer – Web services, to provide first and second line support on our critical web services and associated interfaces.

You will be providing ongoing support to the APIs that have been developed for our Repairs, MyTVH and Service Charges (MySCH) web services, along with managing and implementing any enhancements to web services, with minimal disruption to live services.

About you

You must have the following:

Graduate with a degree in computer related or numerate subject

Good working knowledge of C# .NET

Must understand and be able to support SOAP and Restful web services

Experience of working with HTML and JavaScript & exposure to developing applications in Angular

Knowledge of relational databases

Experience of working either as a web developer or support analyst

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JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Support Analyst/Programmer – Web services Department: ICT Location: Twickenham Responsible to: Business Systems Manager

Family tree (clearly showing the responsibilities for and to particular managers)

Main purpose of the job Member of the Business Systems support team that provides day-to-day support to our core housing management, document management, and mobile working applications. The existing estate comprises: Universal Housing/Contact Manager; a document Management system based on BancTec scanning and workflow; a Mobile Working system, 1st Touch. There are various other SQL database systems such as Keystone Asset management, HR, Sales and Finance systems; and associated interfaces. Principal accountabilities expected of the post holder You will also provide in-house first and second line of support on our critical repairs web service with the associated interfaces that utilise WCF (Soap) and the new Service Charges Application MyTVH

Head of ICT

Infrastructure Manager

Infrastructure Technical Architect

Infrastructure Delivery Manager

ICT Technician

(x4)

Business Systems Manager

Support Anal/Prog -

Web services

Support Analyst/Prog

Support

Analyst/ Proj Mgr

(Housing x2)

Support Analyst/Proj

Mgr

(Finance)

Project Manager

(Housing)

Business Analyst

Developer

Project Manager (Ser

Chrg)

Developer

ICT Administrator

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that is developed using WebApi (Rest). This will include the on-going support of the APIs that have been developed for our Repairs and MySCH web services and stored procedures. The following skillset is essential:

Able to support our in-house web services

Working with complex applications

Proven analytical skills and strong attention to detail

Designing and planning of user acceptance tests (UAT)

Manage and prioritise the Helpdesk Queues, diagnose calls, covering both systems and interfaces

Manage Production Release Process

Coordinating efforts with database administrators and the infrastructure team

Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a wide range of stakeholders and colleagues

Manage and implement any enhancements to web services with minimal disruption to the live services.

Provide Technical Expertise to the Business on new Business initiatives Promote the work of the ICT Business Systems team on The OC (the TVH intranet). Work with colleagues in the infrastructure team to ensure appropriate resources are available for hosting new systems. Develop test plans to ensure full user acceptance testing is carried out before deploying to live environment. This will include a range of detailed interface testing.

Main contacts which the post holder has within and outside the organisation

All ICT users including senior managers ,Software user groups, Vendor support staff and consultants, Independent consultants

Other Work as part of a rota ensuring Business systems cover is provided daily during office core hours (9:00am to 5.00pm) Undertake after-hours/ weekend work as required (with time off in lieu)

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Ensure activities (support, database management, and development) cause minimal business disruption and are properly documented Contribute to communication of major incidents to users. To carry out other duties as may be reasonably assigned from time to time by the Business Systems Manager. Such duties are confirmed to be compatible with the level of this job description.

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PERSON SPECIFICATION

Role: Support Analyst/Programmer – Web Services

Department: ICT

Knowledge, Experience & Skills

Essential Good working knowledge of C# .NET Must understand and be able to support SOAP and Restful web services Experience of working with HTML and JavaScript Exposure to developing applications in Angular Knowledge of relational databases Experience of working either as a web developer or support analyst Good working knowledge of all MS Office Products Effective communicator at all levels Desirable Knowledge of Microsoft BIDS – SSIS / SSRS Exposure to WCF especially in the use of interfaces Good working knowledge of SQL Server 2008/12 Familiar with source control libraries such as GIT A good knowledge of other web technologies Knowledge of cloud computing including AWS Some knowledge of Linux / Windows server management Knowledge of Citrix and experience of working with Virtual environments

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Experience of responding to calls and documenting resolution using a helpdesk system

Qualifications Graduate with a degree in computer related or numerate subject

Competencies (highlighted in Red assessed by personal statement and at interview)

Core (refer to Competency Framework guidelines to determine appropriate definition)

Applied Thinking Recommends improvements to processes and services at a team level by analysing patterns and trends from information Results Focused Uses Directorate/Department objectives to identify team KPIs to drive service delivery and meet goals Planning and Organising Delivers the project plan/department objectives to plan and budget Initiative and Innovation Develops and implements initiatives at a local level Working Together Involves others to work towards shared goals and objectives Managing Relationships Builds positive and reciprocal relationships that benefit the Association Continuous Improvement Delivers improvement at a team level Customer Driven Plans and organises delivery of customer service OTHER Commitment to Equal Opportunities and Health & Safety

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LIVING AND DELIVERING THE CORPORATE VALUES

Think Forward – Question how we do things. Think Ahead. Innovate Think We – Let’s work together to achieve our shared goals. Think Openly – Let’s be transparent and true to our word. Think With Compassion – Offer your time and support. Act with empathy and understanding. Think With Energy – Be passionate about delivering great customer service and making things happen

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OUR COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK

What are Competencies and how are they used?

A competency is an ability, skill, knowledge or trait that is needed for the successful performance of a job. It is often defined in terms of behaviours. Overall, competencies are a set of behaviours that an individual must possess in order to perform to the optimum level within that role. When used properly, and in conjunction with other working practices and procedures, competencies can ensure fairness, openness and equality in the way we recruit staff, select people for training, identify clear development paths and promote people. The Competency Framework contains a total of ten competencies and it is considered that to carry out a role at a particular level an individual should possess those competencies that are ‘Core’ for that level. The depth of which these core competencies are required will vary according to each role. Core competencies are far broader in their application and apply to all jobs within TVH. This document details the core competencies which TVH recognises as necessary. The person specification highlights the competencies we want to assess as part of our recruitment process, but the following areas are important all of the time.

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Name Definition Level Descriptors

1 Applied Thinking Makes use of relevant information to resolve problems, identify opportunities and reach appropriate solutions.

Leader Identifies new business opportunities by evaluating company performance from a range of information

Expert Sets Directorate/Departmental priorities by developing solutions to support the business plan

Professional Recommends improvements to processes and services at a team level by analysing patterns and trends from information

Vocational Solves basic problems within clearly laid out policies and procedures

2 Results Focused – “Getting things done”

Achieves successful delivery of tasks and objectives by effectively managing others or taking direct action.

Leader Sets the performance framework for the organisation to meet corporate goals, achieve results and champions improvements

Expert Sets the performance framework for the Directorate/Department to meet objectives, KPIs and continuously seeks improvements in delivery

Professional Uses Directorate/Department objectives to identify team KPIs to drive service delivery and meet goals

Vocational Takes responsibility for achieving individual objectives and contributing to team targets

3 Planning and Organising Plans and organises work and activities to meet objectives whilst achieving quality and value for money.

Leader Structures the business plan to deliver key objectives while allocating appropriate resources

Expert Develops project plans and identifies departmental activities and resources required to meet organisational goals

Professional Delivers the project plan/departmental objectives to plan and budget

Vocational Contributes to the team/project objectives by effectively setting own work plan and prioritising key tasks

4 Initiative and Innovation Takes a creative approach to work by formulating new ideas or adapting existing ideas in a new or unexpected way to create opportunities.

Leader Develops ways of capturing innovation and creativity across the organisation and delivers through others

Expert Plans and implements new ideas in the long to medium term and takes the lead in delivering change within Directorate

Professional Develops and implements initiatives at a local level

Vocational Addresses current opportunities by improving and adapting existing approaches

Appendix 1

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Name Definition Level Descriptors

5 Working Together Works co-operatively and flexibly across cultures and organisational boundaries to achieve shared goals

Leader Creates a positive team working environment

Expert Builds the team to deliver a high quality service

Professional Involves others to work towards shared goals and objectives

Vocational Works co-operatively with other members of the team and direct customers

6 Managing Relationships (Influencing, persuading and negotiating)

Builds and maintains relationships to achieve positive outcomes for the Association

Leader Extends networks and uses indirect influence to build external relationships to achieve long term strategic organisational goals

Expert Maintains networks and plans impact

Professional Builds positive and reciprocal relationships that benefit the Association

Vocational Builds rapport with colleagues and direct customers/suppliers

7 Continuous Improvement (Striving for Excellence)

Looks for opportunities to improve (self, products and/or services)

Leader Creates a continuous improvement environment

Expert Drives Departmental activity to continuously improve systems and processes

Professional Delivers improvements at a team level

Vocational Drives self to deliver results and aspirations

8 Customer Driven Provides an excellent service to all customers

Leader Develops the strategy to meet the long term interests and aspirations of customers

Expert Champions and promotes the delivery of quality service to all customers

Professional Plans and organises delivery of customer service

Vocational Delivers a high quality service

9 Commercial Awareness Understands relationship of operational issues to wider business context

Leader Defines and develops TVH’s commercial objectives to maximise the organisation’s financial wellbeing

Expert Delivers the commercial objectives

Professional Understands the purpose and content of the Corporate business plan

Vocational Demonstrates awareness of commercial aspects of the business

10 Leadership (Developing and Managing People)

Inspires and motivates others to develop confidence and capability to

Leader Leads the organisations to deliver high performance

Expert Is a role model for effective leadership

Appendix 1

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Name Definition Level Descriptors

realise their full potential Professional Supports team development

Vocational Gives basic direction and instruction

Appendix 1

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