IS Project Leader

QUALIFICATIONS

CHARACTER

Candidates shall be of good character.

HEALTH

Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, ETC.

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms, have:

• A qualification at Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major awards (i.e. honours degree) in a relevant computing discipline and at least 4 years of directly relevant, recent ICT hands-on experience from employment to date;

OR

• A qualification at Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major awards (i.e. honours degree) with Computing taken in the final year and at least 5 years of directly relevant, recent ICT hands-on experience from employment to date;

OR

• A qualification at Level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major awards (i.e. ordinary degree) in a relevant computing discipline and at least 5 years of directly relevant, recent ICT hands-on experience from employment to date;

OR

• A qualification at Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major awards in a relevant computing discipline and at least 6 years of directly relevant, recent ICT hands-on experience from employment to date.

AND

• Have a satisfactory knowledge of public service organisation or the ability to acquire such knowledge.

Relevant ICT hands-on experience should include, but is not limited to:

• Managing delivery of digital solutions
• Enterprise architecture
• Software and applications development projects involving a range of technologies and platforms
• Web development
• Data management
• Database administration
• Business analysis and discovery
• Business intelligence and data analytics
• DevOps
• Technical infrastructure service design and delivery
• Server and client operating systems and architecture stacks
• Telecommunications and networking infrastructure delivery support
• Technical support
• ICT service management
• Operations and server support
• ICT/Cyber security
• Mobile device management
• Virtualisation delivery support
• Database and application support
• Cloud computing

CITIZENSHIP

Candidates must, by the date of any job offer, be:

• A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or
• A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK); or
• A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or
• A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA, UK or Swiss citizen and has a Stamp 4 visa; or
• A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or any family member entitled to remain in the State as a result of family reunification and has a Stamp 4 visa; or
• A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EEA Member State, the UK or Switzerland and has a Stamp 4 visa.

PERSON PROFILEDUTIES

The duties of the post shall be to give to the local authority, under the direction and supervision of its appropriate employee, such services of an executive, supervisory and advisory nature as are required for the exercise and performance of any of its powers and duties and shall include the duty of deputising for other employees of the local authority, when required, and such duties as may be required in relation to the area of any other local authority.

The principal duties and responsibilities will be to perform the duties appropriate to the post of IS Project Leader that may be assigned by the Head of Information Systems. Whilst the IS Project Leader role is a team leading/managerial position in the ICT Department, a key requirement of the successful candidate will be that they have significant, recent, demonstrable skills in continuous improvement, application support and the Microsoft 365 suite, both from an implementation and support perspective.

The role currently being recruited will have initial assignment to the Council's Systems Development and Applications Support Team. Assignment may vary from time to time depending on organisational and operational priorities.

The role will have key responsibilities in the following areas:

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Assisting the Head of Information Systems and the Management Team in developing and implementing ICT strategies.
• Lead strategic initiatives aligned with delivering the Council's Corporate Plan objectives and supporting national digital strategies.
• Input into the IS Department budgeting and service delivery planning.
• Represent the IS Department on internal and external forums.

Project & Portfolio Management

• Manage end-to-end delivery of multidisciplinary ICT projects.
• Manage project teams, timelines, budgets and stakeholder communication.
• Manage procurement and contract management for ICT solutions in the area of responsibility.

Functional Area Oversight

Provide leadership, expert advice and best practice across one or more of the following areas:

• Business systems and applications support.
• Application development and integration.
• Digital transformation, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Microsoft 365 Suite: administration and support of SharePoint, SQL Server databases and Purview.

Operational Delivery & Support

• Ensure high-quality ICT service delivery across the organisation.
• Assist with Disaster Recovery planning.
• Develop and maintain SLAs, relationships with vendors and service providers, and support contracts.
• Promote continuous improvement, innovation and efficiencies.
• Deputise for other employees of the local authority when required.

Governance, Compliance & Policy

• Assist in the development and review of ICT policies.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR, data protection and public sector regulations.
• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety policies and procedures.

People Management & Development

• Manage staff, including IS Analyst Developers and IS Technical Support Officers.
• Manage performance and staff development to ensure that the appropriate skill sets are in place to meet current and future needs.

Due to the dynamic nature of the ICT environment and the pace of change of systems and equipment, allied to the constantly developing business requirements within Wexford County Council, all ICT Section posts require flexibility to work on other ICT areas should circumstances change.

While the listing above sets out core components related to this post, staff may be required to undertake IS work at a similar level in other areas of the ICT Department structure.

Desirables

• Proven recent experience in designing and delivering innovative, secure, resilient and scalable digital solutions that meet organisational and user needs.
• Ability to take existing business processes and successfully manage their transition to digital solutions, ideally through experience with an electronic document management solution.
• Excellent project management capabilities.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Power Platform and CRM (low-code solutions), SQL Server Database, Microsoft 365 and APIs.
• Technical proficiency and hands-on experience in the implementation, configuration and support of Microsoft Power Platform and SharePoint technologies.
• Ability to deliver results on time and to a high standard.
• Strong analytical skills to identify issues, determine causes and implement effective solutions swiftly.
• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills and the ability to see issues through to resolution.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to establish positive relationships with Council staff, Councillors, partners, external agencies and suppliers.
• Well-developed presentation and negotiation skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and confidently with staff and stakeholders, both orally and in writing.
• Excellent analytical and organisational skills.
• Proactive, takes ownership, self-starting and able to follow through without supervision.
• Confidence in own abilities, with the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Commitment to self-development and enthusiasm for acquiring new skills and embracing new technologies, including supporting bespoke digital application development and support.

Candidates Must Also

• Have excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
• Possess strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Be competent in identifying potential risks and developing mitigation strategies to prevent disruptions.
• Demonstrate a proven ability to collaborate and work as part of a team.
• Be capable of providing high-quality IT services and support.
• Have satisfactory knowledge of Local Government in Ireland.
• Have the knowledge and ability to discharge the duties of the post concerned.
• Be suitable in all other relevant respects for appointment to the post concerned.

Candidates, if successful, will not be appointed to the post unless they:

• Agree to undertake the duties attached to the post and accept the conditions under which the duties are, or may be required to be performed.
• Are fully competent and available to undertake, and fully capable of undertaking, the duties attached to the position.

COMPETENCIES FOR THE POST

Key Competencies for the post include the following, and candidates will be expected to demonstrate sufficient evidence within their application form of competence under each of these.

Please take particular note of these when completing the application form, as any short-listing or interview processes will be based on the information provided by candidates.

For each competency, candidates should describe a specific situation from their own experience that best demonstrates how they meet that competency. Each example must be recent (within 5 years) and based on a concrete experience rather than a general or theoretical description.

Management and Change

• Clear understanding of the political reality and context of Wexford County Council.
• Ability to think strategically and align team goals with organisational needs.
• Embeds good governance practices into day-to-day activities, practices and processes.
• Establishes, develops and maintains positive and productive professional relationships internally and externally to enhance service delivery.
• Effectively manages change, fosters a culture of creativity in employees and overcomes resistance to change.

Delivering Results

• Develops operational and team plans having regard to corporate priorities, operational objectives and available resources.
• Acts decisively and makes timely, informed and effective decisions, pinpointing critical information and addressing issues logically.
• Practices and promotes a strong focus on delivering high-quality customer service for internal and external customers.
• Proactively identifies areas for improvement and develops practical suggestions for implementation.
• Ensures compliance with legislation, regulations and procedures.

Performance Through People

• Leads by example to motivate staff in delivering high-quality outcomes and customer service.
• Works with the team to facilitate high performance, developing clear and realistic objectives to ensure the corporate policies and strategies of Wexford County Council are delivered.
• Effectively manages the performance of individuals and teams to achieve operational plans, targets and objectives.
• Places high importance on staff development, training and maximising the skills and capacity of the team.
• Demonstrates an excellent level of verbal and written communication skills.
• Acts as an effective link between staff and senior management.

Personal Effectiveness

• Does more than is required or expected, anticipates situations and acts to pre-empt problems while creating new opportunities.
• Strives to perform at a high level, investing significant energy to achieve agreed objectives.
• Demonstrates appropriate and positive self-confidence.
• Operates effectively in an environment with significant complexity and pace.
• Has high levels of expertise and broad Local Authority knowledge relevant to his/her area.

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