IT Solutions Analyst

Job summary

What you’ll do…

The Forestry England IT Team provide systems, services and capabilities to over 2000 staff, across a broad range of business functions. The team consists of highly-skilled IT professionals, with the Applications and Solutions Team providing expert knowledge to the wider organisation in fulfilling their IT ambitions.

This is a hands on role responsible for:

• Supporting business analysis and case development to progress solutions.

• Innovative solutions using new and emerging technologies.

• Oversight and managed development of existing core application stacks.

• Systems, data, and AI integration across the organisation.

You will champion maximising use and adoption of existing and emerging technologies. Help us foster a culture of innovation, bridging the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders. You will identify insights on emerging technology trends and lead experiments to evaluate the feasibility and potential impact of integration, automation, and technologies for our business.

Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.

Where you’ll work…

The National IT Team is based in Bristol though the option of working from other Forestry England Offices would be considered. If based elsewhere, you would be required to able to attend our north Bristol office approx twice per month for meetings and working sessions

This is a blended working role which is required to work from a Forestry England office 2 days per week as agreed with line manager.

You may occasionally be required to attend training and make planned site visits across England with some overnight stays.

You will be required to participate in planned on call rotas and other infrequent out of hours work may be necessary, e.g. supporting resolution of incidents.

Job description

Key work areas: responsibilities & accountabilities
•Managing and leading the whole lifecycle of Business Solutions, from business analysis research, scoping, design, product evaluation, supporting procurement, implementation, testing; through to transition to business as usual support and maintenance. Frequently partnering with SMEs, working groups and third-party technology suppliers to enable professional and effective delivery.
•Managing and supporting colleagues within your area and from within project teams to help deliver work across the organisation, with a focus on improving and tailoring end-user application functionality within core productivity systems and applications to meet specific business needs. User application functionality within core systems to meet specific business needs.
•Guiding and advising other areas of the Forestry Commission with their planning, development, implementation and delivery of IT systems and services specific to their requirements. Managing implementation from an IT perspective to enable successful delivery of new systems either in house developed or externally procured.
•Playing an active role concerning incident response, disaster recovery and Business Continuity efforts.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience
Essential Professional and Technical experience
•Good familiarity with cloud services and infrastructure, in particular: Microsoft enterprise technologies (365, Cloud, server, client, UC)
•Application service provision & development (Power Platform, Power BI Dynamics) and integration of bespoke applications and services; experience of APIs, integration/connector tools/services, scripting tools such as PowerShell an advantage.
•AI experience an advantage, e.g. generative AI, Machine Learning, Python scripting, Microsoft Azure OpenAI, AI Builder, CoPilot.
•SQL, data analysis, experience working with broad and varied datasets, maintaining data
stores. Reporting and dashboard tools, SharePoint.
•Managing 3rd party application development.
•Undertake structured analysis of business problems and challenges, translating into technical designs and solutions. Provide technical and financial estimate input into proposal documents. Guiding/advising procurement activities as required.
•Forge relationships and demonstrate teamwork with colleagues, business functions, IT and non-IT stakeholders, and 3rd parties (suppliers, vendors, partners). Able to work with other Solutions, System, Security, Service Delivery, and Business Partnership colleagues to work to positive outcomes.
•Work with IT colleagues on the resolution of escalated IT technical issues to timely and positive outcomes to required standards.
•Playing an active role within Disaster Recovery and incident response including supporting
resolution of IT/Cyber Security incidents.
Desirable Professional and Technical experience
•Client-side peripherals and devices (Dell, Apple mobile devices, Canon MFD).
•Python and PowerShell scripting.
•ITIL, ITSM, Halo Service Management including development of HaloITSM.
•Networking technologies.
•Technologies lifecycles standards and delivery best practices, e.g. Agile, SDLC, project management.
•Familiarity with HM Government security and assurance frameworks and standards such as GovAssure, Government Functional Standards, SecureByDesign.
•Awareness of Artificial Intelligence, it's use in government settings, and the associated risks.
•Understanding and experience of data, knowledge and information management principles and concepts.
•Track-record of the ability to influence and guide senior leadership on strategy direction and delivery.
•Ownership of personal development.
As a guide you will be an inspiring, engaging, approachable, enthusiastic, and capable IT professional and team player. Someone with a genuine interest in IT and demonstrating a strong focus on people skills, accountability and pride in your work. Working within defined policy and process where required but also comfortable working under own initiative with strong autonomy to manage your own workload and that of others effectively. Working across other teams and with various stakeholders and third-parties to solve problems effectively is essential. You will have a ‘can do’ attitude toward challenges that may sometimes be outside of normal scope of working. You must be a good communicator - listening, influencing and negotiating outcomes; and able to speak, write, and guide concisely and articulately. Able to understand and communicate issues, challenges, and opportunities back to the wider IT team. Highly must be organised, with excellent attention to detail and a proactive and pragmatic can-do attitude.
Most importantly, you will be enthused by technology. Conversant with modern computing paradigms and always curious and driven to learn more and applying this to your work.

Qualifications
Essential
•An IT related qualification at Level 5/degree and/or 3 - 5 years’ experience working within an enterprise IT environment.
Desirable
•Microsoft AZ900 or equivalent.
•ITIL v4.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• You will be assessed on Technical skills at interview

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,388, Forestry Commission contributes £11,700 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Technical skills.

How to apply…

You will be asked to write a 200 word statement on your relevant experience and career history, along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words. You will be assessed on both during sifting. More details about how to apply are listed on the application form.

You will be assessed on a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

If you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you've read our guidelines here first.

Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : FC Recruitment Team
• Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FCE by email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.

Attachments

Forestry England Job Description - IT Solutions Analyst PB4 Opens in new window (pdf, 126kB)