Senior Specialist - Power Platform

Any Core HQs: Birmingham / Leeds / Liverpool / London (Canary Wharf) Job Summary Job overview We’re recruiting for a Senior Specialist Engineer here at UKHSA, to be part of our warm and collaborative Communication and End User Services (CEUS) team. Within UKHSA, Senior Specialist Engineers are broadly equivalent to industry-standard 3rd line engineering roles. They are responsible for ensuring technical excellence in their field of specialism and ensuring that all systems are optimally configured to provide a high-quality service to UKHSA users. They are responsible for ensuring that all resources are used efficiently and that the service delivered is reliable, cost effective and fit for purpose. This role will specialise in Microsoft Power Platform: Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI; across the organisation along with other related Microsoft technologies as highlighted below. This is a platform support role, rather than a software development role. You will work with the Team Manager to ensure that there is a clear strategy for the delivery of their specialist systems, supported by an appropriate plan for delivery and that this plan is adequately resourced and rigorously delivered. You will take on responsibility for your specialist system and must ensure a consistent level of availability and performance. For Software as a Service solution such as the Power Platform, this translates to ensuring evergreen platform changes and their impacts are well understood. Working for your organisation We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of 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. Job Description Main duties of the job & Detailed job description and main responsibilities You will act as a point of expertise for your specialist area and will provide advice, guidance and training as required, especially where this improves or enhances the service provided to end users. You will also respond to incidents and outages and take necessary steps to secure the service and minimise disruption to the UKHSA business areas. • Lead and support the design and architecture of Microsoft Power Platform services (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Virtual Agents, CoE, APIs, Connectors, DLP, Environments, Dataverse) • Stay updated on standards, practices, the product roadmap and wider technical developments, sharing appropriate insights with the team. • Implement best practices and ensure adherence to specified security and governance frameworks • Integrate Power Platform solutions with existing systems, data sources, and third-party services, developing connectors and APIs for seamless communication • Oversee deployment and configuration of Power Platform environments, implementing automation solutions to an appropriate level whilst maintaining a user-centric approach • Optimise environments for performance, scalability, security and reliability through tuning, capacity planning, and resource optimization • Supervise specialist engineers and collaborate with wider Technology colleagues. • Ensure product licenses are appropriately provisioned and utilized • Maintain security and integrity of systems, own the disaster recovery controls and process • Provide technical and administrative support, including documentation and procedures • Collaborate and knowledge share with team members to ensure support levels are adhered to • Conduct work as directed, maintaining professional skills and providing estimates for tasks • Use initiative to achieve defined goals and adherence to defined SLAs, OLA’s and KPI’s If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply! Professional development You should pursue continuous professional development in line with relevant standards and service requirements. We offer interesting work, the latest technologies, expert support, and excellent training. Plus, enjoy flexible working, an inclusive culture, and a workplace where your opinion matters. Other The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by the directorate. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation. Main duties of the job & Detailed job description and main responsibilities You will act as a point of expertise for your specialist area and will provide advice, guidance and training as required, especially where this improves or enhances the service provided to end users. You will also respond to incidents and outages and take necessary steps to secure the service and minimise disruption to the UKHSA business areas. • Lead and support the design and architecture of Microsoft Power Platform services (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Virtual Agents, CoE, APIs, Connectors, DLP, Environments, Dataverse) • Stay updated on standards, practices, the product roadmap and wider technical developments, sharing appropriate insights with the team. • Implement best practices and ensure adherence to specified security and governance frameworks • Integrate Power Platform solutions with existing systems, data sources, and third-party services, developing connectors and APIs for seamless communication • Oversee deployment and configuration of Power Platform environments, implementing automation solutions to an appropriate level whilst maintaining a user-centric approach • Optimise environments for performance, scalability, security and reliability through tuning, capacity planning, and resource optimization • Supervise specialist engineers and collaborate with wider Technology colleagues. • Ensure product licenses are appropriately provisioned and utilized • Maintain security and integrity of systems, own the disaster recovery controls and process • Provide technical and administrative support, including documentation and procedures • Collaborate and knowledge share with team members to ensure support levels are adhered to • Conduct work as directed, maintaining professional skills and providing estimates for tasks • Use initiative to achieve defined goals and adherence to defined SLAs, OLA’s and KPI’s If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply! Professional development You should pursue continuous professional development in line with relevant standards and service requirements. We offer interesting work, the latest technologies, expert support, and excellent training. Plus, enjoy flexible working, an inclusive culture, and a workplace where your opinion matters. Other The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by the directorate. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation. Person specification Role Criteria And Other Requirements Essential role criteria (including qualifications, licenses and registrations): • This is a role that demands detailed knowledge and considerable experience of specialist technologies. Therefore, each candidate must be able to demonstrate qualification in PL-600 and expertise or equivalent workplace experience in Power Platforms • Significant experience, implementing and managing Power Platform components and infrastructure solutions • In-depth knowledge of Power Platform components, including Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents • Proficiency in automation and administration tasks within the Power Platform environment • Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a demonstrated track record of successfully leading projects and initiatives • Confident in the area of technical specialism and be fully conversant with other complementary technologies such as M365 • Must have significant previous experience of undertaking a senior specialist role and of managing systems at enterprise scale • Must have experience of operating at a senior technical level within an organisation and engaging and influencing senior stakeholders, both within ICT and in the wider business • Experience of developing strategic plans and implementation strategies for ICT infrastructure and platforms • Ability to speak credibly and authoritatively to technical and non-technical audiences and assimilate technical language quickly and effectively, for example delivering training and briefings to colleagues and/or business users • 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, for example writing all-user emails, change requests or business cases • Evidence of excellent customer service skills and a commitment to improving services and performance for end users. • Capable of managing conflict positively and using a range of abilities to best effect • Skills for communication on complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence, for example managing business customers through large changes or projects • Ability to analyse and interpret information, pre-empt and evaluate issues, and recommend and appropriate course of action to address the issues, for example analysing usage data to inform recommendations on future projects • Good planning and risk management skills, with the ability to pre-empt potential issues and mitigate effectively to stop system disruptions occurring • Ability to engender trust and confidence and demonstrate integrity in the provision of advice and support • Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload without supervision working to tight and often changing timescales • Certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect, App Maker or Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Functional Consultant or equivalent experience in administering Microsoft Power BI Platform in enterprise environments or a deep understanding of Power Platform components and Microsoft 365 ecosystem. • BSc/ MSc in a digital or technological discipline such as Information Technology Management /Information Systems/Cybersecurity / Cloud Computing /Computer Science. • A supporting qualification in Power Platforms (PL-400/ PL-600 /PL-900) or equivalent experience with Azure DevOps for ALM and deployment pipelines. Desirable: • Familiarity with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Teams Integration List Of Other Relevant MSc Qualifications: Useful (Enhances Capability) • MSc Data Analytics – For managing Dataverse, reporting, and Power BI integration. • MSc Software Engineering – Helps with app lifecycle management and custom connectors. • MSc Digital Transformation – Aligns with organizational adoption and governance strategies. • MSc IT Project Management – Useful for implementing and scaling Power Platform solutions. • MSc Business Intelligence and Analytics – Supports advanced reporting and dashboarding. Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 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% 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 Stage 1: Application & Sift This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours/ Experience/Technical skills. You Will Be Required To Complete An Application Form. You Will Be Assessed On The Listed Essential Criteria, And This Will Be In The Form Of A: • Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application) • Up to 1,000 Supporting Statement. Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1,500 but your supporting statement must be no more than 1,000 words. This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together. Longlisting In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of: • Meets all essential criteria • Meets some essential criteria • Meets no essential criteria The following will be taken through the next stage: Meet some/all essential criteria Shortlisting In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on: • Significant experience, implementing and managing Power Platform components and infrastructure solutions • In-depth knowledge of Power Platform components, including Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents • Proficiency in automation and administration tasks within the Power Platform environment If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment Please do not exceed 1,000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number. Feedback will not be provided at this stage. Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV. Stage 2: Interview (success profiles) You will be invited to a (single) remote / face to face interview. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview During the interview we will assess you against the below: Behaviours: • Seeing the Big Picture • Changing and Improving • Managing a Quality Service • Working at Pace Previous Skills and Experience: Managing the whole power platform at similar sized organisation. Technical Skills And Ability You will be asked to prepare and present a 5–10-minute presentation aimed to assess your technical skills in reference to the following criteria: • Significant experience, implementing and managing Power Platform components and infrastructure solutions • In-depth knowledge of Power Platform components, including Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents • Proficiency in automation and administration tasks within the Power Platform environment Title of the presentation will be shared with you later. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Eligibility Criteria - External Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants). Location This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ’s. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London) or at one of our scientific campus sites (Colindale, Porton and Chilton). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). Future location UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK. The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff. Security Clearance Level Requirement Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check. All successful candidates must meet the basic security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is: • Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) • Security Clearance You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years to obtain Security Check (SC). UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting at this higher level and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice. Reasonable Adjustments The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs. You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/ International Police check If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period. Artificial Intelligence (AI) 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Link Below: Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers Internal Fraud check If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service. Careers website Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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 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. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). 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 : Richard Black • Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk • Telephone : Conny Agyei Recruitment team • Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk Further information The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here. http://www.healthjobsuk.com/vacancy/7669093