IS Graduate Apprentice Analyst

The University

At Durham University, we are proud of our people, because they are at the heart of our globally outstanding institution, which is a key part of our local community.  We inspire our people to do extraordinary things and we invite you to join our fantastic team.    
   
Across the University, we have a huge variety of roles and responsibilities, which together make us one large and successful community. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer.    
   
At the University we promote and actively champion equality, diversity and inclusion.  It is crucial that everyone can be themselves and can flourish in an environment where everyone respects each other and is treated fairly. We want our people and wider community to feel happy, secure and proud to be a part of Durham. We are looking for the same values in you.     
   
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  For more information on our EDI strategy and values, click here

The Role and the Department

The Computing and Information Services (CIS) has an annual operational budget in excess of £12m, multi-million pound programmes of change within year, and approximately 185 staff. The Senior Leadership Team report directly to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) with the following portfolios: Strategy and Change; Technical Services (TS); Information Services (IS), and Cyber Security. CIS work with departments across the university to provide academic, teaching and administrative services that underpin the day-to-day activities of the whole organisation. Details of the Digital Strategy and ongoing work can be found at Digital Strategy - Durham University CIS is a friendly, but demanding department, where much is expected and can be achieved by competent, self-motivated individuals who are demonstrable in their team work ability. The department works in a hybrid capacity depending on the job role and individual personal requirements. As an IS Graduate Apprentice you will be involved with activities associated with maintaining the day to day operation and on-going development of Computing and Information Services (CIS) via delivery of projects. 

Assigned to one of the IS teams, during the course of the apprenticeship you will maintain a high level of IT services throughout the University, assisting students, staff, visitors in their use of Durham University IT systems.

You will undertake activities relating to, and work with increasing independence in relation to:

• Software design
• Software development
• Software testing
• Software integration
• Software configuration
• Software support and troubleshooting
• Data and analytics
• User experience analysis, design, and evaluation
• Content authoring and publishing
• Security operations
• Incident ownership and management
• Reporting

The post holder will be sponsored to undertake further study that will lead to the award of either a Level 4 or Level 7 qualification in one of the following subjects:

Level 4:

• Data Analyst

Level 7:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) data specialist
• or
• MSc Digital and technology solutions specialist 

The decision as to what level of study will be undertaken, and the topic to be studied, will be determined by the post holder’s previous study and work attainment experiences, and acceptance by the training provider to offer a training place.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the
University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• We offer generous pension schemes.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.

As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study,

work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience

1.     Five GCSE’s at least at Grade C or level four, including English Language and Mathematics.

2.     Degree level qualification and demonstrable experience of software coding skills learned within: a formal IT role, or; within an education setting, or; via a hobby.

3.     Experience of working within a team to ensure the delivery of high-quality services.

4.     Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.

5.     Experience of managing time to meet deadlines.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge:

6.     Excellent spoken and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

7.     Strong digital competence with demonstrable skills in using core digital tools including internet, email, digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, digital booking system, project planning.

8.     Committed to continuing professional development.  

9.     Ability to solve problems yourself and as part of a team and plan appropriate solutions.

10.  Knowledge of health and safety issues.

11.  Ability to participate in networks to share and discuss good practice and exchange information.

Desirable Criteria

12.  Experience of contributing to the delivery of IT provision.

13.  Ability to provide support for IT related projects.

14.  Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.

How to apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don’t forget to check if there is any
weighted criteria (see above).
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

What you are required to submit:

1.     A CV;

2.     A supporting statement which clearly  outlines how you meet all of the Essential  criteria within the Person Specification (above); when submitting evidence of each essential criteria, please ensure you use the essential criteria wording as the section heading;

3.     A cover letter;

4.     Evidence confirming your actual/expected degree award and classification.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on Tuesday 11th June 2024.

Contact

Contact details
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role please contact David McConnachie ([email protected]) or Catherine Wilson ([email protected])

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
• When carrying out your role, apply relevant industry and professional standards to ensure that our technology solutions are safe, secure and appropriate for public access and use.
• Respond to queries and provide information/advice, while raising more specialist or complex queries with more experienced team members.
• Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to your role and make recommendations based on your findings.
• Use your technical knowledge and technology skills using the resources available to you.
• Ensure that information used to analyse the service being delivered is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to senior colleagues.
• Monitor and analyse the use of technology and resources, to ensure efficiency and report your findings to senior colleagues.
• Manage and monitor the use of technology solutions provided.
• Deliver technology support services to support the University’s activities.
• Support the use of assistive technologies, social media and applications to meet security and safety requirements.
• Continually review what is required from staff, students and others who you work with, to make sure the best possible service is provided.
• Prepare safety documents and risk assessments relating to activities across the CIS estate.

Planning and Organising

• Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role.
• Organise and schedule assigned resources, activities and events.
• Monitor processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.
• Help to plan and evaluate the services provided by your area to ensure that requirements from your service are being met.

Teamwork

• Provide specialist support and advice to team members on areas of expertise.
• Make changes to the services provided by your team in discussion with other team members.
• Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve services being delivered by the team.
• Seek feedback from students, staff and anyone else that you come across as part of your role on their requirements from your service and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.

Communications/Liaison

• Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.
• Provide instruction and demonstration to others within area of working beyond immediate team.
• Explain and demonstrate tasks to others to ensure that components, equipment and processes are used correctly.
• Create good working relationships with other team members and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to work together on joint activities.
• Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint activities.
• Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks to share good practice and exchange information.
• Liaise with outside agencies, local authorities, suppliers and visitors to ensure that services are safe and secure.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.     
    
When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Additionally, it will be a condition of appointment that the post holder must be able to satisfy all entry criteria to be accepted onto the agreed apprentice level of study.