Description

The purpose of this role is to lead a team responsible for optimisation of custom-designed application software suite. This person is responsible for team delivery, process efficiencies, team efficiencies and leadership of the optimisation team to ensure effective operation of product suite at client production sites. The role requires prioritisation, scheduling and successful delivery of improvements, bug fixes and support of the product suite using defined SDLC and standards.

Role Requirements
Technical analysis & design
• Analyse and design existing systems and evaluate business impact of changes, enhancements and new designs
• Undertake required research and development to identify new trends and features that could be incorporated to enhance current system and improve business processes and productivity
• Provide input at corporate technical forum, refine technical documentation, enable efficient development process that meets client requirements
• Ensure on-going technical and application support documentation and specifications, that support the software development and design
• Provide high-level guidance to internal staff on how the modules fit together within the system
• Understand 3rd party systems and liaise with 3rd parties to ensure efficiency of software applications
• Strong client liaison to ensure all technical requirements/ application concerns are attended to in a professional and service-driven manner
• Suggest alternative technical solutions to meet customer requirements more efficiently and effectively
• Provide technical direction to Optimisation, Incident and Application Support teams, in consultation with internal/external teams and stakeholders
• Contribute to monthly Service Level Agreement reporting, statistical analysis and recommendations
• Plan and manage changes to production application systems according to SDLC standards
• Ensures that changes to applications are in accordance with time, budget and quality requirements
• Manage and project plan the life-cycle of all system Problems (ITIL), maintaining knowledge base of problem logs, Known Errors and Workarounds.
• Research root-causes of Incidents and eliminate repeat disruptions
• Pro-active Problem Management to avoid service interruptions via a trend-analyses of important project releases or historical incidents
• Respond to all communication regarding unplanned service interruptions, from customers and technical teams
• Ensuring Problem routing does not meet bottlenecks, and escalations effectively handled
• Make recommendations for Service Improvement Plans
• Maintain continuous communication with impacted parties (clients), and ensure that the business has visibility and useful decision-making information related to the status of system problems.

Skills and Competencies
• Strong knowledge of Oracle Forms, Reports and PL/SQL programming languages
• Knowledge of Oracle ADF and Java technologies
• Understanding of the business environment (including customers)
• Knowledge and understanding of the application system environment
• Ability to resolve application problems quickly and cost-effectively
• Ability to work under pressure
• Attention to Detail
• High Customer Focus
• Complex Problem-Solving skills
• Results-driven and action-oriented
• Excellent Communication Skills (verbal and written).

Managed Optimisation process
• Provide guidance and support to developers in providing the best technical solution that is sustainable and meets the client’s requirements
• Act in the role of a senior developer to assist with complex coding solutions in accordance to the quality and deadlines required of the project
• Manage allocation of tasks to resources to ensure workload is evenly spread to meet business goals and within the relevant team member's level of competence and ability
• Provides unit testing and code walk-through reviews to ensuring quality standards are met
• Review and maintains coding standards
• Provides technical trouble-shooting guidance to the team to ensure that the optimisation requirements are met within the agreed timeframes
• Conduct UAT's on developed system to ensure that the application meets the quality standards required by the client and company
• Proactive resource planning for optimal capacity to meet user demand on agreed service level provision
• Update service desk categories based on trend analysis and known problems, to facilitate better identification and more accurate data on system problems
• Ensure team output and coding methodology is aligned to accepted best practice and industry standards
• Continuously refine standards based on feedback from the user community, results of audit QA finding and feedback from forums
• Capacity Management of Problem Management Team Ensures that human capacity exists in the team being managed.
• Delegation of tasks, review of execution, and provision of feedback to team members
• Coaching of team members for optimal performance
• Contribute and plan for recruitment, staff training, conflict management and creation of welcoming working environment
• Performance management (objective setting, feedback, appraisals, incentives and bonuses, addressing poor performance)
• Managing the skills profile of the Problem Management team.
• Assess skills requirements, driving the implementation of personal development plans.

Team management
• Manage resources through providing guidance, mentorship, support and developmental opportunities to aid team members to meet project deadlines and quality
• Provide status reporting inclusive of but not limited to utilisation plans, project updates, process improvements and team initiatives
• Monitor and allocate resources to meet project deadlines
• Assists with the recruitment of resources based on technical competence and experience, ensuring potential candidates meet the position requirements
• Conduct and provides input to the performance appraisals of teams.

Education & Qualification
• BSc (Computer Science or Information Systems) /B Com (Information Systems)/Diploma in Information Systems
• Minimum 5 years’ working in a service desk environment, with at least 3 years at senior level, at least 3 years in ITIL Problem Management
• ITIL Practitioner (Problem Management) & ITIL Management certified.


Relevant Experience & Competencies
• 8 years application development experience
• Detailed and wide range technical knowledge across entire domain systems.
• Expert technical knowledge (Oracle & Java platforms)
• Maintains high levels of understanding of product knowledge and business domain knowledge
• Excellent leadership/ management skills
• Proven process improvement experience
• Advanced design and analysis skills (includes database design)
• Good presentation and communication skills
• Exposure or training with Oracle ADF, web logic server and Java technologies
• Must have proven experience in leading a team of a minimum of three members
• Strong knowledge of Oracle Forms, Reports and PL/SQL programming languages
• Understanding of the business environment (including customers)
• Knowledge and understanding of the application system environment
• High Customer Focus
• Complex Problem-Solving skills
• Results-driven and action-oriented
• Excellent listening and communication skills (verbal and written), that foster open communication
• Ability to work under pressure and Stress Management skills
• Strong Attention to Detail
• Ability to manage, lead and motivate Application Optimisation team to ensure desired outcomes are achieved
• Necessary skillset to negotiate resourcing, and direct, co-ordinate and monitor ongoing activities within Optimisation team
• Ownership of Optimisation and ITIL Problem Management Process
• Skills in Statistical analysis and reporting, Problem-solving, Root Cause Analysis, Business report writing and presentation.