Application Specialist

APPLICATION SPECIALIST - 1 YR CONTRACT

JOB IDENTIFICATION

Reports to:   Manager Application Support

Department: Peterborough Technology Services

Division:         PUG Services Corp.

Location:       1867 Ashburnham Drive  

Hourly           $32.47 to $47.32/hour 

Job Purpose 

As a member of the Peterborough Technology Services, (PTS), team, you will play a key role in providing the City and Peterborough Utilities Group, (PUG), with reliable, secure and cost effective Corporate Applications.  The Application Specialist position will work with application users, information technology staff and various business unit staff in the procurement or development, implementation and support of software applications and technologies. 

This position leads smaller scale projects and will participate in the review, analysis and evaluation of business systems and user needs.  This position will work collaboratively and contribute to application management strategies. 

This position will have responsibility for support and oversight of one or more applications deployed on a variety of technologies.  These applications may include vendor delivered, custom off-the-shelf software, (COTTS) and in-house developed, corporate solutions. 

This position will function as a strategic resource by providing robust technical and analytical support to project teams and application portfolios.  This position will liaise with other information technology staff and outside technology vendors for effective resource management and problem resolution.  This position uses industry standard desktop productivity and development tools with a focus on providing quality, value-added applications throughout the PUG and City. PUG has a COVID19 Vaccination Policy in Place. This position works a Hybrid model at this time. 

Main accountabilities 

Application Portfolio Management

• For small to medium sized applications, the Application Specialist will work in partnership with our business partners, and provide advice or direction relating to architecture, design, development and deployment of new applications, and enhancements to existing applications, as assigned;
• Seeks to understand business unit objectives; applies knowledge to projects and disseminates to other IT team members;
• Works with Portfolio Teams and business partners to ensure a strategy/roadmap exists for  applications within area of assignments;
• Perform Application lifecycle management for software within the assigned portfolio. This position leads or participates in architecture and design sessions with team members and external suppliers for the purpose of enhancing performance, business processes, operations, and information process flow;
• Conduct research and analysis for the purpose of presenting options and cost-benefit analyses to aid management in making implementation decisions for proposed systems;
• Creates standard software development lifecycle documentation such as systems models, specifications, diagrams, and charts to provide direction to the team;
• Lead or participate in all phases of the systems development lifecycle for smaller scale projects;
• May perform software development, configuration, data manipulation / transformation and testing for any size of application initiative;
• Consult with business units to optimize business solutions and processes using technologies to ensure the most efficient use of end-user applications and data;
• Lead or participate in integrations of internal and external applications and their databases while maintaining data integrity, security and auditability for small scale projects independently or participate as part of a project team if project is across multiple platforms and databases while ensuring compatibility and interoperability with corporate systems;
• Provide secondary support for applications outside of assigned area of responsibility with assistance from vendor or key stakeholders as required; and
• Contribute to the creation of corporate standards for project management documentation, change management, release management, requirements analysis, solution design and IT Security following the system development lifecycle. Adhere to these standards. 

Project Management and Leadership

• Provide project management skills to meet project deliverables by agreed to targets (budget, timelines, etc.) for small or less complex IT related projects; and
• Advisor to Portfolio Teams, business partners and IT / corporate leadership regarding project status, risks and issues. 

Data Analysis and Support

• Knowledge of database structures within area of assigned responsibility and their relationship to other applications to avoid duplication, redundancy, etc. and to ensure data integrity;
• Develop / work with vendors to provide input on the development of data extracts, reporting and business intelligence, (BI) or business analytics;
• Maintains a good working knowledge of industry standard query reporting solutions and report writing tools to maximize the value of corporate data; and
• Knowledge of database architecture, analysis, design and development. 

Backup, Recovery and Business Continuity

• Prepare Disaster Recovery documentation and test plans for software within area of assigned responsibilities;
• Participate in system recovery and restoration initiatives for applications;
• Prepares roll-back plans for all implementations and upgrades within assigned area of responsibility; and
• Backs up and/or restores databases to departmental standards within the scope of Departmental “best practice” guidelines. Will provide back-up resource to the Database Application Specialist..

IT Strategy and Continuous Improvement

• Participate in IT strategy projects;
• Contribute to the creation of corporate IT standards; and
• Research new and emerging technologies to provide input on technology direction. 

Safety and General

• Responsible for personal safety and the safety of others that is dependent upon their actions;
• Report hazards and unsafe acts or conditions encountered on the job to fellow workers and supervisors; and
• Other duties as assigned. 

DECISION MAKING 

Problem Solving / Analysis: Requires strong analytical and technical troubleshooting skills.  Recognizes and leverages the expertise of the IT team, vendors, business partners and others to solve technical problems. 

Able to develop business cases, provide analysis and present alternatives and recommendations effectively to decision makers

Effectively analyze business problems and provide technical solution alternatives that meet client needs 

Decision making: Requires an understanding of existing corporate polices and standards. Is required to make technical decisions for troubleshooting or problem solving and day to day activities.

Makes sound decisions with potentially significant business / operational impact for potentially critical problems. Recognizes decisions that have a broad corporate scope and significant impact and escalates appropriately.

The ability to work collaboratively and leverage the appropriate resources (i.e. IT team, Management, portfolio team, business users, etc.) or independently to make a decision.

COMMUNICATIONS & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Internal: Strong written and oral communications and ability to lead small teams. Strong customer service skills and the ability to communicate technical issues to non-technical people.
• Collaborate with business units, portfolio teams and the broader IT Team.
• Provides regular project status updates. Delivers presentations as required. 

External:  Must be able to work with external partners and providers to develop strategies and solutions. 

Qualifications

Academic and professional qualifications:

*    Intermediate (High School) 

x    Advanced (College Diploma, Certificate or Trade ) discipline:

*  Specialist/Diverse (University Degree) discipline: Bachelor of Science degree in a related discipline. 

Successful completion of a 3-year college diploma in a related computer discipline along with formal business training, or the equivalent combination of education and work experience 

Experience:

Systems or business analyst training and/or a minimum of 24 months experience in a related IT role.

Experience should include customer relationship management, as regards both understanding and communicating with customers concerning their related information technology issues.

Workplace experience with web technologies, mobile and desktop technologies would be beneficial.

Programming experience in multiple software development languages is required. 

Skills (Technical Skills): 

1. Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle database training and/or 24 months experience;
2. Formal training (or equivalent experience) with data retrieval methodologies and Query/Reporting tools;
3. Knowledge of industry standard software development tools and methodologies;
4. General technical knowledge of computer hardware including desktop and network servers and how they inter-relate with information systems and databases, including a general knowledge of network connectivity, integration, and protocols;
5. Technical knowledge and experience with a variety of network and PC operating system software (e.g. Windows, MS SQL Server, UNIX, Linux, MS Windows Servers, etc.);
6. Extensive experience with core software applications, including Microsoft Office Productivity Suite;
7. Knowledge of object oriented and relational database concepts, theories and principles, for the efficient design and development of applications;
8. Good working knowledge of Java programming language, JavaScript and XML; modern W3C Standard technology and mobile technology;
9. Good working knowledge and experience with virtual machines / servers as well as physical servers in hybrid environments, with the ability to troubleshoot applications on personal computers, servers, LAN/WAN and handheld devices;
10. Available to work overtime and non-standard hours as required. Travel required. Shift work may be required in accordance with Section 8.1 of the collective agreement to complete assigned duties; and
11. Demonstrated work as part of a project team, time management, presentation and communications skills (both oral and written). 

Skills (Non Technical):

1. Possess personal qualities (initiative, stability, etc.) required for suitable performance of duties;
2. Demonstrated commitment to safety and excellent attendance record;
3. Demonstrated high personal integrity;
4. Demonstrated understanding of the municipal and utility environment would be an asset;
5. Proven ability to integrate and collaborate within a senior technical team;
6. A strong Business Acumen; and
7. Must hold a valid drivers license and have access to a vehicle. 

Please submit applications to our website:

https://www.peterboroughutilities.ca/en/who-we-are/career-opportunities.aspx