Specialist, Technical SME at Standard Bank Group

JOB DESCRIPTION

• To scope, plan, design and deliver end to end solutions against required standards and timelines. To oversee and participate in technical solutions delivery, interpreting business requirements, defining technical tasks, engineer quality software, performing end to end testing and supporting and troubleshooting technical questions, software and database issues. To lead, manage and mentor Software-; Quality Engineers across identified delivery teams to build and improve Engineering capability.

Outputs

Technology & Architecture

• Work with database design or database administration teams to translate object and data models into appropriate database schemas within design constraints.
• Accountable for end-to-end delivery of all technical solution delivery (engineering aspects) in the identified delivery teams (3 to 5 teams, 15 to 25 resources), adhering to set standards, practices and quality expectations.
• Provide technical direction to the identified teams by leading and guiding their output in line with the delivery and business objective, driving team commitments to the work in every iteration and continual engineering delivery improvement.
• Direct teams in problem identification, root cause analysis, and decision-making by guiding the planning, and contributing to various workshops and system demonstrations during iterations of delivery by being in the work and leading and participating in labs, reviews and showcases.
• Find ways to improve flow and teams' delivery, removing blockers and ensuring value through the improvement of quality of deliverables.
• Construct, interpret and execute end to end system and program tests to verify correct operation of completed systems. Prepare test cases for unit testing purposes and review test cases as produced by other developers for unit testing purposes as required.
• Direct and participate in resolution of incidents and failures, putting in place remediation actions and ensuring appropriate technical support.
• Oversee all work done ensuring that it is documented and executed as per standards, methods and tools used in the broader Portfolio.
• Lead the definition of complex, often abstract problems that extend across multiple business lines and functions through engagements with senior leaders and apply a creative approach to solving the problems which will address both technical and people or culture challenges simultaneously.
• Manage work requirements effectively by reprioritising backlogs and reacting flexibly to changing demands, through effective use of resources, understanding of work complexity, size and technical requirements to ensure the team is organised and committed to deliver against targets within every iteration as well as continuously striving to improve the quality of deliverables, therefore delivering the highest possible value to the customer.
• Produce outline system specifications using solution designs, functional specifications or technical specifications as input, including input into scope, constraints (such as performance or resources), hardware, network and software environments.
• Produce specifications for systems functions, information flows, data loads, implementation strategy, phasing of development, requirements not met and alternatives considered.
• Prepare test cases for unit testing purposes and review test cases as produced by other developers for unit testing purposes as required.
• Translate logical designs into component designs taking into account the solution design, performance requirements and existing systems.
• Build, code and review user and system interfaces including menus, screen dialogues, inputs, reports, validation and error correction, processing rules, access, security, audit controls, recovery routines and contingency procedures to ensure they are as per agreed specification.

Risk, Regulatory, Prudential & Compliance

• Conduct quality assurance and approve developed code linked to supplied specifications for production deployment.
• Develop technical support documentation within agreed standards.
• Perform risk analysis and produce development plans to consider the impact of design decisions.

Client

• Adopt and adhere to suitable and agreed development methodologies and principles through work outputs and behaviours that enables continuous delivery and development across the production environment as well as ensuring effective collaboration with all colleagues and stakeholders to meet required targets and therefore deliver value to the customer.

People

• Line manage Software-; Quality Engineers across identified delivery teams to build and improve Engineering capability through appropriate performance management and career development
• Ensure effective resource allocation across the identified teams and improve cost efficiency of application development activities including management of delivery of 3rd party resources or turn key solutions.
• Lead the setting of clear expectations for the achievement of quality goals and objectives, providing explicit guidance about individual performance expectations.  Execute on continual performance measurement and resource delivery quality assessments
• Strive to reach mature levels on the Continuum model by building own and team competence to work in a continuous delivery environment.
• Lead, guide and mentor a team of developers and assist and support less experienced colleagues as required, especially on aspects of complex coding program component design, creation, testing and documentation to ensure the team is enabled to perform against key deliverables.

Strategy

• Guide teams through subject matter expertise in the assessment and selection of suitable technologies and advise development staff on the evaluation and impact analysis of major design options.

Financial Management

• Look actively for opportunities to shorten development timelines, improve skills of the team and improve cost efficiency of application development activities.

Data

• Work with data analysis colleagues to review, approve, produce or update system or object data models and correlate these with corporate models.

Experience Required

• Technology
• Technology Practice (Domain) Management and Leadership
• 5-7 years
• Proven ability to work effectively as both a team leader and as a member of a small team of technical staff working in an agile development environment. Track record in capability and competency building and coaching of staff is required. Minimum 1-2 years' experience as a manager running a portfolio of 10+ technical experts
• Technology
• Engineering (includes Cloud and Resilience)
• 8-10 years
• Broad experience in translating business and functional requirements into technical specifications and developing the programming code to create the solutions.
• Total number of years’ experience: 10 years

QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications

Type of Qualification

• First Degree
• Information Technology
• Other Minimum Qualifications, certifications or professional memberships
• BSc Comp Science, B.Com Informatics
• Industry related certifications e.g. Cloud certifications. Agile Software development methodologies and associated practices such as Continuous Integration, Software Defined Infrastructure, Evolutionary Architecture, etc.

Preferred Qualifications

Type of Qualification

• Post Graduate Degree
• Information Technology
• Other Preferred Qualifications, certifications or professional memberships
• Industry related certifications e.g. Cloud certifications. Agile Software development methodologies and associated practices such as Continuous Integration, Software Defined Infrastructure, Evolutionary Architecture, etc.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Behavioural Competencies

Taking Action

• This competency is about taking action in service of achieving the organisation's goals. It is about being energetic, showing initiative and being action oriented.

Team Working

• This competency is about working well in a team. In order to develop this competency, individuals are encouraged to acknowledge the views and contributions of others, and to involve others in decision-making.

Adopting Practical Approaches

• Adopting practical solutions with an emphasis on learning by doing. This competency requires individuals to utilise common sense when required. Ultimately, this competency is important in order to ensure that organisations implement feasible solutions.

Interpreting Data

• This competency is about interpreting data accurately with an emphasis on the processing and interpretation of numbers. This competency also includes the utilisation of technology.

Challenging Ideas

• This competency is about an individual facilitating or catalysing change in an organisation. Challenging Ideas emphasises individual behaviours associated with questioning assumptions, challenging established views and arguing personal perspectives.

Developing Expertise

• Developing Expertise is about individuals being open to learning as well as maintaining an efficient rate at which they learn. Furthermore, aims to develop relevant expertise can apply productively in service of their organisation's goals.

Developing Strategies

• This competency includes facets of behaviour such as being visionary and establishing effective plans that take into consideration long-term aspects. This competency also includes the need for individuals to focus on identifying trends.

Embracing Change

• This competency, in the context of organisations is concerned with the extent to which individuals accept challenges and change as well as the extent to which individuals cope well with uncertainty. Accepting change and coping with uncertainty can enhance one's ability to adapt effectively to changing circumstances, which is an ability of increasing importance in an ever more dynamic business environment.

Exploring Possibilities

• Exploring possibilities is about individuals being effective at displaying behaviours associated with different situations or problems. Individuals are required to look at a problem and define it in an abstract manner. Unpacking a problem in terms of its underlying principles and basing the problem on sound theory typically allows for deeper insight into the true nature of the problem. This makes the nature of the problem more complete, more meaningful and therefore longer term sustainable solutions more likely.

Making Decisions

• This competency is about the pace at which individuals are prepared to make decisions, as well as their willingness to take responsibility for their decisions when under pressure. It also deals with the extent to which individuals are definite about their views and opinions.

Providing Insights

• This dimension is about providing insight with regards to aspects that are likely to have an impact on the organisation. It is about making it clear to others what the implications of internal and external organisational environmental factors and processes are on the competitive position of the organisation. Providing Insights should be done with a focus on improving the situation.

Seizing Opportunities

• This competency is characterised by the extent to which an individual displays competitive, entrepreneurial and sales orientated behaviour.

Technical Competencies

Agile Development

• The knowledge and understanding of basic Agile/Lean methodologies and concepts.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others

Code Review

• The ability to understand an existing code base in order to analyse its behaviour and make fixes or enhancements to it.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others

IT Applications

• The knowledge and understanding of all relevant IT applications and architecture in order to perform required development and maintenance.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others

IT Design Driven Development

• The ability to determine what code is necessary to achieve some specified functionality, particularly the higher-level structure or organisation of the code.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others

IT Knowledge

• Possesses a deep and broad knowledge base in fundamental IT technical skill sets. Stays informed on emerging trends.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others

Refactoring

• The ability to revise existing code without impacting its functional behaviour.
• Proficiency Level 4 ADVANCED - Mastered the concept, able to act independently, provides guidance and training to others