www.assembly.wales

National Assembly for Wales Human Resources

ICT Network Engineer

Information Pack AC-070-19

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Welcome from the Head of ICT and Broadcasting

Mark Neilson

“Croeso/Welcome, Thank you for your interest in applying for this vital role within the National Assembly for Wales. Openness and inclusivity are central to the way we work, but the integrity and security of the information and data we hold is equally important. Successfully delivering this objective relies on a secure and compliant ICT infrastructure.

We are looking for someone who can work with stakeholders across the organisation to provide the specialist professional advice, guidance and independent critical analysis needed to drive our ICT infrastructure programme. This role is central to the investigation, diagnosis and resolution of incidents, as well as developing, implementing and enforcing suitable ICT security and networking policies, procedures, and controls. We are an inclusive organisation, where employment opportunities are open to all, helping us to attract the broadest range of knowledge, skills and experience. We therefore particularly welcome applications from disabled people and members of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people. You can find out more about our approach to diversity and inclusion and the external recognition we have received on our website. We operate a broad range of work patterns, successfully balancing lifestyle choices with business requirements. Although our normal working week is 37 hours, all requests for flexible working will be seriously considered. If the prospect of working in this challenging role excites you and you feel you have the right experience, we would be keen to hear from you”. 

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Post Reference: AC-070-19

Job Title: ICT Network Engineer

Salary: £31,046 - £37,647 (Management Band 2 – HEO)

Service: ICT & Broadcasting

Location: National Assembly for Wales, Tŷ Hywel, Cardiff Bay

Pattern of Working: This is a full-time post although flexible working arrangements will be considered, subject to meeting the needs of the Assembly and its Members.

Security Clearance: This position has been assessed as requiring a ‘SC’ level of security vetting. For candidates who do not currently possess this level of clearance, appointment would be subject to the successful completion of this level of security vetting.

Purpose of the post:

As an Assembly Network Engineer you will be working at the heart of Welsh democracy. You will work alongside highly skilled engineers, who provide first class support to both Assembly Members and Commission Staff, in a dynamic and rewarding environment. This role provides an excellent opportunity for you to make a significant impact by supporting the Assembly in key areas of work and contribute to the delivery of the Assembly’s ICT Strategy.

The National Assembly for Wales exited a managed service contract several years ago, and has since built a mature team across the ICT service provision. The Assembly has adopted a cloud first where appropriate strategy, and, over the last few years have adopted multiple, exciting workloads from Microsoft’s 365 suite of technologies.

The Network Engineer should be self-motivated in order to provide proactive operational support; proactively develop the Assembly’s server, cloud and storage infrastructure; and discover innovative and efficient methods to complete tasks

You will develop subject matter expertise for technologies and services supported by the team; contributing to a coaching culture where support, guidance and documentation is exchanged by colleagues, to assist development.

The post holder will require good practical knowledge of Checkpoint, Citrix and Cisco networking technologies. You will have ideally worked extensively with core and access switches, routers, wireless controllers and access points. You will have experience of confidently troubleshooting problems within an enterprise network environment.

As the day to day point of contact for managing cyber security devices, the post holder will have experience of working with multivendor firewall solutions and Citrix NetScaler technologies.

You will be expected to liaise with 3rd party software and hardware providers to ensure end-to-end networking services are available across the estate.

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You will work with Business Analysts and the organisations wider teams, in formulating technical solutions to business needs, and advising technological requirements and service implications.

You will represent the Assembly by creating and maintain positive and productive relationships with a range of third parties, such as application and equipment suppliers , service providers and external organisations within the public arena.

The post holder will have working knowledge of core Microsoft systems including Active Directory, DNS, DHCP; and Cloud technologies such as AWS or Azure.

About the role:

Steve Payne, Network Team Manager

Working as a network Engineer has allowed me to be a part of a team which supports each other in a variety of ways, this is most evident during times of professional or personal pressures.

The Assembly and the Network team are keen to develop staff and provide opportunity. I have been afforded the time to research and implement innovative solutions; also taken advantage of training relating to both technical subjects and soft skills.

As a member of the wider ICT Infrastructure team, the network Engineer role is the heart of ICT operations.

Changes to the Infrastructure team, as well as a number of emerging projects affecting the ICT infrastructure make this an opportune time to join; presenting the chance to learn about new technologies as they are introduced and contribute to the team’s direction.

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Core Responsibilities:

Key tasks:

• Maintain and support the Assembly's network infrastructure in a high-profile environment, proactively monitor services to ensure security and business continuity.

• Manage incident and problem record entries in relation to server or service faults within agreed SLA/OLAs. Log faults with external support contracts in a timely manner, ensuring the necessary information is available to enable other team members to assist when required, whilst performing fault diagnosis and resolution.

• Specify and implement Change Requests in order to address issues or proactively develop the Assembly’s infrastructure. As part of the Change Request process, perform risk and impact assessments, design related test processes and back-out plans.

• Identify opportunities to improve services to the organisation through a continual service improvement approach, and work with the ICT team to design solutions and develop business cases to drive value, and maximise the use of assets and resources.

• Work with a variety of stakeholders to develop and deliver project outputs in an organised, timely, and professional manner; whilst ensuring the solution is fit for the organisation and can be introduced with a professional service adoption approach.

• Ensure the organisation follows industry best practice and relevant standards relating to ICT security, and data governance.

• Provide technical expertise and propose solutions to meet business requirements, whilst articulating complex and technical detail in a language understood by the organisation. Contribute to development of team members, by providing support, training and ensuring accuracy, and availability of documentation.

Job Specific skills and Competencies:

This section states which skills and experience are deemed to be essential for this role, and also which are considered desirable. You should only refer to these in your application.

Job Specific criteria:

1. Proven track record of providing operational support in an enterprise environment, working to tight SLAs / OLAs, managing calls through to resolution typically within an ITIL based service environment.

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2. Experience of working extensively with Cisco Checkpoint and Citrix enterprise networking technologies in a complex multi-site environment including cloud, from the edge to core, ideally covering Citrix NetScaler, Cisco ASA, and wireless products.

3. Track record of identifying, investigating and delivering improvements to organisational infrastructure, including project delivery, documentation and service transition activity.

4. Pro-Active approach to problems and the ability to contribute to medium term planning processes, typically decisions affecting service delivery for a period of 18 months to 5 years.

This will be assessed At Interview

5. Manage networking systems by utilising command-line interface or scripting languages, following directions provided by others or through self-research.

Desirable job specific criteria

1. Good awareness of WAN and VPN technologies 2. Qualified to CCNA or above 3. Experience in carrying out risk analysis processes in line with changes to critical

services. 4. Working knowledge of VMware Virtualisation

Welsh language criteria:

The language skills for this post have been assessed Courtesy Level Welsh.

Candidates should have the ability to:

To pronounce Welsh names, answer the telephone, greet people or make introductions bilingually

To understand and use proactively familiar, everyday, expressions

To understand very short texts where people are giving basic information about themselves or others in correspondence, on forms or to interpret content using the technology available.

These skills will be assessed as part of the selection process. If the successful candidate does not possess these skills, they will be expected to commit to learn them during an agreed period.

Examples of what to expect for a courtesy level Welsh assessment are provided on our resources web page

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Level Competency Areas and Behaviours:

These are the specific competencies that you will be expected to demonstrate in this role at interview.

Leadership

• Has the confidence to offer positive challenge and are prepared to be challenged by others.

• Coach and support others to give their best, particularly in times of pressure.

Working with and valuing others

• Build links and consult stakeholders inside and outside the Assembly

Learning and Improving

• Take decisions which are reasoned, timely, consistent and based on evidence to identify key issues.

• Develop options, identify risks and benefits and propose a way forward, monitor progress and evaluate outcomes.

Delivering results to our customers

• Manage the progress and delivery of projects in line with desired outcomes.

• Look for opportunities to improve levels of service and actively seek feedback on the service provided to maintain a high-quality service.

Development Opportunities Offered by the Post: As part of a professional and high-performance ICT Infrastructure team, a comprehensive training programme will be provided. This will ensure that the post holder has a detailed understanding of the Assembly ICT, so that they are able to provide support with confidence. Opportunities exist to maintain and improve current relevant technical qualifications. For further information about this position please contact Steve Payne on 0300 200 6518

As the advertised position has management responsibilities, the successful candidate will be required to complete the Assembly Commission’s Manager Programme. This programme will provide the successful candidate with the essential skills and knowledge they need to become a high performing line manager in the Assembly.

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Benefits:

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Our Values:

Our values are part of everything we do. Together, we’ve created a set of values that celebrate the way we work together, and remind us of who we are and what we stand for.

RESPECT

We are inclusive, kind, and value each other’s contributions

in delivering excellent services

PASSION

We are purposeful in our support of

democracy and pull together to make a difference for the people of Wales

PRIDE

We embrace innovation and celebrate our achievements

together as a team

WE ARE ONE TEAM

We look forward to seeing how your values align with ours, so you can help nurture a positive and inclusive culture with us.

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Our official languages (Welsh and English):

We are fully committed to continuously enhancing and improving our exemplary bilingual services and to being a truly bilingual organisation so that Assembly Members, the public and staff can choose to work or communicate naturally in either or both of our official languages, with the use of both languages proactively encouraged and facilitated.

Though we do not require all our staff to be fluent in both our official languages, our expectation is that they are all committed to the delivery of services in both our official languages. To that extent, we expect all Assembly appointees to have, or to acquire during an agreed period, courtesy-level skills in Welsh. All posts are assessed in the context of the service area’s ability to deliver bilingual services to our customers and some posts, therefore, require a higher level of Welsh to facilitate that, such requirements are expressed above.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We want to foster an inclusive organisational culture, attracting and retaining the widest range of talent and ensures that all our employees realise their full potential, irrespective of their background. We want our workforce to be more representative of all sections of society at all levels in the organisation.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of people, from all backgrounds and with many different skills, experience and perspectives. We particularly encourage applications from disabled people and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. Find out more about our approach to diversity and inclusion on our website.

All appointments will be made on merit.

Apply now!

Details of the Selection Process: Candidates are required to complete an application form addressing the job specific criteria and key competencies.

Closing Date for applications: 10.00 17 February 2020

Completed application forms must be sent to Jobs@assembly.wales by the closing date.