Job Title: ICT Platform Specialist
Contract: Permanent
Working Hours: 37 hours per week
Salary: Grade 10 – £47,420 – £52,468
Location: Kelvedon Park
Closing Date: 06/06/2024
*We are open to discuss working arrangements including flexibility over hours and location
The Role
Providing quality effective information technology across our service has never been more important. Our specialist team delivers ICT to frontline and support staff, across 50 stations, as well as at workshops, training centres and offices.
We are committed to enabling our people and transforming our service with technology. Essex Fire embarks on an exciting period of change, and with the implementation of the new Digital and data strategy and our Platform is vital to achieving our goals! We are pleased to present a position for a ICT Platform Specialist who will be integral to achieving the objectives we set.
What You Will Be Working On
Evaluates, develops and performs day-to-day tasks associated with the operation of ICT platforms including Server Estate, Azure Landing Zone, Wide Area Network, Local Area Network, Desktop/Laptop/Mobile platforms.
Designing and implementing consistent, resilient and secure builds of ICT platforms.
Operate and develop the ICT platform to support new software deployments in a cost-effective manner.
Performs and automates patching to ensure a maintain and supported operating environment.
Assesses and influences Backup and Recovery solutions to meet service requirements for day-to-day recovery, Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery events.
Evaluate and improve event monitoring tools to provide timely response and accurate information to issues.
Working with the Technical and Network Architect to identify where technology can be migrated to cloud services such as Azure or other PaaS solutions.
Line management of the Platform Analyst. Shares knowledge and good practice across all areas of ICT through documentation and demonstration.
What Are We Looking For?
Working under the Technical Services Manager, alongside our Technical Services Support team you will oversee the implementation, support and ongoing maintenance of our Platforms and oversee the full life cycle of the Platform – from on premise to migration to Azure. The role will challenge your understanding of concepts in Networking, so an understanding of this is deemed essential to the role.
As the Platform Specialist, you will be expected to take a concept or idea and use your extensive skillset to produce a resilient and secure Platform for which our applications and hardware can utilise, whilst actively sharing knowledge and ways of working to the wider team and reports. Your expertise and experience mean you take a proactive role in designing, documenting and delivering these concepts, working collaboratively across project teams and support services.
With evidential experience working with Networks, Servers, Firewalls and Azure services you will possess knowledge and experience of Infrastructure migrations, Azure Platforms, on premises data centres, firewalls, security, pipelines, project release lifecycle, and customer engagement. You should be able to identify opportunities for development of solutions within the service with an aim to reduce Capital Expenditure and provide efficiency savings..
The perfect applicant should be responsive and able to act quickly to an ever-changing landscape in technology and thrive on innovation – with a desire to drive change whilst embracing creative ideas.
If you are an internal candidate, you must have discussed your application with your line manager and confirmed with them there are no outstanding issues of conduct or performance. This will be verified prior to shortlisting.
How to apply
You will be required to submit a supporting statement of no more than 750 words that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria of the Person Specification.
You may attach separate documents (such as qualifications, or a CV) should you wish, though your additional document will only be referred to in shortlisting to confirm eligibility (e.g., your current role and any existing qualifications).
Assessment and selection:
The assessment and selection approach will be:
Stage 1
Application & shortlisting (assessment of your supporting statement will be made against the essential criteria on the person specification)
Stage 2
Role specific panel interview and technical assessment.
Should you wish to have an informal discussion with regards to the role, please contact the Recruitment Team at recruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk
Our Culture and Benefits
Here at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service we are committed to prioritising and promoting the wellbeing of our employees.
You can find out more about our benefits at https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/recruitment/benefits
Disability Confident
We are an equal opportunities, Disability Confident, employer who welcomes applications from everyone and values diversity in our workplace. A commitment to promoting diversity and developing a work environment where all staff are treated with dignity and respect is central to our recruitment process and all applications will be considered solely on merit.
As part of our offer to support all our candidates to perform to the best of their abilities during our recruitment and selection processes and we would like to let you know about a couple of support options you can access, should you wish to, including our employee forums, who are keen and willing to support all of our potential colleagues.
Our employee forums and partners include:
Asian Fire Services Association (AFSA), BEING (our LGBTQ+ employee support network), Christian Fellowship, Ethnic Minority Forum, Men’s Forum, and our Women’s Forum. In addition, we also have a Female Operational Group.
Further to the above, the Service has a Digital Accessibility Inclusion Group (DAIG) that supports all colleagues to improve their digital skills and provides additional support and guidance to colleagues with neurodivergent strengths and struggles as a result of dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, dyspraxia etc. We want everyone to thrive at work, and so we encourage and enable people to access digital tools to help them perform at your best. The DAIG is a group of colleagues from across the Service that unite to support others as a result of their lived experience and desire to make a difference. They support people with a range of visible and invisible disabilities to identify and access digital workplace adjustments and solutions and may be able to assist with your application too.
Should you wish to discuss support, or access further information, from one of these groups, please contact Equality.Diversity@essex-fire.gov.uk
You are also able to raise any queries or requests for support, including any adjustments you may require, at any stage of the process by email to recruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk
You can find out more about Essex County Fire & Rescue Service via www.essex-fire.gov.uk and about our vacancies and application processes via https://join.essex-fire.gov.uk
Safeguarding
Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
It is our policy to require all applicants for employment to disclose if you are currently being investigated by any regulatory body or have any decisions or sanctions pending or in progress in respect of your suitability to work for the Service.
You agree to inform the Service within 24 hours if you are subsequently investigated by any agency or organisation in relation to concerns about your behaviour towards children, young people or vulnerable adults.
The information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential and will be considered only in relation to the appointment for which you are applying.
This role will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.