The UK Data Service provides users with seamless and flexible access to a wide range of data resources to facilitate high quality social and economic research and education. The wide coverage of the service and combination of historically separate data services have led to a diverse technology portfolio with core holdings spread across a range of legacy systems.
The post-holder will be located at the UK Data Archive at the University of Essex, and will have line management responsibilities for existing technical teams.
Duties of the Role
The UK Data Service Chief Technical Officer will play a critical role in assessing, managing and implementing the technology that will help the Service meet its goals for stable/ sustainable/ innovative/ user-led data access and use.
The post-holder will be responsible for synchronising technology, data management and access frameworks across the UK Data Service and its partner organisations in both the UK and Europe.
Strategic duties include serving as the Service technical lead to assess current infrastructure, development plans and technical resource management and define the optimum technical architecture within available resources; developing plans for platform management and deprecation, and service migration to the optimum technical architecture in response to user needs for data access and use; and taking a leading role in the technical developments of CESSDA ERIC (the Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives), and representing the UKDS on relevant CESSDA committees/working groups.
Operational duties include leading a team of technical colleagues to determine how the Service will accomplish technical challenges such as the integration of new technology, system design and service provision; building stable cooperative processes for tools and services through development projects and maintenance; and providing clear analytics and periodic reporting to support delivery and improvement.
A full list of responsibilities and duties can be found within the job pack.
Qualifications and Skills required
Applicants are expected to hold a degree or equivalent level qualification.
Given the importance of the role, it is essential that you possess a track record of success in a relevant senior leadership and management role within a complex organisation; an understanding of data management, curation and access across the spectrum from secure to open; experience working with software development teams located in different physical locations; and expertise in computer technology, methodology, and full life-cycle development.
It is also important that you have excellent skills in areas such as interpersonal communications, negotiation and conflict resolution; an ability to engage credibly across all areas of the UK Data Archive and with external stakeholders; and in proactively solving practical and logistical problems, prioritising tasks and meeting tight deadlines
We welcome applications from those from an ethnic minority as they are under-represented in the UK Data Archive.
The UK Data Archive is registered for ISO 27001 compliance and this post will be subject to the staff vetting process. Further information can be found in the job pack.
Closing: 4 February 2019
Location: Colchester
Salary: £51,630 – £58,090 per annum
Employment type: Fixed-term, full-time, until 31/03/2021 due to funding.
Further detail: Chief Technical Officer job pack