IT Principal Officer – Systems Implementation Lead - INTERNAL

THIS ROLE IS INTERNALLY RESTRICTED

To apply for this job, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be an employee of Kirklees Council.
• Be employed by Kirklees for the duration of the recruitment process – up to and including the start date.
• Have successfully completed your probationary period.

(Please note that if you work for an Academy, you are not an employee of the Council.)

Your employment status will be checked, if you do not meet the above requirements your application will be rejected. 

Location: Civic Centre 1 / Hybrid 

Are you experienced in IT system implementation and are ready to take on a new challenge? Do you want to work for a fast paced, creative and innovative social housing provider that is committed to delivering excellence?

Homes and Neighbourhoods is Kirklees Council’s housing function and came into being as a result of the Cabinet’s decision to transfer the activities of the former ALMO into the council in April 2021. The Service’s vision is:

Striving to be an excellent landlord by putting tenants and communities first

We are committed to transforming the relationship we have with tenants by rebuilding trust, providing an excellent customer experience and involving the tenants voice in influencing and shaping decisions that affect their homes and neighbourhoods. We do this by working with people in a place-based way and recognise the importance of strong collaborative partnerships to deliver our shared outcomes.

In Autumn 2022, Homes and Neighbourhoods developed and launched its ambitious Improvement Programme which will transform the way we work. The programme consists of three key workstreams, underpinned by significant investment in data and technology:

• Process improvement
• Strengthening compliance and assurance
• Culture change

Through the programme we are also developing a 4-5 year Technology Roadmap – considering three major IT system procurements and implementations across housing management, repairs and assets, plus identifying activities to strengthen our data integrity and become a more intelligence-led service.

The Systems Implementation Lead will be part of the Improvement and Assurance Team and will play an integral role in our ambitious programme of process redesign and IT system developments.

The role will lead three major IT system implementations within Homes and Neighbourhoods, the first of which will be managing the implementation of Civica Cx, our new Housing Management IT system. Cx is an established project within Homes and Neighbourhoods, with a planned implementation date of Autumn 2025. You will oversee/matrix manage an established project team, including project/development staff and Learning and Organisational Development, in addition to overseeing the work of a contracted Data Migration Lead. The role will also work closely with Corporate IT and be able to manage progress, oversee IT developments and closely manage issues and risks.

Following the implementation of Cx, the role will support the procurement of the new Repairs IT system, including gathering user requirements and compiling a tender specification, in addition to managing soft market testing and the procurement process. You will then oversee the delivery of the repairs system – from project inception through to implementation. The third system planned for implementation is the replacement Asset Management System.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Significant experience of IT system implementations, preferably in a lead/project management/programme management role,
• Experience of procuring a new IT system, including collating business user requirements and tender specification documents,
• Experience of working closely with subject matter experts and a wide variety of stakeholders to gather user requirements and be able to translate these into IT solutions,
• Significant experience of project management – particularly within Agile and Waterfall,
• Knowledge of data requirements surrounding IT system implementations, including data migration, data cleansing and data mapping,
• Experience of developing and implementing comms and engagement plans and training plans.

This role is based within Growth and Regeneration – Homes and Neighbourhoods. Find out more about working for Kirklees.

We offer flexible working, a generous annual leave entitlement, and are committed to supporting our staff to have a positive work/life balance and support hybrid working – encouraging a mixture of home working, office working (in our newly refurbished Civic Centre One) and through workshops across Kirklees. We are also committed to training and development, including gaining further qualifications where needed.

For more information about the role, please look at the associated documents below (Job Purpose and Job Focus). All candidates should demonstrate, within a personal statement, how they meet the essential requirements and the SFIA Skills and Knowledge Areas within the Job Focus. For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Sarah Thistlethwaite (Service Development Manager) at: sarah.thistlethwaite@kirklees.gov.uk.