About the job

Job summary

The Opportunity

Help us enhance quality of service and value for money as we move towards the creation of a more modern, technologically enabled Parliament. You and your team will provide Microsoft 365 and messaging services to all staff and Members. It’s a chance to explore and embed emerging technologies in a working environment like no other. As well as tackling day-to-day tasks such as resolving users’ issues, you will act as a subject-matter expert, informing future IT strategies and introducing innovative technologies to meet new business needs.  You can expect to:

• maintain standards of excellence across all areas of delivery, including user experience, accessibility, reliability and performance
• oversee lifecycle management and capacity planning for messaging technology and services
• have input into architecture, roadmap strategies and standards for Messaging, and contribute to change initiatives
• managing the Messaging team day-to-day, ensuring they maintain appropriate levels of skills, productivity, performance and motivation

What You Need

Balancing a complex workload and demanding deadlines while delivering high-quality results will be a key challenge.  We’re therefore looking for someone who combines sound technical skills with experience of team-building and management. You will need:

• Experience in designing, implementing and supporting Messaging solutions, with specific detailed technical understanding of: Exchange Online and Exchange Server, Microsoft Teams (calling, chat, meetings, collaboration), Outlook and other Microsoft 365 products, Messaging security (such as spam and email filtering, DMARC and DKIM), PowerShell scripting for management and reporting of Microsoft email services, Active Directory Services, Information protection and compliance using Microsoft 365 tools, Microsoft 365 licensing.
• Strong team building and management skills with experience in motivating, leading and developing a diverse team ensuring resources are organised appropriately and effectively.
• Experience of identifying and delivering opportunities for continual service improvement and development.
• Strong sense of customer service and demonstrates an understanding of the needs of customers, keeping them in mind when taking actions or making decisions.
• Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to establish positive working relationships and influence and persuade at all levels.
• Awareness of messaging, routing, and networking technologies, cloud services and server operating systems.
• Exchange Online and Exchange Server, Microsoft Teams (calling, chat, meetings, collaboration), Outlook and other Microsoft 365 products, Messaging security, such as spam and email filtering, DMARC and DKIM, PowerShell scripting for management and reporting of Microsoft email services, Active Directory Services, Information protection and compliance using Microsoft 365 tools, Microsoft 365 licensing.

Job description

• Maintaining standards of excellence across all areas of delivery, including user experience, accessibility, reliability, performance and delivering a high-quality service.
• Responsible for lifecycle management and capacity planning for Messaging technology and services.
• Collaborating with the 'Head of Productivity and Collaboration’ to input into architecture, roadmap strategies and standards for Messaging.
• Providing technical direction and advice to programmes and projects, recognising and actively seeking ways to exploit technology to address complex business, organisational and technical issues
• Influencing senior level stakeholders and project teams throughout change initiatives, taking proposals from idea to minimum viable product and into production.
• Building excellent collaborative relationships with key internal stakeholders and external suppliers/partners.
• Managing the Messaging team day-to-day, ensuring relevant levels of skills, productivity, performance and motivation are maintained. Recruitment and allocation of appropriate technical resource for projects/business requests.
• Actively monitoring and reviewing the availability and performance of the Messaging service, and acting as the key point of contact for service reviews and during major incidents.
• Identifying, owning and mitigating risks associated with the Messaging service.
• Ensuring cyber security and information protection is considered and embedded into every aspect of how Messaging operates.

The above list of key responsibilities is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and banding of the post.

Person specification

Criterion 1  
 
Experience in designing, implementing and supporting Messaging solutions, with specific detailed technical understanding of: Exchange Online and Exchange Server, Microsoft Teams (calling, chat, meetings, collaboration), Outlook and other Microsoft 365 products, Messaging security (such as spam and email filtering, DMARC and DKIM), PowerShell scripting for management and reporting of Microsoft email services, Active Directory Services, Information protection and compliance using Microsoft 365 tools, Microsoft 365 licensing. 
 
Criterion 2  
 
Strong team building and management skills with experience in motivating, leading and developing a diverse team ensuring resources are organised appropriately and effectively. 
 
Criterion 3  
 
Experience of identifying and delivering opportunities for continual service improvement and development. 

Criterion 4 
 
Strong sense of customer service and demonstrates an understanding of the needs of customers, keeping them in mind when taking actions or making decisions. 
 
Criterion 5 
 
Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to establish positive working relationships and influence and persuade at all levels. 
 
Criterion 6 

Awareness of messaging, routing, and networking technologies, cloud services and server operating systems. 

Technical Proficiencies 

Exchange Online and Exchange Server, Microsoft Teams (calling, chat, meetings, collaboration), 
Outlook and other Microsoft 365 products, Messaging security, such as spam and email filtering, 
DMARC and DKIM, PowerShell scripting for management and reporting of Microsoft email services, Active Directory Services, Information protection and compliance using Microsoft 365 tools, Microsoft 365 licensing. 

Benefits

Please refer to our Candidate Information Pack for a full list of our benefits which include:

• up to 35 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays
• generous maternity pay policy up to 6 months full pay
• great pension scheme options (contributory and non-contributory)
• on-site subsidised gym, nursery, catering, post office, travel office and GP
• flexible options including hybrid working and family friendly policies

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How To Apply

Please make sure you're clear on the requirements of the role. These can be found in the Job Description and Candidate Information Pack. To apply, you will need to show how you meet up to the first three criterion. Our application process is anonymous to prevent bias. You are not required to upload a CV but instead, you will enter your work and education history.

Apply By: 27th February 2024 at 23:55

Interviews: 7th/8th March

Format: Panel Interview (Remote)

Our Culture

For our people, we provide an amazing opportunity to bring their talents to an institution that sits right at the heart of society in the UK. We are helping to change UK Parliament and strengthen democracy. What matters here is your potential for growth and your commitment to playing your part in our ongoing success.

We are passionate about providing an environment which promotes inclusion, diversity and equality. Regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs or any of the other things that make you, you. We welcome applications from people who feel under-represented in the workforce. This includes those who may feel disadvantaged because of their socioeconomic circumstances.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.