SAP Solutions Analyst (Finance and Payroll) IT Services Application Services Salary Grade 8-40,847-45,954 per annum Open Ended Contract Ref: CSE00899 At Leicester we re going places. Ranked in the top-12 universities in Britain our aim is to climb further. A commitment to high quality fused with an inclusive academic culture is our hallmark and led the Times Higher Education to describe us as elite without being elitist. The University has made a major investment in systems to support its key business activities and has ambitious plans for further developments. Join our team at this exciting time to take responsibility for enhancing the SAP application which underpins our key business processes, particularly within Finance. You are used to supporting critical financial processes and are an analytical problem solver with a track record of developing innovative solutions. Exposure to any or all of SAP FI, CO, AM, PS, PM and MM would be ideal but training will be provided as necessary. The University There s never been a more exciting time to join us. At the University of Leicester we are enjoying research success on a world stage and gathering the awards and plaudits to match. A judge in a recent awards ceremony described Leicester as elite without being elitist. We are proud to be elite. But we are at least as proud to be an inclusive and progressive university. This commitment to high quality, an inclusive academic culture and belief in the synergy of teaching and research are our hallmarks. We believe that teaching is inspirational when delivered by passionate scholars engaged in world-changing research that is delivered in an academic community that includes postgraduate as well as undergraduate students. Our approach to research yields great rewards. Our research impact, measured by citations per academic, is the sixth highest in the UK. Our success in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise saw Quality Related research income rise by 18% placing us firmly amongst Britain s top 20 research universities by this measure. The RAE also revealed that Leicester is home to Britain s top-rated research department Museum Studies which has the highest concentration of world class research of any department of any discipline in the UK. For a University that believes teaching and research are synergistic, it is pleasing that the National Student Survey reveals that 91% of full-time students are satisfied with their courses. Consistently amongst the best in the country, this 2009 result is matched only by Cambridge amongst mainstream universities in England. Currently a University of 23,000 students, with a turnover of 230m and 3,800 colleagues, our future is bright. Our Strategic Vision describes our plans to invest a billion pounds in our estate as we
transform our campus. Already ranked in the top-12 universities in Britain, by 2015 we aim to rise further to become top-10. Leicester is the most inclusive of Britain s top-20 universities with the greatest proportions of students from under-represented groups. As a group of talented individuals we are more diverse than ever and stronger for it. At Leicester we are proud of our distinct approach, our achievements and our ambitious plans. If you share our approach join us. IT Services The purpose of IT Services is to create a digital campus in which students and staff can be as creative and productive as possible as they learn, teach, undertake research and run the organisation. Many of our services are typical of the corporate world and offer similar challenges: managed desktops and laptops, storage, email, printing, web content management, data and voice networking, multimedia design and production, and the ERP business applications underpinning finance, HR/ payroll, marketing, facilities management and a range of commercial enterprises. Other services are specific to the University and create an interesting range of challenges for the IT function. Here the creation, sharing, analysis and dissemination of information are defining activities. Both students and researchers tend to be demanding, innovative users of technology and we aim to provide them an information environment in which they can be as creative and productive as possible. We provide them with a Virtual Learning Environment, High Performance Computing services and a huge range of specialist software. Our researchers produce vast amounts of data and need tools to manage, mine and generate information from it. Many of them collaborate with others across disciplinary and organisational boundaries. Our students have grown up with internet technologies and expect to be constantly connected using their mobile devices. A technology rich experience is what they expect from University life. We provide equipment in teaching rooms, PC areas, wireless everywhere, and internet services in the halls of residence. We also run specialist business applications to support our students journey through the institution, aiming to provide them with a professional service through the application process, while they are studying and after they graduate. Similarly, we run systems to underpin the life cycle of each research project as it moves from grant application through to publication and dissemination. We support around 23,000 students and a further 4,000 staff and collaborators and to do this we have built an effective, customer focussed organisation and provide comprehensive support to all areas of University. We have invested heavily to modernise the IT Infrastructure and widen our service portfolio. Underpinning all of this is an appropriate governance framework, project and portfolio management processes and a number of ITIL based service support disciplines. With the infrastructure modernisation programme substantially complete, IT Services is ready to move to the next stage in its development. The goal is now for IT Services to be perceived by all as the institution s trusted IT partner. It aims to help researchers do more effective research and students derive more value from their University experience; it also aims to play a leadership role in business process transformation. In these various ways, it will create value for the University rather than simply serve it. How IT Services is organised Two Deputy Directors (Service Delivery, Systems Design and Development) report to the Director of IT and work closely with the Manager of Partnering and the Chief Architect. Collectively this group shapes and leads IT Strategy and Policy, and manages IT governance, risks and resources. University of Leicester 2 08 July 2014
Each team within IT Services has a distinct purpose and provides a particular expertise to support the wider team and its broader purpose. All teams work together as necessary to meet the overall demands on the service within a matrix environment. There are two groups of teams each led by a Deputy Director: the Service Delivery teams and the Systems Design and Development teams and the Business Partnering team which works across both areas. Each of the major, cross cutting processes is owned by a senior role, managed from within a particular team but involves individuals as necessary from all teams. There is an IT Services Leadership team which includes all the team managers and works collaboratively to solve cross-divisional issues. Application Services Your Role The Applications Services team reports to the Deputy Director IT, Systems Design and Development. It is responsible for the architecture of the major applications, master data and information reporting systems which support the University s business processes such as student records, timetabling, accommodation management, research management, finance, HR/ payroll, marketing and facilities management. It owns the technical strategy and roadmap for these elements and the tools required to manage them. It ensures that these systems continue to meet service requirements in a cost effective way, providing strategic supplier management as necessary. It spots opportunities to apply new features and technologies in ways that will support the team s purpose and highlights these to the Partnering team. It is the centre of expertise for these areas and responsible for appropriate skills and capability development within the IT Operations team. It works very closely with the Development and Integration Services team. Purpose: Give me the applications and data that I need to support my business process Experts on: Database Administration; SAP (BI, FI, CO, MM, PS, PM, FM, GM, HR and Portal); SITS; CMIS; PAMS; Kx; Simplectic Process managers for: Application portfolio management The purpose of this role is to apply knowledge of finance systems generally and SAP in particular in order to propose and design solutions to business problems; it is also to specify or carry out IT system configuration in line with user specifications. With a focus on the finance modules of SAP, the Systems Analyst will lead the functional design and configuration of the applications supporting the University s critical business processes, owning the functional roadmap for those areas and taking responsibility for documenting and validating requirements. You will guide colleagues within the relevant business areas in making the optimal use of available systems and data, and to help ensure that business processes remain aligned with technical capabilities. Principal Accountabilities Use knowledge of applications and relevant business processes to lead functional development of systems and to support critical University operations: University of Leicester 3 08 July 2014
Conduct detailed analysis of user requirements for new systems or new functionality, documenting agreed functional specifications and non-functional requirements. Ensure end-to-end business processes being supported by new functionality are fully understood and documented. Where appropriate, guide business stakeholders and processes to make optimal use of available systems and functionality. Analyse the technology market, the existing application portfolio and internal development capability in order to identify most appropriate solution to meet requirements, within architectural, time and budgetary constraints. Work with technical experts to formulate design proposals for solutions to support required business processes and meet functional and non-functional (performance, scalability, availability, business continuity and security) requirements. Support project managers in planning the detailed work packages involved in development projects through design, installation, configuration, integration, data migration and testing taking responsibility for the estimation of staffing required at each stage. Take responsibility for the delivery of non-project developments and service enhancements, owning the planning, specification, quality and handover of work. Decide on the most appropriate supplier for each change or development, either personally delivering configuration changes, handing over to internal technical teams or selecting and managing external suppliers. Manage suppliers of development and configuration services in line with IT Services' supplier management processes. Specify, document and own interfaces and data transformations required to meet business requirements. Support the business in developing and maintaining data standards. Ensure new developments are properly handed over to IT Operations, including the production of all necessary user and technical documentation as required. Define, plan and execute testing as required, in accordance with IT Services Quality Management Strategy. Provide in-depth support for applications: Where necessary, lead IT Operations teams in the resolution of escalated problems or incidents relating to systems and data. Maintain awareness of product development roadmaps, known problems, planned fixes and upgrade paths. Attend regular service reviews with key clients. Contribute to and maintain IT service continuity plans as required. Developing Self and Others Provide advice and ad hoc assistance on the use of technologies or refer them to other teams within ITS for more substantive assistance / training. Work with the ITS Training and Communications team, involving them in training needs analysis within the Department as necessary. University of Leicester 4 08 July 2014
Deliver training to staff or students where the particular skills and knowledge required makes this appropriate. Maintain skills in line with the needs of the service. Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience Required Essential Deep understanding of Finance and associated processes, particularly in a Higher Education context* Expert in the standard and potential functionality available within SAP to support Finance processes* Extensive experience of configuring and managing the SAP Finance modules in a complex organisation* Extensive experience working in a complex IT organisation with a business analysis background* Educated to degree level in an IT related discipline or with equivalent additional experience* Experience supporting complex, customer-facing business areas, involving users working together at different levels and in different functions to provide a consistent and coherent service to the customer.* Experience of managing or contributing to projects using a formal methodology such as PRINCE2 Successful track record managing projects and suppliers Expert in the standard and potential functionality available within relevant applications to support business processes* Excellent conceptual knowledge of the major components constituting a modern IT architecture Desirable Experience in Higher Education IT Service Management (ITIL) Foundation PRINCE2 Project Management Foundation Educated to master s degree level Skills, Abilities and Competencies Essential Highly developed analytical skills and problem solving ability. Able to lead others through a structured problem solving exercise. Excellent interpersonal skills Excellent verbal and *written communication skills. Excellent technical documentation skills. Customer focussed. Capable of engaging and working with senior clients and end users at every level to understand business requirements, translate these into system specifications and deliver services to support them. University of Leicester 5 08 July 2014
Excellent team player. Able to lead a small team. Able to work with minimal supervision. Self-confident and self-motivated. Able to organize, prioritise and plan own work and the work of others (* Criteria to be used in shortlisting candidates for interview) University of Leicester 6 08 July 2014