Professional Position Description Section 1 Position Information Update Only Position Title Software Developer Position # 999952 Department ITS Delivery Classification Level Professional B Reports to Manager, Enterprise Systems Effective Date Sep 1, 2015 Position Summary Briefly describe the main purpose(s) of the position Duties and Responsibilities Organize by key responsibility area and include % of time spent where possible Classification Review As a Software Developer the incumbent is part of a team responsible for analysis, software development, technical expertise, application administration, technical support, and documentation for Enterprise Systems at Athabasca University. The duties are applied to maintenance, enhancements and new development related to the Enterprise Systems. Participate in the analysis, design, development and implementation of enhancements to existing applications and new applications (60%) Work within a team environment on new development projects or changes to existing applications. Perform analysis and document requirements for new applications software. Develop solutions that meet requirements by configuring package software or developing custom code. Ensure modified or new applications meet department standards for migration to the production environment. Document all activities to the level specified by management and the systems development life cycle. Test software for compliance with specifications. Troubleshoot bugs in a timely fashion. Prepare technical and user documentation as required. Ensure security of applications by observing best practices for development of secure custom code. Ensure developed solutions are consistent with the university s standards and enterprise architecture. Act as a technical resource within Information Technology Services and the user community in general. Comply with unit, departmental and institutional procedures, policies and practices.
Ensure the on-going trouble free operation of the University s Enterprise System (Banner) applications and interfaces (30%) Provide end user support to help resolve software, procedural and data problems encountered by applications end users. Perform regular maintenance tasks that ensure the continued trouble free operation of production applications. Recommend applications changes that could be beneficial to the end users or the University in general. Provide consultation and advice to user departments staff as required. Assists in developing and amending policies and procedures. Collaborations and Training (10%) Consult with other areas within ITS to ensure required integration between all applications and systems. Consult with operations staff to help ensure the availability of systems and applications. Work with other ITS staff to provide training to user departments staff. Also provide general guidance within their areas of expertise. Work cooperatively with others within the team as well as in other areas of the university. Perform required tracking and reporting requirements in compliance with departmental and unit best practices.
Occupational Health and Safety Classification Factors Communication Responsible for awareness of one's OHS related responsibilities as an AU employee and for participating in the AU OHS Program as required. The incumbent will be required to effectively and efficiently communicate with individuals with varying education, technical prowess and subject matter knowledge. The incumbent will collaborate, consult and provide technical advice with many individuals, thus, strong interpersonal skills are required, to secure the cooperation and respect of the user community, team members and external entities. This requires strong oral and written communication skills, while demonstrating a high degree of tact, diplomacy and persuasiveness. The incumbent will help to ensure that a good rapport is established and maintained between user departments and software development teams. The nature of this position, and the related duties and responsibilities require the incumbent to uphold the utmost degree of confidentiality. Supervision Performs some intermittent supervisory activities of employees as required. Impact of Service or Product The Administrative Information System and related systems provide a wide range of services to students and staff University-wide. Delivery of the systems services are directly related to quality of maintenance and support provided by the incumbent in enhancing these systems. These systems are critical to the business of the University and services provided to the students. Independence of Action Independently maintains complex administrative information systems. Works independently in creating technical solutions for users. The incumbent will monitor and direct the activities of programming staff assigned under the authority of this position. In conjunction with the Administrative Information System Unit, the affected user department and technical personnel, the incumbent will adjust systems schedules should deficiencies be found in the original systems schedule.
Complexity Planning Includes interpreting technical requirements of specific requests and creating technical solutions that adhere to Athabasca University s approved application architecture principles. Work involves analysis of and solutions for technical problems for Administrative Information Systems, including the ability to predict the downstream effects of solutions and the ability to identify opportunities for improvement in processes. An understanding of Athabasca University s approved architecture principles is required. Signatures for Section I Incumbent's Signature Supervisor's Signature Section II Qualifications Includes education, experience, skills, abilities and any other special qualifications required. The qualifications relate to the position not the incumbent Degree in Computing Science, recognized in Canada, and 3 years professional computing experience. ITIL Foundation certification desirable. An equivalent of education and experience may be considered. Understanding of systems development methodologies and direct experience involving all aspects of systems analysis, design, programming, testing, and systems implementation. Knowledge and understanding of relational database theory and design, preferably Oracle, and computer networking technology. Advanced programming experience in current programming environments and relational database systems analysis and design, Oracle Forms and Reports is preferred. Strong systems analysis skills that would allow the incumbent to play a lead role in analysis phase of project or software. Requires advanced SQL experience, Oracle preferred. Considerable programming experience on various platforms including UNIX and MS Windows in conjunction with a relational database engine, preferably Oracle. Experience with Perl to extract data from a relational database like Oracle to produce reports is desirable. Experience with Ellucian Banner ERP products is desirable. Experience with Cognos BI reporting tools is desirable.
Knowledge of Toad as an investigative tool would be beneficial. An understanding of web related application programming, such as Java, would be valuable. Proven ability to thoroughly and logically analyze systems applications, by utilizing both deductive and intuitive reasoning to recognize potential problem areas within a system, and to predict the ramifications of alternate solutions. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required to secure the cooperation and respect of the user community and team members. These skills must include strong oral and written communication skills, as well as a high degree of tact, diplomacy and persuasiveness. Familiarity with an academic institution environment or the associated specialized areas of technology Signatures for Sections I and II Department Head Signature Executive Officer Signature Human Resources Review