Digital and technology solutions professional - IT consultant professional

This occupation is found in organisations where digital technologies can be used to solve problems that exist across a range of functions. Whether looking for ways to reduce waste, increase productivity, ensure resilient and responsive customer service, or create a secure transactional environment, organisations turn to digital and technological solutions to achieve these aims. Wherever these activities take place Digital and Technology Solutions Professionals (DTSPs) are influencing outcomes and making things happen.

DTSPs are found in small, medium and large organisations across all industries such as banking and finance, digital and technology, communications, construction, education, utilities, engineering, law, manufacturing, health, government and public services pharmaceutical, retail and transport.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to evaluate, initiate, create and support business solutions using digital technology. DTSPs use data to evaluate the commercial and security risks and benefits of potential digital and technology solutions before making recommendations for strategies that may have far reaching consequences.

DTSPs are influencers in their organisations with a clear focus on delivering business improvements through digital and technological solutions. They have a passion for digital technology; keeping in touch with emerging trends and developments .

DTSPs have a broad set of skills and knowledge across the main areas of the digital and technology landscape. This enables them to understand the complexity of information systems, systems development, data, cyber security, business organisation, IT project management and computer and network infrastructures . They view all of this with a rigorous approach to commerciality and budget to deliver quality solutions.

In addition to this broad set of skills and knowledge they specialise in one of the following areas:

• Option 1: Software Engineer
• Option 2: IT Consultant
• Option 3: Business Analyst
• Option 4: Cyber Security Analyst
• Option 5: Data Analyst
• Option 6: Network Engineer

For example:

• In a manufacturing company DTSP Software Engineers could be developing solutions to support the construction of physical products.
• In a utility company DTSP IT Consultants could be on a remote site to implement a solution for improving energy usage or reducing outages through the application of new technologies.
• In an engineering company DTSP Business Analysts could be reviewing a change to an engineering process to determine the impact on other processes within the organisation.
• in a technology company DTSP Cyber Security Analysts could be working with clients to address security management issues in the clients’ processes.
• In a pharmaceutical company DTSP Data Analysts could be working with large amounts of information to interpret the results of a field trial of a new medicine.

In a communications company DTSP Network Engineers could be involved in developing additions to an existing national network.

In their daily work DTSPs are excellent communicators and may interact with internal and external customers, team members and senior leaders. They can work independently and within multi-disciplinary teams . They may interact with decision-makers, strategists, and policymakers, often in senior roles in private or public sector organisations as well as with individuals and groups (internal and external) with a stake in the defined system, currently or in the future.

An employee in this occupation is likely to have some responsibility for budgets and/or resources, teams, and projects. In some organisations they may hold leadership positions. Work may typically be conducted in a desk-based environment, but that desk may be in an office or on a site depending on the solution being worked upon.

For example. a DTSP Software Engineer could be working on a client’s site during the development and implementation of a new client system.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working with little or no supervision and may be accountable for the supervision of others if the position requires it.

DTSPs are at the heart of problem solving, bringing an innovative, multi-disciplined approach to bear where there are unpredictable and variable influencing factors. They may have a remit to commission work from others and hold them accountable for outputs of a technical nature. Their professional position within a business means they fulfil a leadership role within their technical specialism demonstrating a strong ethical awareness of technological trends.

A description of each specialism follows:

Option 1) Software Engineer
The primary role of the Software Engineer is to undertake all requirements during the solution development life-cycle from gathering requirements to analysis, design, code, build, test, implementation and support. They may also be required to supervise the work of junior software developers and others who may be working on elements of the solution and work with product managers and UX designers in implementing solutions. They will apply software engineering principles to all stages of the solution life-cycle, from gathering requirements, undertaking analysis and design, development of code and data requirements whilst also ensuring security feature are addressed. As well as creating new code, they can support existing code by troubleshooting, reverse engineering and conducting root cause analysis. They typically work as part of a large collaborative team and will have responsibility for significant elements of software solutions.

Option 2) IT Consultant
An IT consultant bridges the gap between users and technology: they reinvent the digital world of the future. They require a broad set of skills in business analysis , solutions development, network infrastructure, data, cyber security etc. They use their consulting skills to get to the root of a problem and advise clients, both externally and internally, on how to best utilise technology to meet their business objectives, overcome problems and increase productivity. They provide strategic guidance and training to clients, both externally and internally, about digital and technology solutions. They facilitate changing business processes, improved structure, and efficiency through enhancements to digital and technology solutions . They design, build and install innovative customer experiences using the latest technologies to win business for their organisation.


Option 3) Business Analyst
A business analyst is an interpreter between two worlds: business and IT, bridging the gap of understanding between business and technology teams. They analyse and understand business needs and define and manage business requirements . They oversee design and delivery of tested system solutions throughout a project life-cycle to ensure these meet business requirements . They are key communicators and drivers of collaboration throughout the development life cycle. They are focused on the customer and work closely with the IT delivery team. They are essential in the development of successful digital and technology solutions through their rigorous analysis of business requirements to inform their recommendations and insight.

Option 4) Cyber Security Analyst
A Cyber Security Analyst leads in the work to define, implement and maintain security products and systems within an organisation’s policies and service level agreements . They will need to analyse and understand the points of vulnerability within IT systems and a proactive and agile approach to maintain high levels of systems and organisational security. They will monitor security performance using tools, statistical reporting and analysis, using the output of monitoring to problem solve, propose improvements and implement changes to meet service level requirements. A Cyber Security Analyst leads technical implementation of security infrastructures and technical designs, including producing cost and timescale estimates and identifying risks. After implementation they take ownership for obtaining the information required to diagnose and resolve more complex problems and escalations such as security incidents and business recovery. They engage with third parties to jointly resolve in-depth product issues where necessary and completing cyber risk assessments .

Option 5) Data Analyst
The primary role of a data analyst is to collect, organise and study data to provide new business insight to a range of stakeholders . They are responsible for leading the provision of up-to-date, accurate and relevant data analysis for the organisation. They are typically involved with managing, cleansing, abstracting and aggregating data across the network infrastructure. They look for opportunities to build data driven insights into decision makin g. They have a current understanding of data structures, software development procedures and the range of analytical tools used to undertake a wide range of standard and custom analytical studies , providing data solutions to a range of business issues. They are comfortable supporting teams and colleagues with analytics and report the results of data analysis activities making recommendations to improve business performance .

Option 6) Network Engineer
The primary role of a network engineer is to lead in the planning, design , installation, maintenance and support of communication networks within an organisation or between organisations. They take a proactive and agile approach to maintain high levels of network performance and availability for their users, such as staff, clients, customers and suppliers. They understand network configuration, cloud, network administration and monitoring tools , and give technical advice and guidance to their users . As part of their role they analyse system requirements to ensure the network and its services operate to desired levels with security at the heart of everything they do . They understand data traffic and transmission across the network and have a major role to play in ensuring network security and resilience . They are the key problem solver when networks fail and respond with resilience under pressure.